Megaceryle lugubris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
The crested kingfisher is a very large, stocky black and white bird, usually between 38 and 43 cm (15 and 17 in) tall, and weighs between 230 and 280 g (8 and 10 oz). It has a large, pointed black bill with a yellowish-white tip and a large, shaggy black and white barred crest. It has finely barred black and white upperparts with flanks barred grey and white, while its belly is white with a black-speckled breastband. It has a white collar that starts at the bottom of the bill and goes to the back of the neck. The tail feathers are black with 6 to 8 white bars. Males and females are the same size but exhibit sexual dimorphism in their plumage. Females have bright pink-cinnamon underwing coverts washed with pale rufous, while males lack this and instead have rufus-orange feathers on the breastband.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 3 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xi'an | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Shijiazhuang | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Beijing | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Srinagar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Dehradun | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Kingfisher sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 208 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 138th most-seen of the 324 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.
January and February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Kingfisher in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in March to December, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in July.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested 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 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Crested Kingfisher sightings, Beijing ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Xi'an (China, about 10%) and Shijiazhuang (China, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Beijing (208 verified sightings), 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.
