NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cerulean Kingfisher
Alcedo coerulescens Vieillot, 1818
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The cerulean kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae which is native to parts of Indonesia. With an overall metallic blue impression, it is very similar to the common kingfisher, but it is white underneath instead of orange. Males average bluer than females, which have a greenish cast.
It is sometimes called the small blue kingfisher but in Indonesia and parts of Asia that name refers to Alcedo atthis (common kingfisher).
Wikipedia contributors, Cerulean kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:10.554554+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Alcedo coerulescens Vieillot, 1818
- Name authority
- Vieillot, 1818
- Common name
- Cerulean 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 coerulescens Vieillot, 1818
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 |
| Blyth's KingfisherAlcedo hercules Laubmann, 1917 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-eared KingfisherAlcedo meninting Horsfield, 1821 | 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=554563 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:66877. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.