Bangladesh (E) (B), Bhutan (B), Brunei Darussalam (B), China (mainland) (B), India (B), Indonesia (B), Japan (B), Laos (B), Malaysia (B), Myanmar (B), Nepal (B), North Korea (B), Philippines (B), Singapore (B), South Korea (B), Taiwan (China), Thailand (B), Vietnam (B).
Vagrant to Cambodia, Russia (Asian).
From north-east India to Indonesia. Summer visitor to north-eastern Asia, Japan, Korea, wintering south to Philippines, Taiwan.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Habits
Scarce, solitary and rather secretive, but vocal.
Voice
Male sings mainly in the morning from a concealed perch in the canopy, but also during the day when raining. Song is a high-pitched but descending, rolled whistled trill 'pyorrrr' or 'kyorororo'. Also an explosive rattle. Usually silent outside of breeding season.
Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) [XC785076]
by id from Pulau Indah, Selangor, Malaysia (song)
Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) [XC331846]
by Peter Boesman from Kulisusu Utara, Kabupaten Buton Utara, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia (call)
Subspecies
A distinctive species, not apparently very closely related to others in the genus. Has been sometimes separated in monospecific genus Entomothera. Subspecies claudiae included in minor by some authors.
The following 10 subspecies are recognised:
major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1848) - North-eastern China, Korea and Japan (Hokkaido south to Kyoto); migrates south to Philippines and Talaud Is.
bangsi (Oberholser, 1915) - Ryukyu Is, Taiwan and Lanyu I; migrates south to Philippines and Talaud Is.
coromanda (Latham, 1790) - Nepal east to northern Myanmar and southern China, south to western Bengal and southern Thailand; northern populations winter south to Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java.
mizorhina (Oberholser, 1915) - Andaman Is.
minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1848) - Southern Thailand (from about Isthmus of Kra) south to Sumatra (including Simeulue I, Batu Is, Mentawai Is), Riau Archipelago, Bangka and Belitung, Java and Borneo.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet