White-throated Kingfisher

White-throated Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Jodhpur

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

118 Verified sightings at Jodhpur
31,400 In all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-throated Kingfisher

The white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) also known as the white-breasted kingfisher is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Asia from the Sinai east through the Indian subcontinent to China and Indonesia. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can often be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, amphibians, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.

The white-throated kingfisher is one of the many birds that were first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He coined the binomial name Alcedo smyrnensis. Linnaeus cited Eleazar Albin's Natural History of Birds published in 1738 that included a description and a plate of the "Smirna Kingfisher". Albin's specimen was preserved in alcohol and had been collected by the botanist William Sherard who served as the British Consul at Smyrna between 1703 and 1716. The present... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:07

Singapore · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1100474 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:09

Sri Lanka · 2026

© Uku Paal · XC1096621 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:10

China · 2021

© Geoff Carey · XC845719 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~80%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~80%
3 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~80%
4 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
5 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
6 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~70%
7 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~70%
8 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
9 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
10 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
11 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~70%
12 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
13 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
14 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
15 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
16 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
17 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
18 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
19 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
20 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
21 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
22 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
23 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
24 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
25 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
26 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~30%
27 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
28 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
29 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
30 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
31 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
32 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
33 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
34 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
35 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
36 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
37 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yangon 🇲🇲 Myanmar
~80%
2 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~80%
3 Tamluk 🇮🇳 India
~80%
4 Savar 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~80%
5 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~70%
6 Tiruchirappalli 🇮🇳 India
~70%
7 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~70%
8 Visakhapatnam 🇮🇳 India
~70%
9 Madurai 🇮🇳 India
~70%
10 Jabalpur 🇮🇳 India
~70%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Walsrode World Bird Park 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
2 El Paso Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
4 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
5 Ocean Park Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-throated Kingfisher in Jodhpur?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Kingfisher sighting in Jodhpur on a given day, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 21st most-seen of the 127 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-throated Kingfisher in Jodhpur?

February, June and September–October

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Kingfisher in Jodhpur on a given day, against about 30% in April–May and July–August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-throated Kingfisher?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-throated 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 Jodhpur the best place to see a White-throated Kingfisher?

62nd of 103

Of the 103 cities where we can rate White-throated Kingfisher sightings, Jodhpur ranks 62nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Yangon (Myanmar, about 80%), Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 80%) and Tamluk (India, about 80%).

Where does the White-throated Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-throated Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Jodhpur (118 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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