African dwarf kingfisher explained

This article discusses the African dwarf kingfisher, which is distinct from the Oriental dwarf kingfisher.

The African dwarf kingfisher (Ispidina lecontei) is a species of kingfisher in the Alcedininae subfamily.

Taxonomy

The African dwarf kingfisher was described in 1856 by the American ornithologist John Cassin from a specimen collected by Paul Du Chaillu. Cassin introduced the current binomial name Ispidina lecontei. The specific epithet was chosen in honour of the entomologist John Lawrence LeConte.^[1]

There are two subspecies:^[2]

• I. l. ruficeps Hartlaub, 1857 – Sierra Leone to Ghana, west of the Dahomey gap in the rainforest.^{[3] [4]}
• I. l. lecontei Cassin, 1856 – south Nigeria to west South Sudan, Uganda and central Democratic Republic of the Congo; central Angola.

Description

This is the world's smallest kingfisher with a length of and a weight of 9-.^[5]

Distribution

It inhabits African rainforests and is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda.

Notes and References

1. Cassin . John . John Cassin . 1856 . Descriptions of new species of African birds, in the Museum of Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, collected by Mr. P.B. Du Chaillu, in Equatorial Africa . Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia . 8 . 156–159 [158] .
2. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2017 . Rollers, ground rollers & kingfishers . World Bird List Version 7.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 17 May 2017 .
3. Web site: Details : African Dwarf Kingfisher - BirdGuides. 2021-07-20. www.birdguides.com.
4. Dickerman . R.W. . 1993 . On the validity of Ceyx (Myioceyx) lecontei ruficeps . Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club . 113 . 4 . 255–257 .
5. Book: Fry . C. Hilary. Fry . Kathie. Harris . Alan . 1992 . Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers. Christopher Helm . London . 978-0-7136-8028-7 . 195–196 .