Stork-billed Kingfisher

Pelargopsis capensis (Linnaeus, 1766)

35 cmLength179 gWeight

It has a very large red bill, a brown head, a green back, and blue wings.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: India, Malaysia, Singapore

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bill very large; bill, legs, and feet bright red
Head olive-brown
Back green; wings and tail blue
Neck and underparts buff

Male, female and young

Sexes similar.

Voice

A low, far-carrying “peer-por-por”, repeated about every 5 seconds; also a clucking “ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke”.

Where and when it's recorded

Stork-billed Kingfisher has been recorded at 490 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Changaram Wetlands – EzhupunnaIndia3,259 records
Sungei Buloh Wetland ReserveSingapore1,401 records
KattampallyIndia1,048 records

More places

Singapore Botanic GardensSingapore815 records
Kinabatangan River – SukauMalaysia812 records
Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia770 records
Matara – Kirala Kele SanctuarySri Lanka714 records
Hindhede Nature ParkSingapore673 records
PeralathvayalIndia633 records
Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia620 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Malaysia Singapore Sri Lanka Thailand Nepal Bangladesh Cambodia

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 stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. These kingfishers are large and have a heavy bill. The sexes are similar in coloration.

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