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Banded Kingfisher – crest and call

YC Wee
on 22nd July 2016

KingfisherBnd [AmarSingh] 1

“The Banded Kingfisher (Lacedo pulchella melanops) (abpve) was easy to watch and we had good views of a male calling for long periods. This kingfisher often raises its crest feathers and at frequent intervals (below).

KingfisherBnd [AmarSingh] 2

“The reason for this behaviour is uncertain. Some suggest it is due to excitement or an aggressive display; others that it could be a mating ritual. The fact that it happens when human observers are present suggests that it could be distress or an aggressive display towards humans. It would be good to obtain documentation when there are no humans around (remote video recording).

“An edited call recording (below) and Sonograms/Waveforms of classical calls (below). As described by Phillipps (2014), the calls are a mournful, two-tone ‘pee-yoo’.

KingfisherBnd sonogram [AmarSingh] 3

“Also called the Bornean Banded Kingfisher or Black-faced Kingfisher (Lacedo melanops) and considered by some to be a separate species and an endemic of Borneo. The key difference from the mainland (Lacedo pulchella pulchella) and Sumatran birds is blackish forehead, the black cheeks and collar.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
2nd May 2016

Location: Sepilok, Sandakan, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia
Habitat: Secondary growth adjacent primary jungle

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

Bird Society of Singapore: A credible alternative to the Nature Society’s Bird Group

11th December 2023

Singapore-Nature: 17. Citizen Science

30th August 2023

Singapore-Nature: 16. Living close to nature

18th August 2023

Singapore’s secret “garden”

20th July 2023

Singapore-Nature: 15. Looking versus studying birds

12th July 2023

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Any views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

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