Lilac kingfisher Lilac kingfisher The lilac kingfisher or Celebes flat-billed kingfisher ("Cittura cyanotis") is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the Indonesia island of Sulawesi and the neighbouring Sangihe and Talaud Islands. It is the only member of the genus "Cittura". The first formal description of the lilac kingfisher was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824 under the binomial name "Dacelo cyanotis". The genus "Cittura" was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848. The genus name is from classical Greek "kitta" for "magpie" and "oura" for "tail". The specific epithet "cyanotis" is from classical
Blyth's kingfisher comparison is substantially larger. Its bill is heavier and longer than that of the blue-eared kingfisher, and is entirely black. Its crown and wings are less brilliant as those of the smaller bird, and it may be distinguished by the speckles of light blue on its crown and wing coverts. The dark ear coverts set it apart from the common kingfisher ("Alcedo atthis"), which has rufous ear-coverts. It is similar to the female blue-banded kingfisher ("Alcedo euryzona"), but the two species do not overlap in their range. The call of the species is described as a loud "pseet", less shrill