Stork-billed Kingfisher
Stork-billed KingfisherStork-billed KingfisherStork-billed KingfisherStork-billed Kingfisher

Stork-billed Kingfisher

Pelargopsis capensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
at Tanjung Puting National Park
150 Verified sightings at Tanjung Puting National Park From 2019 to 2026
8,276 Verified sightings across all 37 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted at dawn and dusk

About the Stork-billed Kingfisher

The stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. These kingfishers are large and have a heavy bill. The head is brown and the chin is paler coloured. The sexes are similar in coloration. This is found mostly in streams and ponds in lowland areas with tree cover. This kingfisher is sendentary throughout its range.

The first formal description of the stork-billed kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae. He coined the binomial name Alcedo capensis. Linnaeus based his description on Mathurin Jacques Brisson's "Le martin-pescheur du Cap de Bonne Espérance". Brisson believed his specimen had come from the Cape of Good Hope region of South Africa. The species does not occur in Africa and it was suggested that the specimen had been obtained on the Indonesian island of Java. The specimen is now known to have come from near Chandannagar in West Bengal, India. Linnaeus's specific epithet capensis denotes the Cape of Good Hope. The current genus Pelargopsis was introduced... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tanjung Puting National Park

Blue-eared Kingfisher
LC

Blue-eared Kingfisher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Alcedo meninting

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
White-throated Kingfisher
LC

White-throated Kingfisher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Halcyon smyrnensis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher
NT

Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ceyx erithaca

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Collared Kingfisher
LC

Collared Kingfisher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Todiramphus chloris

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Black-capped Kingfisher
VU

Black-capped Kingfisher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Halcyon pileata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Kingfisher
LC

Common Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Alcedo atthis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Ruddy Kingfisher
LC

Ruddy Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Halcyon coromanda

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blue-banded Kingfisher
CR

Blue-banded Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Alcedo euryzona

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blue-throated Bee-eater
LC

Blue-throated Bee-eater

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Merops viridis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Dollarbird
LC

Dollarbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Eurystomus orientalis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
LC

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Merops philippinus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

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 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~80%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~70%
3 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~40%
4 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
6 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
7 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
8 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
10 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
11 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
12 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
13 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
14 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
15 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
16 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
17 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
18 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
19 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
20 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
21 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
22 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
23 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
24 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
25 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
26 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
27 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
28 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
29 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
30 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
31 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
32 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
33 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
34 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
35 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
36 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
37 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Stork-billed Kingfisher in Tanjung Puting National Park?

About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Stork-billed Kingfisher sighting in Tanjung Puting National Park, based on 150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Stork-billed Kingfisher in Tanjung Puting National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Stork-billed Kingfisher in Tanjung Puting National Park in our monthly data.

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