The Banded Kingfisher Has Flamboyant Colors And An Interesting Latin Name Origin

Its Latin name translates as “Very Pretty Kingfisher.”

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• November 9, 2021

The banded kingfisher captures attention thanks to its vivid colors and a big puffy head. It is a tree kingfisher found in lowland tropical forests of southeast Asia, and it is the only member of the genus Lacedo.

It is around eight inches long and has a sturdy red bill and a short crest which it can raise and lower as needed. What’s interesting about this bird is the striking sexual dimorphism – the colors in males and females are completely different.

The adult male has a brownish forehead, cheeks, and nape and a bright blue cap. The rest of the upper parts, wings, and tail are black with blue stripes while the breast, flanks, and undertail are reddish-brown, and the belly is white.

The adult female has black and reddish-brown streaked upper parts and her upper plumage is white with some black stripes on the chest and flanks. The colors get stronger as the birds grow - the colors on the young birds are less vivid.

Banded kingfishers can be found in lowland tropical forests of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos. Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Brunei. They generally prefer altitudes up to 3,500 feet, but they can be found in areas with 5,000 feet altitude in Brunei.

The banded kingfisher is around eight inches long

Males and females have different colors

Banded kingfishers are hunters.

They mainly eat large insects and sometimes small lizards. Their favorite hunting grounds are actually the trees, but occasionally they will even hunt at ground level.

They build nests in holes of rotting trees and sometimes use tree termite nests. The females lay anywhere from two to five white eggs.

The bird's Latin name is Lacedo pulchella, and has a very interesting origin. The word Lacedo is an anagram of Alcedo, the Latin word for kingfisher.

The specific name pulchella is Latin for "very pretty".

They generally prefer altitudes up to 3,500 feet

Banded kingfishers can be found in lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia

Its breeding season falls between February to May. During this season, male and female birds will pair up to breed.

It is unknown whether they form long-term breeding pairs because they live alone for most of the year, only coming together for breeding purposes.

The exact lifespan of these species is unknown. However, the average lifespan for kingfishers is five to ten years, so their life expectancy will fall within this range.

Banded kingfishers mainly eat large insects

The bird's Latin name is Lacedo Pulchella. Pulchella is Latin for "very pretty".

Its breeding season falls between February to May.

It is unknown if they have long-term partners because they live alone for most of the year

Watch them on video here:

Another interesting fact is that, unlike other kingfishers, banded kingfishers generally don't live near waters. And when they do, it's not because of the food, because they prey on insects, not fish.

These birds communicate with a long, whistling call, and will often respond to recordings or imitations of its call, making it very easy to locate.

Damjan