NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blyth's Kingfisher
Alcedo hercules Laubmann, 1917
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Blyth's Kingfisher is the rarest kingfisher found in the North-eastern part of India. I captured this guy in Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh
Sushaw · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Blyth's kingfisher (Alcedo hercules) is the largest kingfisher in the genus Alcedo. Named for Edward Blyth, the species has also been known as Alcedo grandis and as the great blue kingfisher. Between 22 and 23 cm (8+5⁄8 and 9 in) long, the kingfisher has deep rufous underparts with a blackish blue breast patch, and brilliant cobalt blue or azure upperparts, tinged with purple. The wings are a dark blackish green, with blue speckles and tips to some of the feathers. The bill of the male is entirely black, while the female has a dark red lower mandible. The species is distinguished from the similar blue-eared kingfisher (Alcedo meninting) and common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by its greater size, heavy black bill, and dark lores. The species breeds between the months of March and June. It builds nests at the end of tunnels dug in the banks of streams or ravines. Four to six eggs are laid, with both sexes incubating.
Wikipedia contributors, Blyth's kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:04:03.710565+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Alcedo hercules Laubmann, 1917
- Name authority
- Laubmann, 1917
- Common name
- Blyth's Kingfisher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Alcedo
- 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- subfamilyAlcedininae
- genusAlcedo Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesAlcedo hercules Laubmann, 1917
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Alcedo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Shining-blue KingfisherAlcedo quadribrachys Bonaparte, 1850 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-eared KingfisherAlcedo meninting Horsfield, 1821 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cerulean KingfisherAlcedo coerulescens Vieillot, 1818 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-banded KingfisherAlcedo euryzona Temminck, 1830 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Half-collared KingfisherAlcedo semitorquata Swainson, 1823 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554548 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.
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:65W6W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.