African Pygmy-Kingfisher
African Pygmy-KingfisherAfrican Pygmy-KingfisherAfrican Pygmy-KingfisherAfrican Pygmy-Kingfisher

African Pygmy-Kingfisher

Ispidina picta

Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Samburu National Reserve
17 Verified sightings at Samburu National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
2,579 Verified sightings across all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the African Pygmy-Kingfisher

The African pygmy kingfisher (Ispidina picta) is a small insectivorous kingfisher found in the Afrotropics, mostly in woodland habitats. The African pygmy kingfisher was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Todier de Juida in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The type locality is Saint Louis, Senegal. The African pygmy kingfisher is now placed in the genus Ispidina that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848.

The specific epithet picta is from the Latin pictus meaning "painted". Some texts refer to this species as Ceyx pictus. There are three subspecies: I. p. picta (Boddaert, 1783) — Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia, and south to Uganda

I. p. ferrugina Clancey, 1984 — Guinea... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Samburu National Reserve

Gray-headed Kingfisher
LC

Gray-headed Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Halcyon leucocephala

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Pied Kingfisher
LC

Pied Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ceryle rudis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Striped Kingfisher
LC

Striped Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Halcyon chelicuti

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Malachite Kingfisher
LC

Malachite Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corythornis cristatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Little Bee-eater
LC

Little Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops pusillus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Whitethroated Bee-eater
LC

Whitethroated Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops albicollis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Lilac-breasted Roller
LC

Lilac-breasted Roller

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coracias caudatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Rufous-crowned Roller
LC

Rufous-crowned Roller

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coracias naevius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Somali Bee-eater
LC

Somali Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops revoilii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
European Roller
LC

European Roller

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coracias garrulus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
European Bee-eater
LC

European Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops apiaster

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
LC

Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops oreobates

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
2 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
3 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
4 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
5 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
7 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
8 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
11 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
12 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
13 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
<5%
14 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
<5%
16 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
17 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
18 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
19 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
20 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
21 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
22 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
23 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
25 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
26 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
27 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
28 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
29 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
30 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
31 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
32 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
33 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
34 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
35 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
36 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
37 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
38 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
39 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
40 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
41 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
42 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
43 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
44 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a African Pygmy-Kingfisher in Samburu National Reserve?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a African Pygmy-Kingfisher sighting in Samburu National Reserve, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see African Pygmy-Kingfisher in Samburu National Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for African Pygmy-Kingfisher in Samburu National Reserve in our monthly data.

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