Ispidina lecontei

The little redheaded kingfisher is 10 cm long, the male weighs 9-11, and the female weighs 9.5-12 g. The eyes of the bird are black. The forehead is black, the head is red, the nape and back are lilac, and there is a white patch on each side of the nape. The back and tail are bluish-purple, the tail and wings are deepened. Chin and throat white, lower body chest, abdomen and wings yellow red. The mouth is red with dark brown irises. Legs red.
The young bird has a black forehead, blue-black head and wings, a deeper blue-black back and tail similar to the shoulders. Chin and throat are white. The abdomen is gray-red and the abdomen is pale yellow. The black mouth has a white margin, and the mandible is red to the base of the mouth.
Tail shorter than mouth; Airfoil tip length; Feather color is not black and white. Mouth thick straight, long and firm, mouth ridge round; No nasal furrow; The wingtip is long, the first primary feathers are slightly shorter, and the third and fourth fea

The species is found in central and southern Africa (including the southern Arabian Peninsula and the entire African continent south of the Sahara Desert (Tropic of Cancer).) Eastern Liberia, Ghana, southwestern Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Uganda, Angola and southwestern Sudan.
The redhead kingfisher is found mainly in tropical rainforests and heavily wooded forests, but is also found in certain types of open environments, such as oil palm plantations. It is found from sea level up to 1400 m.

Ispidina lecontei, African Dwarf kingfisher, has two subspecies (1.Ispidina lecontei ruficeps is found from eastern Liberia to Ghana). 2.Ispidina lecontei is found in south-western Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Uganda, Angola and south-western Sudan.) .

The little red-headed kingfisher is a small forest kingfisher with a very bright color. It usually lives in dense forests and riverbanks near water, and usually hunts alone or in pairs. Like most forest kingfishers, they are completely carnivorous. Often searching for prey in leaves or dirt. The diet of the redheaded kingfisher is basically limited to insects, such as dragonflies, beetles (larvae and adults), ants, large flies, and especially likes to eat army ants. They also eat a variety of aquatic animals.

The little red-headed kingfisher especially likes to splash in the water during the breeding season. The two partners face each other, and the distance from each other is very short, generally less than 50 centimeters. Their mouths are almost perpendicular to each other, and they call each other in duets. Spawning time varies by region, from February in Cameroon to November to February in Gabon. The nest is built on an earth cliff or on a river embankment, with a tunnel dug by the mouth for the nest, 15 cm long and 5 cm high. These caves are generally bare of bedding. The eggs are laid directly on the nest ground.

Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ver 3.1:2008 Red List of Birds.

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