Crested kingfisher
Megaceryle lugubris (Temminck, 1834)
The crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) is a species in the family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes. Recorded adults weigh 254.5 g to 288 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
No freely licensed photo yet
Quick facts about the crested kingfisher
- Weight
- 254.5 g – 288 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4 – 4.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the crested kingfisher
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Where does the crested kingfisher live?
Not recorded
What is the crested kingfisher?
The crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) is a very large kingfisher that is native to parts of southern Asia. It is part of the kingfisher genus Megaceryle with three other species: the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), the ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata), and the belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) with which it forms a species complex.
From the Wikipedia article “Crested kingfisher” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crested_kingfisher&oldid=1347615636), 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 crested kingfisher endangered?
The crested kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the crested kingfisher classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- genusMegaceryle
- SpeciesMegaceryle lugubris (Temminck, 1834)
Synonyms Ceryle lugubris
Other names and names in other languages (49)
- رفراف متوجArabic
- صياد سمك متوجArabic
- ঝুঁটিত্তয়ালা মাছরাঙাBangla
- Alció gros crestatCatalan
- alció gegant asiàticCatalan
- Кого ала коллоэц кекMari
- rybařík chocholatýCzech
- pysgotwr brith mawrWelsh
- Toppet StødfiskerDanish
- HaubenfischerGerman
- TrauerfischerGerman
- kresta alcionoEsperanto
- Martin Gigante AsiáticoSpanish
- Martín gigante asiáticoSpanish
- kroon-kuningkalurEstonian
- ماهیخورک تاجدارPersian
- aasiankeisarikalastajaFinnish
- Alcyon tachetéFrench
- Martin-pêcheur tachetéFrench
- Cruidín círíneachIrish
- kukmasti vodomarCroatian
- szalagos halkapóHungarian
- Martin pescatore crestatoItalian
- Martin pescatore dalla crestaItalian
- ヤマセミJapanese
- 뿔호반새Korean
- kuoduotasis keršasis tulžysLithuanian
- dižraibais dzenītisLatvian
- ठूलो छिरबिरे माटीकोरेNepali
- Chinese ReuzenijsvogelDutch
- kaskadeisfuglNorwegian
- rybaczek żałobnyPolish
- تاجوالا مچھی مارWestern Panjabi
- guarda-rios-pedrêsPortuguese
- pica-peixe-de-poupaPortuguese
- Большой пегий зимородокRussian
- rybárec pásikavýSlovak
- čopasti pasatSlovenian
- Ćubasti vodomarSerbian
- tofskungsfiskareSwedish
- större gråfiskareSwedish
- นกกะเต็นขาวดำใหญ่Thai
- นกกระเต็นขาวดำใหญ่Thai
- İbikli yalıçapkınıTurkish
- Büyük Asya YalıçapkınıTurkish
- рибалочка-чубань азійськийUkrainian
- Bói cá lớnVietnamese
- 冠魚狗Chinese
- 冠鱼狗Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the crested kingfisher
Other species in the same genus Megaceryle.

Belted kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon

Giant kingfisher
Megaceryle maxima

Ringed kingfisher
Megaceryle torquata
CompareCrested kingfisher vs Belted kingfisherCrested kingfisher vs Giant kingfisherCrested kingfisher vs Ringed kingfisher
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the crested kingfisher?
An adult crested kingfisher weighs 254.5 g – 288 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the crested kingfisher endangered?
The crested kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the crested kingfisher?
The crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-kingfisher
“Crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-kingfisher.
@misc{crested_kingfisher_2026,
title = {Crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-kingfisher},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}