The Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to Sulawesi island, Indonesia. The species has numerous common names such as Celebes forest kingfisher, blue-crowned kingfisher, Celebes dwarf-kingfisher, and Celebes pygmy-kingfisher.
Region
Wallacea (Sulawesi)
Typical Environment
Found throughout suitable lowland and hill forests of Sulawesi, favoring dense primary and mature secondary evergreen forest. It keeps to shaded ravines, stream corridors, and thick understory where visibility is low. Often associated with forested streams but also hunts along leaf littered trails and fallen logs. It avoids open habitats and heavily degraded edges.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
One of the tiniest kingfishers in Indonesia, it lives inside dense lowland forests rather than along open waterways. It hunts from low perches, darting to the forest floor or stream edges to snatch insects and other small prey. The species nests in burrows excavated in earthen banks. Ongoing deforestation on Sulawesi poses a localized threat to its habitats.
Temperament
secretive and shy
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats low through understory
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, maintaining small foraging territories within dense forest. Breeding pairs excavate a burrow nest in an earthen bank or similar substrate near water. Both sexes likely participate in incubation and chick rearing. Generally crepuscularly active within territories.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a thin, high-pitched series of whistles and tseep notes, often given from a shaded perch. Calls are soft and easily overlooked in the forest, with short repeated phrases at dawn and late afternoon.
