Half-collared Kingfisher
Alcedo semitorquata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
- FamilyAlcedinidae (Kingfishers)
- GenusAlcedo (Typical River Kingfishers)
- SpeciesAlcedo semitorquata (Half-collared Kingfisher)
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). Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 79 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Garden Route National Park
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Halcyon albiventris
Giant Kingfisher
Megaceryle maxima
Malachite Kingfisher
Corythornis cristatus
White-fronted Bee-eater
Merops bullockoides
Rufous-crowned Roller
Coracias naevius
European Roller
Coracias garrulus
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 7 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 9 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 11 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 13 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 14 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 15 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Half-collared Kingfisher in Garden Route National Park?
About 8% of wildlife watchers report a Half-collared Kingfisher sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 79 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Half-collared Kingfisher in Garden Route National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Half-collared Kingfisher in Garden Route National Park in our monthly data.