Blyth's Kingfisher (Alcedo hercules)
About the Blyth's Kingfisher
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.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 3 recordings for this species: 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in China, Vietnam in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Cerulean KingfisherAlcedo coerulescensrecording
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisrecording
- Shining-blue KingfisherAlcedo quadribrachysrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.