Where to see
Megaceryle alcyon
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge leads · 22 parks ranked by real sighting rates
Share of wildlife watchers reporting a Belted Kingfisher during a day in the park, from citizen-science data (GBIF)
| # | Park | Country | Sighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 17 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Los Haitises National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 19 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 20 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
In Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, United States, about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Belted Kingfisher sighting on a given day, the highest of the 22 parks where we can rate it, from GBIF citizen-science data.
Big Cypress National Preserve and more
After Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the next-best odds of seeing a Belted Kingfisher are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 50%), Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 50%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%). Outside North America, the best option is Ciénaga de Zapata in Central America (about 50%).
It depends on the park
In the top parks, the best months are November and December in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (about 70%), October and November in Big Cypress National Preserve (about 80%) and December to February in Ciénaga de Zapata (about 60%), as the share of wildlife watchers who report a Belted Kingfisher on a given day. Each park's Belted Kingfisher page has the full month-by-month chart.
