African dwarf kingfisher

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

African dwarf kingfisher
illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Clade:	Tetrapodomorpha
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Alcedinidae
Subfamily:	Alcedininae
Genus:	Ispidina
Species:	I. lecontei
Binomial name
Ispidina lecontei Cassin, 1856
IUCN range   Extant (resident)
Synonyms
Ceyx lecontei[2]

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.^[3]

There are two subspecies:^[4]

• I. l. ruficeps Hartlaub, 1857 – Sierra Leone to Ghana, west of the Dahomey gap in the rainforest.^[5][6]
• I. l. lecontei Cassin, 1856 – south Nigeria to west South Sudan, Uganda and central Democratic Republic of the Congo; central Angola.^[5]

Description

This is the world's smallest kingfisher with a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and a weight of 9–12 grams (0.32–0.42 oz).^[7]

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. ^[1]