General

Ruddy Kingfisher: Medium-sized brown-orange kingfisher, more brown-yellow on underparts. Back, wings, and tail orange-brown with violet highlights. Huge, red-orange bill with slightly upturned mandible. Black-brown eye. Short, orange legs and feet. Fairly long wings. Short to medium-length, narrow tail. Feeds on snails, crustaceans, insects, and fish. It forages by waiting on a perch in mangroves or evergreen forest, and flying down to the ground or water to catch prey with its bill.

Breeding and Nesting

Ruddy Kingfisher: Four to six round white eggs are laid in a burrow in a termite nest, or tree cavity. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 20 to 22 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Ruddy Kingfisher: Feeds on snails, crustaceans, fish, and insects. It will also take frogs and lizards. This kingfisher species forages by waiting on a perch to watch for prey. When a food item is seen on the ground or in water, it flies down to snatch the prey item with its bill.

Vocalization

Ruddy Kingfisher: Call is loud chattering notes. Song is descending mournful whistles.