[6] There are three subspecies:[7][8] The banded kingfisher is a 20 cm (7.9 in) long with a sturdy red bill and a short crest which is slowly raised and lowered.

[9] The adult female is equally striking, with black-and-rufous-banded upperparts, and white underparts with some black bars on the chest and flanks.

Young birds are duller than the adult of the same sex, have a brown and orange bill, and dusky barring on the underparts.

The species occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Brunei.

[8] The banded kingfisher hunts large insects and occasionally small lizards, usually taken in the trees, but sometimes from the ground.