About Lacedo pulchella (Horsfield, 1821)
Lacedo pulchella, commonly called the banded kingfisher, reaches 20 cm (7.9 inches) in length. It has a sturdy red bill and a short crest that can be slowly raised and lowered. Unlike most of its close relatives, this species shows strong, visible sexual dimorphism between adult males and females. Adult males have chestnut coloring on the forehead, cheeks, and nape, paired with a bright blue cap. The remaining upperparts, wings, and tail are black with blue bands. The breast, flanks, and undertail are rufous, while the central belly is white. Adult females have a similarly striking appearance, with black and rufous bands across their upperparts, and white underparts with scattered black bars on the breast and flanks. Juvenile banded kingfishers have duller plumage than adults of the same sex, a brown and orange bill, and dusky barring on their underparts. The species' call begins with a long, whistled wheeeoo, followed by 15 repetitions of chiwiu over the course of 17 seconds; the second syllable of the call gradually fades in volume. Banded kingfishers will respond to human imitations of their call. This species is distributed across Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Brunei. It is rare within Java, very rare within Sumatra, and is considered extinct in Singapore.
