Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species occurs across Mindanao in remaining forest patches. It is declining, although probably only slowly, with much of its suitable habitat lying in remote montane forests buffered from the chief threat: forest loss and degradation. Accordingly it is listed as Least Concern.
Population justification
The population size of this species is unknown. Within its mapped range, there was approximately 24,000 km2 of forest in 2015, but a large proportion of this was degraded, and only 7,800 km2 of closed-canopy forest, from which most observations are made (eBird 2023), remained at that time (NAMRIA 2023). While habitat loss has reduced this since 2015 (Global Forest Watch 2023) and only a proportion of this area is likely to be occupied, the population probably still numbers tens of thousands of individuals.
Trend justification
Suspected to be declining because of forest loss and degradation. No population data for this forest-dependent species are available and remote sensed forest cover data are used as a proxy to predict rates of decline. In the past three generations (13 years: 2010–2023), forest extent in its mapped range was reduced by c. 6.5% (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). However, there are two factors to consider when interpreting the extent to which this value reflects population reduction. First, it does not account for forest degradation and the remote sensing data used are relatively insensitive to, for example, selective logging. The extent to which this species is impacted by forest degradation is poorly known; while it has on occasion been found in disturbed forest (Collar et al. 1999, Allen 2020), the majority of available records (eBird 2023) are from closed-canopy forest and it is likely that forest degradation is causing additive declines in places. The second thing to consider is that the species' mapped range contains areas down to 100–200 m (based on extreme records made at these elevations). At low elevations A. hombroni is evidently scarce, and is commonest above 1,000 m, where forest loss on Mindanao over the past three generations has been much lower (approximately 1–3%). The method used to derive the value of 6.5% therefore has the potential to have both under- and overestimated population declines. To account for these uncertainties, the population is suspected of having declined by 1–15% over the past three generations; in the absence of data to suggest otherwise, the same rate of reduction is suspected to occur in the next three generations (13 years: 2023–2036), although rates could slow with an increasing proportion of birds in more secure, montane forests.
The species is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines (Collar et al. 1999). In 2001 judged to have a relatively small range (BirdLife International 2001) with post-1980 records then from only seven localities. However, more recent data have shown it to be more widespread (eBird 2023) and it evidently occurs across Mindanao where suitable habitat remains.
It is an apparently sedentary inhabitant of primary forest and occasionally secondary and disturbed habitats across a wide altitudinal range (100-2,400 m), although generally above 1,000 m (Collar et al. 1999, Allen 2020). One anomalous report, of a bird collected in "low thick jungle covered daily by the sea", appears to relate to mangroves, although this has not been repeated. It is unobtrusive and tends to call prior to dawn; easily overlooked (Allen 2020).
The greatest broad threat to this species is habitat loss and degradation. On Mindanao, this is principally caused by shifting agriculture (especially in montane areas, where there is attritional forest loss upslope) and timber extraction, as well as larger-scale removal of forest for plantations, especially rubber (chiefly in the lowlands), and mining, especially for gold, chromite and nickel (see Agduma et al. 2023 for summary of the threats facing Mindanao biodiversity).
Conservation and Research Actions Underway
Occurs in numerous protected areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2023).
Conservation and Research Actions Proposed
Undertake monitoring of this and other forest birds on Mindanao to establish more accurately their trend. Work to protect more parts of its range, especially in lowland forest.
27 cm. Large, secretive, forest kingfisher. Male has bright blue cap and moustachial area, rufous-orange cheeks and underparts. Off-white throat, rest of underparts rufous-orange. Blue-green upperparts with small buff spots on scapulars and wing-coverts. Brighter blue rump and tail. Bright red bill. Female has drabber cap and moustachial area. Green upperparts with larger buff spots than male. Voice Long series of melancholic whistles and loud cackles in alarm. Hints Best located by call, mostly just prior to sunrise.
Text account compilers
Bird, J., Benstead, P., Davidson, P., Lowen, J., Berryman, A., Peet, N., Taylor, J., Ashpole, J
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Blue-capped Kingfisher Actenoides hombroni. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/blue-capped-kingfisher-actenoides-hombroni on 23/12/2024.
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 23/12/2024.