Ultra-Rare Dwarf Kingfisher Fledgling Bird Photographed For The Very First Time

Like & Follow Us On Facebook!

IMAGE Miguel De Leon

The Dwarf Kingfisher Fledgling bird has eluded scientists for over 130-years.

The South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx mindanensis) was first described 130-years ago during the Steere Expedition to the Philippines in 1890. The bird is the smallest of the Kingfisher species and has long been known for its incredible plumage of metallic lilac, orange, and bright blue spots.

IMAGE Miguel De Leon

It is found in the virgin and second-growth forests in the islands of Mindanao and Basilan. The South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher has a unique call, described as a “high-pitched, insect-like, and almost inaudible zeeep.”

It has eluded scientists for over a hundred years because of its behavior. It is difficult to see as it perches quietly and darts invisibly from perch to perch.

IMAGE Miguel De Leon

But thanks to Miguel David De Leon, a Filipino field biologist and director of the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy, we get a glimpse of the beautiful bird that is sadly threatened with extinction.

IMAGE Miguel De Leon

“The Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy is a group of eight field workers and bird photographers that documents birds and habitats, contributing data previously unknown to science, with the ultimate goal of conserving species and ecosystems,” says De Leon in an interview with Esquire Philippines.

All of these photos of the bird’s fledgling taken by De Leon were the very first time this stunning creature has ever been photographed.

The photos are results of De Leon and his team’s 10 years of laborious tracking and research in an attempt to document for the first time the nesting, feeding, and breeding behaviors of the South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher.