Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

American Pygmy Kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea)
Photo: Thomas Ebner, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist
American Pygmy Kingfisher

Family Alcedinidae

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Chloroceryle aenea

In Spanish: Martín Pescador Enano

  • Resident

The tiny, glossy green kingfisher of shaded streams and mangrove creeks

The American Pygmy Kingfisher (Martín Pescador Enano) is the smallest kingfisher in the Americas, about 13 cm long. In Costa Rica it is an uncommon resident, widespread in the lowlands of both slopes.

It is easy to overlook because of its tiny size and secretive habits. On a trip we build around boats and quiet streams, it is a bird worth scanning low branches for.

How to find it

Walk slowly along shaded forest streams and scan perches at eye level and below. Early morning is a good time. It prefers dark, overhung waterways over open ponds. On boat trips, the driver or guide often spots it for you, and narrow mangrove creeks near estuary mouths are places where tour groups look for it.

How to recognise it

Look for a very small kingfisher with glossy green upperparts, a rufous chest and flanks, and a white belly centre. Females show a broad dark green band across the chest, while males lack it or show only traces. Young birds are paler and duller below. Size is the first clue: at about 13 cm, it is the smallest kingfisher in the Americas. It also shows a faint pale neck collar, which helps when comparing it with other kingfishers.

Behaviour and diet

It perches low over the water, about 1.2 m up on average. It bobs its head and tail often and changes hunting perches frequently. It is usually seen alone, sometimes with its mate. It eats small fish, tadpoles, frogs and insects such as damselflies. If disturbed it darts away, but it can be confiding if you approach quietly.

Where it lives

It lives in dense forest along small streams and rivers, by pools, in swamps, and along tidal channels in mangroves. It avoids open country. In Costa Rica it is widespread in the lowlands of both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes, and it occasionally goes up to about 600 m.

When to see it

Breeding in Costa Rica is reported for March and April, and possibly June, with the nest a tunnel dug into a bank. A Guanacaste station observer says it is easiest to see in the dry season, when streams run low and prey is trapped in leftover pools, so the bird hunts there in the open.

Similar birds

The Green Kingfisher is about twice the size, and its collar is bright white. The Green-and-rufous Kingfisher has similar colours but is larger, while the Pygmy has a white belly centre.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica it is called Martín Pescador Enano, meaning dwarf kingfisher. The name fits because it is the smallest kingfisher living in Costa Rica, at about 13 cm.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list marks it as a resident (R), rated Least Concern worldwide with a stable, widespread population.

Photography tips

It darts away if disturbed but can be confiding if you approach quietly, and it usually perches fairly low over the water. Observers describe quick flights at water level, but also times when the bird sits very still on a perch. Scan open low branches in quiet lagoons.

How we know this 18 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. Aves de Costa Rica read 2026-11-04https://avesdecostarica.com/Chloroceryle-aenea.html
  2. Peru Aves read 2026-11-04https://www.peruaves.org/alcedinidae/american-pygmy-kingfisher-chloroceryle-aenea/
  3. Guía de Aves de Misiones read 2026-11-04https://guiadeavesdemisiones.com/martin-pescador-enano-chloroceryle-aenea-comportamiento/
  4. Perfect Costa Rica read 2026-11-04https://perfectcostarica.com/american-pygmy-kingfisher-costa-rica-photography-guide/
  5. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pygmy_kingfisher
  6. Mexican Birds.org read 2026-11-04https://www.mexican-birds.org/american-pygmy-kingfisher/
  7. Área de Conservación Guanacaste read 2026-11-04https://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr/paginas-de-especies/insectos-2/5962-i-chloroceryle-aenea-i-alcedinidae
  8. Guía de Aves de Misiones read 2026-11-04https://guiadeavesdemisiones.com/martin-pescador-enano-chloroceryle-aenea-taxonomia
  9. Linda Murdock Photography read 2026-11-04http://gustaviatex.com/blog/2019/10/23/costa-rica-finding-the-river-birds
  10. Birds Wildlife tour page read 2026-11-04https://birdswildlife.com/costa-rica-the-ultimate-tour-feb-20th-09th-march-2027/
  11. Field Guides Birding Tours trip list read 2026-11-04https://fieldguides.com/triplists/cr220.html
  12. Birds Outside My Window read 2026-11-04https://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/category/travel/costa-rica/
  13. Two Weeks in Costa Rica read 2026-11-04https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/product/mangrove-night-tour-manuel-antonio/
  14. Wingspan Bird Tours read 2026-11-04http://www.wingspanbirdtours.com/blog/costa-rica-tour-day-8-38566663-a754-4c40-9910-61937fccd311
  15. Guía de Aves de Misiones read 2026-11-04https://guiadeavesdemisiones.com/martin-pescador-enano-chloroceryle-aenea/
  16. Biofotos read 2026-11-04http://biofotos.org/DetalleAves.aspx?Cod=404
  17. BirdLens read 2026-11-04https://birdlens.secondwindltd.xyz/en/birds/28c091c0a2
  18. Beauty of Birds read 2026-11-04https://beautyofbirds.com/americanpygmykingfishers.html