Javan Kingfisher

The Javan kingfisher is a medium-sized bird (25–27 cm at maturity) with a distinctive large red bill; dark brown irises, head, throat, and collar; a purple body; vivid turquoise primary coverts, secondaries, and tail; white wing patches on the bases of the primaries (visible in flight); and dark red feet. There are no reported significant sexual dimorphisms. Juveniles are duller with brownish-orange bills and whitish throats. Juveniles of the genus Halcyon often show light barring or mottling along areas that are more uniformly colored in adults. The Javan kingfisher's call is described locally as cekakakak cekakakak cekakakak, hence its local name, Cekakak (or variants thereof). Others describe their call as a far-carrying scream that is striking and often heard, yet quieter than that of the collared kingfisher. Alternative published spellings of H. cyanoventris' call include tjie-rie-rie-rie-rie-rie, chee-ree-ree-ree, or cheree-cheree.

The Javan kingfisher is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali. It is a non-migratory species that lives in a variety of habitats, including pastures, fish ponds, paddyfields, marshes, coastal scrub, mangroves, open dry forest, municipal parks and gardens, and orchards. They inhabit some coastal environments but generally avoid contact with seawater. Humid tropical forests with closed canopies are typically avoided, except where roads and development have cleared the open spaces kingfishers require to hunt. Urban and suburban spaces with suitable tree cover can also provide suitable habitat for Javan kingfishers. Unlike many species of kingfisher, the Javan kingfisher does not appear very dependent on proximity to a body of water. It is typically found at elevations below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level, but one study found Javan kingfishers at nearly 2,500 m (8,200 ft) on Mount Lawu in East-Central Java.

Like all kingfishers, the Javan kingfisher is highly territorial and tends to stay close to its nesting area. They are mostly solitary animals, and are somewhat skittish around humans. Javan kingfishers are non-migratory.

Feeding. The Javan kingfisher displays classic kingfisher perch-and-wait behavior, preferring isolated perches or exposed branches at forest edges rather than closed-canopy forest interiors. As they display a limited degree of eye rotation, kingfishers use head movements to track their prey. Once a prey item is spotted, the kingfisher will wait for the opportune moment to swoop down and capture it with its large beak; after returning to a perch, the kingfisher will sometimes forcefully swing its prey against a branch in order to kill or soften it. Like other Halcyon kingfishers, the Javan kingfisher typically prefers insects and small prey animals taken on land or at the water's edge over prey items actually within the water, and in fact seems less suited to aquatic hunting than many kingfishers of other genera. A typical diet can include fish, frogs, reptiles, freshwater shrimps, terrestrial and aquatic insects, and the larvae of Dytiscides water beetles. …