CreatureData

Black-capped kingfisher

Halcyon pileata (Boddaert, 1783)

VUVulnerablebirds

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a species in the family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes. Recorded adults weigh 84 g to 86 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black-capped kingfisher

Weight
84 g – 86 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
riverinesrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
4.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black-capped kingfisher live?

Not recorded

What is the black-capped kingfisher?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in tropical Asia from India east to China, Korea and Southeast Asia. This most northerly of the tree kingfishers is resident over much of its range, but northern populations are migratory, wintering south of their range in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Borneo and Java. It is distinctive in having a black cap that contrasts with the whitish throat, purple-blue wings and the coral red bill. The species is mainly found in coastal and mangrove habitats but can sometimes be found far inland.

From the Wikipedia article “Black-capped kingfisher” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-capped_kingfisher&oldid=1379250369), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black-capped kingfisher endangered?

The black-capped kingfisher is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.

How is the black-capped kingfisher classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCoraciiformes
  5. familyAlcedinidae
  6. genusHalcyon
  7. SpeciesHalcyon pileata (Boddaert, 1783)

Synonyms Alcedo pileata, Halcyon pileata palawanensis

Other names and names in other languages (51)
  • رفراف أسود القبعةArabic
  • صياد السمك أسود التاجArabic
  • কালো মাথা মাছরাঙাBangla
  • Diredig kabell duBreton
  • alció encaputxatCatalan
  • ledňáček černohlavýCzech
  • pysgotwr pendduWelsh
  • Hvidhalset SmyrnaisfuglDanish
  • KappenliestGerman
  • nigraĉapa alcionoEsperanto
  • Nigrakapa arbalcionoEsperanto
  • Nigraverta alcionoEsperanto
  • Alción capirotadoSpanish
  • mustpea-safiirlindEstonian
  • mustapääkalastajaFinnish
  • Martin-chasseur à coiffe noireFrench
  • Martin-chasseur à calotte noireFrench
  • ljubičastoleđi vodomarCroatian
  • sapkás halkapóHungarian
  • Cekakak cinaIndonesian
  • Martin pescatore capineroItalian
  • Martin pescatore testaneraItalian
  • ヤマショウビンJapanese
  • 청호반새Korean
  • juodakepuris halcionasLithuanian
  • melngalvas dzenītisLatvian
  • കരിന്തലയൻ മീൻകൊത്തിMalayalam
  • Хармагнай халууMongolian
  • काळ्या डोक्याचा खंड्याMarathi
  • Pekaka Kopiah HitamMalay
  • कालोटाउके माटीकोरेNepali
  • ZwartkapijsvogelDutch
  • svarthetteisfuglNorwegian
  • łowiec czarnogłowyPolish
  • کالی ٹوپیوالا مچھی مارWestern Panjabi
  • guarda-rios-de-touca-pretaPortuguese
  • martim-caçador-de-barrete-pretoPortuguese
  • Ошейниковая альционаRussian
  • Ошейниковый зимородокRussian
  • rybárikovec stromovýSlovak
  • črnoglavi gozdomecSlovenian
  • Crnokapi vodomarSerbian
  • svarthuvad kungsfiskareSwedish
  • นกกะเต็นหัวดำThai
  • นกกระเต็นหัวดำThai
  • Kara Başlıklı YalıçapkınıTurkish
  • альціон чорноголовийUkrainian
  • 蓝翡翠Chinese
  • 藍翡翠Chinese
  • 黑頭翡翠Chinese
  • 黑頭翡翠〔藍翡翠〕Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black-capped kingfisher

Other species in the same genus Halcyon.

CompareBlack-capped kingfisher vs White-throated kingfisherBlack-capped kingfisher vs Ruddy kingfisherBlack-capped kingfisher vs Grey-headed kingfisherBlack-capped kingfisher vs Woodland kingfisher

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black-capped kingfisher?

An adult black-capped kingfisher weighs 84 g – 86 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black-capped kingfisher endangered?

The black-capped kingfisher is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the black-capped kingfisher?

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) belongs to the family Alcedinidae in the order Coraciiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-capped-kingfisher

MLA

“Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-capped-kingfisher.

BibTeX
@misc{black_capped_kingfisher_2026,
  title = {Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-capped-kingfisher},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}