Forest Kingfisher

Forest Kingfisher

Todiramphus macleayii

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Brisbane

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

785 Verified sightings at Brisbane
1,852 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Forest Kingfisher

The forest kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii), also known as Macleay's or the blue kingfisher, is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Halcyoninae, also known as tree kingfishers. It is a predominantly a blue and white bird. It is found in Indonesia, New Guinea and coastal eastern and Northern Australia. Like many other kingfishers, it hunts invertebrates, small frogs, and lizards.

The forest kingfisher was first described by the naturalists Sir William Jardine and Prideaux John Selby in 1830. It was known for many years by its old scientific name of Halcyon macleayi before being transferred to the genus Todiramphus.

Three subspecies are recognised: T. m. macleayi, the nominate subspecies, is found across the Top End eastwards to the Gulf of Carpentaria. T. m. incinctus, described by John Gould, has a greener tinge to its back and is slightly larger. It is found down the east coast of Australia.... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:06

Australia · 2022

© James Lambert · XC707008 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:18

Australia · 2022

© Marc Anderson · XC705142 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song1:22

Australia · 2010

© Meena Haribal · XC629556 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~50%
2 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
3 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
4 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
5 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
6 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Taronga Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
2 Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
3 Hunter Valley Wildlife Park 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
4 Flying High Bird Sanctuary 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Forest Kingfisher in Brisbane?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Kingfisher sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 785 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 107th most-seen of the 237 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Forest Kingfisher in Brisbane?

March to August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Kingfisher in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in September to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Forest Kingfisher?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest 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.

Is Brisbane the best place to see a Forest Kingfisher?

Yes

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Forest Kingfisher sightings, Brisbane has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Sydney (Australia, under 5%).

Where does the Forest Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Forest Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Brisbane (785 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.

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