Crested Kingfisher

How to identify

Field marks

1. Shaggy crest with black-and-white barring
2. Bill large, pointed, and black, with yellowish-white tip
3. Upperparts finely barred black and white; flanks barred gray and white
4. White collar and belly; black spots on breast-band

Male, female and young

Sexes the same size and shape; female has pinkish-cinnamon underwing coverts, which male lacks, but male has orange-red feathers on the breast-band.

Voice

Loud “ket ket” in flight; mates exchange loud “ping” notes and low croaks; gives loud rattling calls when perched.

Where and when it's recorded

Crested Kingfisher has been recorded at 287 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia432 records
2. Corbett NPIndia356 records
3. SattalIndia345 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaIndiaBhutanJapanNepalPakistanThailandMyanmar (Burma)

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) is a very large kingfisher that is native to parts of southern Asia. It is part of the kingfisher genus Megaceryle with three other species: the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), the ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata), and the belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) with which it forms a species complex.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions