Photo: Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Ispidina picta
African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) — Kingfishers & Rollers of Africa.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) is a member of the Alcedinidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 12.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Coraciiformes
- Family Alcedinidae Kingfishers
- Genus Ispidina
- Species picta
Quick facts
- Weight
- 12.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family, part of the order Coraciiformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF widespread.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 12.7 g, with a wing length of about 5.2 cm and a tail of around 2.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 13.9 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the African Pygmy Kingfisher?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is a very small bird that weighs around 12.7 g.
Where does the African Pygmy Kingfisher live?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is found across Africa with a range covering AF widespread, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the African Pygmy Kingfisher belong to?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) belongs to the Alcedinidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.
What does the African Pygmy Kingfisher eat?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher migrate?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the African Pygmy Kingfisher endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the African Pygmy Kingfisher make?
1 real field recording of the African Pygmy Kingfisher — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the African Pygmy Kingfisher's range?
The African Pygmy Kingfisher has a mapped global range of about 13.9 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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