African Dwarf Kingfisher

African Dwarf Kingfisher

Ispidina lecontei

Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kampala

In 3 days <5%

6 Verified sightings at Kampala
108 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the African Dwarf Kingfisher

This article discusses the African dwarf kingfisher, which is distinct from the Oriental dwarf kingfisher. The African dwarf kingfisher (Ispidina lecontei) is a species of kingfisher in the Alcedininae subfamily. The African dwarf kingfisher was described in 1856 by the American ornithologist John Cassin from a specimen collected by Paul Du Chaillu. Cassin introduced the current binomial name Ispidina lecontei. The specific epithet was chosen in honour of the entomologist John Lawrence LeConte.

There are two subspecies: This is the world's smallest kingfisher with a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and a weight of 9–12 grams (0.32–0.42 oz). It inhabits African rainforests and is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda.

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Sounds

Call0:21

Uganda · 2022

© Peter Boesman · XC739741 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:31

Ghana · 2017

© Patrik Åberg · XC400429 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:12

Uganda · 2015

© Martin St-Michel · XC291070 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
2 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
3 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an African Dwarf Kingfisher in Kampala?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Dwarf Kingfisher sighting in Kampala on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 295th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an African Dwarf Kingfisher in Kampala?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Dwarf Kingfisher in Kampala on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an African Dwarf Kingfisher?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Dwarf Kingfisher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see an African Dwarf Kingfisher?

Only Kampala, in our data

Kampala is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate African Dwarf Kingfisher sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the African Dwarf Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the African Dwarf Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Kampala (6 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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