The Moluccan dwarf kingfisher, formerly known as the variable dwarf kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae.
Region
Maluku Islands, Indonesia
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland and foothill rainforests on Moluccan islands, favoring dense, shaded understory near small streams and damp gullies. It also uses secondary forest and forest edges where cover remains thick. Birds perch quietly at low to mid-levels before making short sallies to the leaf litter or foliage. It avoids open habitats and is most common in intact forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Formerly known as the variable dwarf kingfisher, this species was split into several island endemics, with Ceyx lepidus now referred to as the Moluccan dwarf kingfisher. Despite its name, it rarely fishes and instead hunts insects and other small prey in shaded forest understory. It is a tiny, brilliantly colored kingfisher that prefers dense, lowland rainforest. Its presence is often revealed by thin, high-pitched calls rather than by sight.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; low, darting flights through dense understory
Social Behavior
Typically encountered singly or in pairs within defended forest territories. Nests are excavated tunnels in earthen banks or rotting logs, where both sexes participate in digging and incubation. Clutches are small, and pairs are presumed monogamous during the breeding season.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched whistles and short, piercing seee or tsi notes, often repeated in series. Vocalizations carry in forest but are soft and can be easily missed amid insect noise.
Plumage
Glossy cobalt-blue to violet-blue upperparts with bright blue rump, contrasting rufous-orange face and underparts, and a clean white throat patch.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects such as beetles, orthopterans, and caterpillars, as well as spiders and other small arthropods. Occasionally takes small lizards or frogs. Hunts from low perches, making quick sallies to the ground or foliage to snatch prey. Prey is typically beaten against a perch before swallowing.
Preferred Environment
Forages in shaded, humid forest interiors, especially along small streams, seepages, and gullies where prey is abundant. It also patrols dense tangles and vine-choked edges, keeping close to cover.
