Alcedo semitorquata
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The half-collared kingfisher (Alcedo semitorquata) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water with dense shoreline vegetation.
The half-collared kingfisher was described by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1823 and given its current binomial name Alcedo semitorquata. The word Alcedo is the Latin for a "kingfisher". The specific epithet semitorquata is from the Latin semi- for "half" or "small" and torquatus for "collared". The half-collared kingfisher is one of eight species in the genus Alcedo and is most closely related to the shining-blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys).
It is known to sometimes vocalize while approaching its nest, but the purpose or advantage of this behavior is unclear. The half-collared kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher. It is around 18 cm (7.1 in) in length with a weight of 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz). It has blue upperparts, a white throat and pale orange underparts. The head has alternating light blue and dark blue bands running across the crown and each side of the neck has a creamy white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 237th most-seen of the 373 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher in Chobe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Chobe National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Half-collared Kingfisher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Half-collared Kingfisher sightings, Chobe National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 10%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Alcedinidae
The closest relatives of the Half-collared Kingfisher that you can see in Chobe National Park (family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers) are Pied Kingfisher (about 50%), Malachite Kingfisher (about 20%) and Brown-hooded Kingfisher (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Half-collared Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Chobe National Park (38 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
