Yellow-billed Kingfisher
Syma torotoro
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
- FamilyAlcedinidae (Kingfishers)
- GenusSyma (Yellow-billed and Mountain Kingfishers)
- SpeciesSyma torotoro (Yellow-billed Kingfisher)
About the Yellow-billed Kingfisher
The yellow-billed kingfisher (Syma torotoro) is a medium-sized tree kingfisher. Three subspecies are recognised: Syma torotoro torotoro (Lesson, 1827) found in West Papuan islands, lowland New Guinea, Yapen Island and Aru
S. t. flavirostris (Gould, 1850) found in Cape York Peninsula in northeastern Australia S. t. ochracea (Rothschild and Hartert, 1901) found in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands of eastern Papua New Guinea The yellow-billed kingfisher is 20 cm (7.9 in) long, with a wingspan of 29 cm (11 in), and it weighs 30–50 g (1.1–1.8 oz).
Its orange colouring and yellow bill are distinctive; it has an orange head and neck with a black nape patch and white throat. Adult females also have a black crown patch. The upper mantle is blackish grading to olive green on the back, blue-green on rump and with a blue tail. The upperwing is dull green-blue with dark olive-black flight feathers. The underparts are pale orange-grey. The bill is orange-yellow in adults, dark grey in juveniles.
The yellow-billed kingfisher is widespread throughout lowland New Guinea and the adjacent islands, extending to northern Cape York Peninsula... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
Dacelo gaudichaud
Beach Kingfisher
Todiramphus saurophagus
Common Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera galatea
Sacred Kingfisher
Todiramphus sanctus
Hook-billed Kingfisher
Melidora macrorrhina
Papuan Dwarf-Kingfisher
Ceyx solitarius
Blue-black Kingfisher
Todiramphus nigrocyaneus
Little Kingfisher
Ceyx pusillus
Kofiau Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera ellioti
Collared Kingfisher
Todiramphus chloris
Azure Kingfisher
Ceyx azureus
Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera nympha
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 | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-billed Kingfisher in Raja Ampat?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Kingfisher sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 384 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Yellow-billed Kingfisher in Raja Ampat?
July has the highest sighting rate for Yellow-billed Kingfisher in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.