Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher
A species of Lilac-cheeked Kingfishers, Also known as Lilac Kingfisher Scientific name : Cittura cyanotis Genus : Lilac-cheeked Kingfishers
Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, A species of Lilac-cheeked Kingfishers
Also known as:
Lilac Kingfisher
Botanical name: Cittura cyanotis
Genus: Lilac-cheeked Kingfishers
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nigel Voaden 
Description
The lilac kingfisher is 28 cm (11 in) long. It has the typical kingfisher shape, with a short tail and long bill. The adult male of the nominate race, C. c. cyanotis, has a brown crown and back and rufous rump and tail. It has a blue eye mask, separated from the crown by a white line, and a pale lilac ruff of long stiffened ear covert feathers. The underparts are white and the wings are blue, separated by a white line from the brown back. The red bill is large and flattened. In flight, the underwings are white with a black "wrist" patch. The female has a black, rather than blue, mask and upperwing coverts, and her supercilium is black, spotted with white. The juvenile resembles the adult, but is duller and browner with a grey-brown bill. The race C. c. sanghirensis is substantially larger and longer-billed than the nominate race. It has brighter, more rufous upperparts, a black forehead and mask, stiff, bright lilac ear coverts and upper breast, and a white chin. The call of this large tree kingfisher is a rapid ku-ku-ku-ku. The lilac kingfisher is unlikely to be confused with any other kingfishers in its range. 
Size
28 cm
Habitat
Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher primarily occupies the lush primary and tall secondary lowland forests, as well as drier hill forests. It has adapted to thrive in both natural and altered landscapes, including small, fragmented forest patches and selectively logged areas, as well as mixed plantations combining trees with agricultural crops. Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher is relatively adaptable, being almost equally found in coastal forests and further inland. It has a particular affinity for utilizing bare branches of low trees as roosting sites and can frequently be seen perching near cleared and open spaces when searching for food, although it typically favors small-diameter trees for perching.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Behavior
The lilac kingfisher is found in lowland rainforest and drier hill forest up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) altitude. It perches motionless on a low branch watching for its prey, mainly large insects, on the ground below. Little else is known of the behaviour of this species, and no nests have been found.
Species Status
This species has a restricted range and fragmented distribution, and is uncommon, with no records from south Sulawesi. Lowland deforestation has been extensive in recent decades, and the loss of its habitat has led to lilac kingfisher being classed as near-threatened.
Photo By Nigel Voaden 
Scientific Classification
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