North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher

Open encyclopedia reference

The Philippine dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is endemic to the Philippines found in the islands of Luzon, Polillo Islands, Catanduanes, Basilan, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. Due to differences in plumage, It is recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as two distinct species with the birds from Basilan and Mindanao classified as the South Philippine dwarf kingfisher and the North Philippine dwarf kingfisher for the rest of its range. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The North Philippine dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx melanurus) is a species of bird that is endemic to the Philippine islands. The Philippine dwarf kingfisher is in the Alcedindae family. Its bright red beak and mostly orange feathers make it stand out in the Philippine rainforest.The International Union for Conservation of Nature recognizes this bird as two distinct species. They are classified as regions where their habitat is located. These two species are called the North Philippine dwarf kingfisher and the South Philippine dwarf kingfisher.

Wikipedia contributors, Philippine dwarf kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:23:29.295870+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Ceyx melanurus (Kaup, 1848)

Name authority

(Kaup, 1848)

Common name

North Philippine Dwarf-kingfisher

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Coraciiformes

Family

Alcedinidae

Genus

Ceyx

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderCoraciiformes
10. familyAlcedinidae
11. subfamilyAlcedininae
12. genusCeyx Lacépède, 1799
13. speciesCeyx melanurus (Kaup, 1848)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ceyx. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 77 records assigned to Alcedinidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554568 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:5XMT9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.