Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Ceyx erithaca and C. rufidorsa (Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International 2023) were previously lumped as C. erithaca (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) despite being previously split following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993). Lim et al. (2010) make a convincing case for species-level genetic differentiation and suggest that intergrades have resulted from past introgression rather than ongoing gene flow. Confounding factors include the facts that C. erithaca is a partial migrant and that the Bornean population motleyi appears intermediate in plumage, but genetically belongs with rufidorsa. See C. rufidorsa for differences. Closely related to C. rufidorsa, C. melanurus and C. mindanensis; molecular data indicate that they form a well-supported clade with C. lepidus, C. cyanopectus and C. argentatus (and taxa previously included within those species) (Moyle et al. 2007). Original specific name erithaca is a noun, and therefore remains unchanged, irrespective of gender of genus in which placed (David and Gosselin 2002). Two subspecies currently recognized.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2023. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 8. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v8_Dec23.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
full migrant |
Forest dependency |
medium |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The global population has never been formally estimated but throughout its range descriptions of its abundance range from rare to locally common (Limparungpatthanakij and Hansasuta 2022). eBird (2023) data suggest that in South-East Asia it is rather thinly distributed (even accounting for inconsistent observer effort), although in some places this may be a reflection of recent declines rather than a natural scarcity.
Trend justification: The population is inferred to be declining in response to habitat loss and other threats (including collisions structures on migration) which have caused a decrease in population size over the past ten years.
In the last 10 years (2013-2023), forest cover in this species' breeding/resident ranges declined by c.15% (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). This figure does not account for degradation, although C. erithaca is evidently capable of persisting in (sometimes highly) degraded habitats, but most losses in the 15% described amount to total clearance for agriculture, which will have a direct impact on this species. This species is apparently declining at a rate that exceeds forest cover loss alone, with reports of it having disappeared from sites it once formerly occupied (J. Eaton pers. comm. 2023). The mechanisms behind these additive declines, and the rate at which they're occurring, are poorly known. The species is among the most frequently reported species to collide with windows in Singapore (Low et al. 2017) and has been recorded colliding with structures nearly throughout its range (Ali and Ripley 1983, Wells 1999, Round 2008) although the contribution of this threat to suspected declines remains very poorly known. There may also be factors associated with migration that are impacting this species in ways that are not yet known. In particular, potential wintering strongholds of low-lying forest in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra may have been converted to palm oil plantations, which this species does not appear able to tolerate. Nonetheless, this is highly speculative, and it is ultimately unknown what percentage of C. erithaca migrate this far south. Precautionarily, over the past ten years, it is suspected of having declined by 10-29%, with a best estimate at the midpoint, of 15-25%. These suspected rates require empirical confirmation but in the absence of clear amelioration of these threats going forward, are precautionarily suspected to occur in the future.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black-backed Dwarf-kingfisher Ceyx erithaca. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-backed-dwarf-kingfisher-ceyx-erithaca on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.
