Small Blue Kingfisher

Small Blue Kingfisher

Alcedo coerulescens

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Semarang

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

14 Verified sightings at Semarang
518 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Small Blue Kingfisher

The cerulean kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae which is native to parts of Indonesia. With an overall metallic blue impression, it is very similar to the common kingfisher, but it is white underneath instead of orange. Males average bluer than females, which have a greenish cast.

It is sometimes called the small blue kingfisher but in Indonesia and parts of Asia that name refers to Alcedo atthis (common kingfisher). The first formal description of the cerulean kingfisher was by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1818. He coined the binomial name Alcedo coerulescens. The specific epithet coerulescens is from the Latin caerulescens meaning "bluish". The species is monotypic.

The cerulean kingfisher is a small kingfisher with a length of 13 cm (5.1 in). The upperparts are a range of shades of blue with white lores and a prominent white patch on each side of the neck. The underparts are white with an azure-blue breast-band. The bill is blackish and the legs are dark brown. The female has duller and slightly greenish plumage and a narrower breast band.

The cerulean kingfisher... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:52

Indonesia · 2010

© David Edwards · XC70719 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Call0:10

Indonesia · 2015

© Paulo Alves · XC253426 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:10

Indonesia · 2013

© Bruno Durand · XC151621 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%
2 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
3 Semarang 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Small Blue Kingfisher in Semarang?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Small Blue Kingfisher sighting in Semarang on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 15th most-seen of the 41 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

What time of day is best to see a Small Blue Kingfisher?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Blue Kingfisher sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Semarang the best place to see a Small Blue Kingfisher?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Small Blue Kingfisher sightings, Semarang ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Denpasar (Indonesia, about 50%) and Jakarta (Indonesia, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Small Blue Kingfisher live in Semarang?

Same family: Alcedinidae

The closest relatives of the Small Blue Kingfisher that you can see in Semarang (family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers) are Collared Kingfisher (about 30%) and Sacred Kingfisher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Small Blue Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Small Blue Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Semarang (14 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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