Alcedo semitorquata
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The half-collared kingfisher (Alcedo semitorquata) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water with dense shoreline vegetation.
The half-collared kingfisher was described by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1823 and given its current binomial name Alcedo semitorquata. The word Alcedo is the Latin for a "kingfisher". The specific epithet semitorquata is from the Latin semi- for "half" or "small" and torquatus for "collared". The half-collared kingfisher is one of eight species in the genus Alcedo and is most closely related to the shining-blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys).
It is known to sometimes vocalize while approaching its nest, but the purpose or advantage of this behavior is unclear. The half-collared kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher. It is around 18 cm (7.1 in) in length with a weight of 35–40 g (1.2–1.4 oz). It has blue upperparts, a white throat and pale orange underparts. The head has alternating light blue and dark blue bands running across the crown and each side of the neck has a creamy white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher sighting in Kafue National Park on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 338 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, July–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher in Kafue National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June, September and November–April, the lowest months. Those are among Kafue National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 290 mm in January.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Half-collared 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Half-collared Kingfisher sightings, Kafue National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, under 5%).
Same family: Alcedinidae
The closest relatives of the Half-collared Kingfisher that you can see in Kafue National Park (family Alcedinidae, Kingfishers) are Brown-hooded Kingfisher (about 40%), Pied Kingfisher (about 40%) and Giant Kingfisher (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Half-collared Kingfisher is recorded against all the birds logged in Kafue National Park (85 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
