Justification Although this species may have a restricted range, it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or
population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation).
Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (30% decline over ten years or three generations). The
population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
In May 2008, John Tasirin, Nick Brickle and Iwan Hunowu made a journey to Mahawu with a main goal to find the bird. The trip started from a hotel in Manado at 5:30am. In about half an hour the team had reached the entrance of the Mahawu trail, near Rurukan. It is about 700 m above sea level. The trail begins at a sloping plane with horticultural farmlands in both sides of the track. The slope gets variably steeper as the journey proceed. It was about 6:15am.
The day was getting busier for birds in Mahawu. Mountain tailorbirds (Orthotomus cuculatus), Crimson-crowned Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum nehrkorni), Yellow-sided Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum aureolimbatum), Grey-sided Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum celebicum), Black-fronted White-eyes (Zosterops atrifrons), and Sooty-headed Bulbuls (Pycnonotus aurigaster) are on sight. Pre-recorded calls of the Scaly-breasted Kingfisher were played in a periodic interval using a disk player with active speakers. A number of vegetated gullies on the hillside of the walking path were examined. Half an hour later, a Scaly-breasted Kingfisher crossed the path and roosted on a branch of a native fig tree. The branch was about 2.5 meter from the ground. It was relatively very a close sight. The bird hanged around for about 15 minutes before it flew away to the jungle.
Hiking to the rest of the path had become more enjoyable. Fresh breeze sooths hikers at the 1311 m summit with Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus) picking the fruits of fire-emerging shrubs, pigeon wood (Trema orientalis). The calming calls of Lesser Coucals (Centropus bengalensis) and Brown Cuckoo-doves (Macropygia amboinensis).
Mahawu Mountain offers an easy encounter of Scaly-breasted Kingfishers in a pleasant path to its scenic summit.