Crested Kingfisher

Crested Kingfisher

Megaceryle lugubris

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~10%

10 Verified sightings at Srinagar
899 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Crested Kingfisher

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.

The... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:13

China · 2024

© 王自堃 · XC864418 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:05

India · 2009

© Arnold Meijer · XC35464 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Call0:22

China · 2023

© Common Jeff(麻杰夫) · XC827286 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~20%
3 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
5 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Xi'an 🇨🇳 China
~10%
2 Shijiazhuang 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Beijing 🇨🇳 China
<5%
4 Srinagar 🇮🇳 India
<5%
5 Dehradun 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Crested Kingfisher in Srinagar?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Kingfisher sighting in Srinagar on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 120 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Crested Kingfisher in Srinagar?

August

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Kingfisher in Srinagar on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.

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

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.

Is Srinagar the best place to see a Crested Kingfisher?

4th of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Crested Kingfisher sightings, Srinagar ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Xi'an (China, about 10%), Shijiazhuang (China, about 10%) and Beijing (China, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Crested Kingfisher live in Srinagar?

Same family: Alcedinidae

The closest relatives of the Crested Kingfisher that you can see in Srinagar (family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers) are Common Kingfisher (about 40%), White-throated Kingfisher (about 40%) and Pied Kingfisher (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Crested Kingfisher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Crested Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Srinagar (10 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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