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Gallery /  American Pygmy Kingfisher
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An American Pygmy Kingfisher perched on a weathered branch in side view, dark green back and rufous breast
Species

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Martín Pescador Enano
Chloroceryle aenea
Family
Alcedinidae
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern 4
Learn moreeBird (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

Where and when to see the American Pygmy Kingfisher

Draft

On the Yucatán Peninsula

It lives along quiet forest streams, ponds and mangrove channels. It perches low and in the shade near the water; approach slowly, as it tends to fly off before you see it.

Map of reports: American Pygmy KingfisherYucatán Peninsula. Squares of about 10 km shaded by how many birder reports they hold, 2015–2026. Most reports near: Celestún, Muyil, El Remate, El Corchito Reserve. A blank square may only mean few birders went there.
2–45–1920–99100+reports per ~10 km square

Where it’s reported most

  1. CelestúnCelestún, Yucatán
  2. MuyilFelipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo
  3. El RemateCalkiní, Campeche
  4. El Corchito ReserveProgreso, Yucatán

When

All year

Reported all year.

Reports relative to effort

  • January: 66%
  • February: 64%
  • March: 58%
  • April: 79%
  • May: 100%
  • June: 90%
  • July: 80%
  • August: 90%
  • September: 83%
  • October: 83%
  • November: 76%
  • December: 53%

Data: eBird and other datasets via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), 2015–2026 · Base map: Natural Earth

The smallest kingfisher in the Americas, perching low over shaded creeks, mangrove channels and flooded forest. It is easy to miss until it darts out over the water.

Identification
A tiny kingfisher, glossy dark green above and rusty below, with a white belly, a pale buffy collar and a long dark bill.
Voice
Quiet, repeated “tik” notes, sometimes run together into a dry chatter, and a faster series of high chirps.

What the photo doesn’t show

Draft

Sources

  1. eBird: American Pygmy Kingfisher (opens in a new tab)
  2. Wikipedia: American pygmy kingfisher (opens in a new tab)
  3. Birds of the World (Cornell Lab): American Pygmy Kingfisher (opens in a new tab)
  4. IUCN Red List category, via GBIF: Chloroceryle aenea (opens in a new tab)

  5. Map and months: 1,793 records from 2015–2026 from eBird, Inventario de aves y mamíferos en humedales de Laguna de Términos y Pantanos de Centla en Tabasco y Campeche, and others, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), in 0.1° squares (about 10 km). eBird: doi.org/10.15468/aomfnb.

    Months: the species’ records ÷ all bird records that month, scaled to the busiest month. It allows for birding effort; it is not the chance of seeing it. A blank square: few or no reports, not necessarily absent.

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