Mountain Kingfisher
Syma megarhyncha
The Mountain Kingfisher (Syma megarhyncha) is a legendary kingfisher found in 2 countries, weighing about 40 g. The mountain kingfisher is a species of bird in the subfamily Halcyoninae in the family Alcedinidae.
About the Mountain Kingfisher
The mountain kingfisher is a species of bird in the subfamily Halcyoninae in the family Alcedinidae. Adult males are 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) long, and have a rufous head and underparts, greenish-blue upperparts, a dark blue tail, and black flight feathers. They also have dark neck patches and loral patches. Females have dark crowns and the neck patches join at the nape. It is similar to the yellow-billed kingfisher, but can be distinguished by its larger size and a proportionally larger bill, along with a dark ridge along its culmen.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
It is a small kingfisher, with males weighing 52–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz) and females weighing 49–63 g (1.7–2.2 oz). Adults are between 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) in length. Males have a rufous head and underparts and greenish-blue upperparts, along with black loral and nape patches. The tail is dark blue and it has black wing feathers with bluish edges and tips. Females have a black crown and paler underparts. The neck patches are joined at the nape in females, making a bar across the back of the neck. The bill is bright yellow with a dark ridge along the culmen. Voice: It typically vocalises from the canopy and mid-story. It has a loud whistled trilling call, typically composed of 3–4 descending trills separated by pauses. The song ends with a distinctive trill that drops, rises and drops in pitch. The initial trills are similar to the song of the chestnut-breasted cuckoo, but are longer and richer, and the cuckoo's song is much higher-pitched.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in August. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Mountain Kingfisher?
- It is a small kingfisher, with males weighing 52–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz) and females weighing 49–63 g (1.7–2.2 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Mountain Kingfisher?
- The Mountain Kingfisher is a small sized bird weighing about 40 g.
- Where can you see a Mountain Kingfisher?
- The Mountain Kingfisher occurs in 2 countries, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Mountain Kingfisher?
- The Mountain Kingfisher is most easily confused with the Yellow-billed Kingfisher.
- Is the Mountain Kingfisher endangered?
- The Mountain Kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Mountain Kingfisher for real
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