The Javan kingfisher, sometimes called the blue-bellied kingfisher or Java kingfisher, is a medium-sized kingfisher endemic to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali.
Region
Java and Bali (Indonesia)
Typical Environment
Occurs across lowland and foothill zones of Java and Bali, especially in agricultural mosaics with wetlands. Frequent around rice paddies, fish ponds, slow streams, canals, marsh edges, and mangroves. Also uses forest edges, scrub, and village fringes where suitable perches overlook open ground or shallow water. Often persists in human-modified landscapes provided there is some standing water and cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A striking tree kingfisher with a vivid cobalt-blue belly and a large crimson bill, it is often seen perched on wires or exposed branches over rice fields. Despite being tied to wet places, it also hunts along field edges and in secondary growth away from open water. It excavates nest tunnels in earthen banks or termite mounds. Its loud, rattling calls carry far across paddies at dawn and dusk.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
strong flier with rapid, direct wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, defending feeding territories along waterways and fields. Hunts from exposed perches with watch-and-wait tactics, then dives to ground or water to seize prey. Breeding pairs excavate nest tunnels in earthen banks or active termite mounds and both parents feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is loud and carries, consisting of harsh cackling bursts and sharp, piercing notes. Sequences often accelerate into a rattling series used for advertisement and territorial display.
