Black-capped Kingfisher vs Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

Halcyon pileata compared with Halcyon badia

Key Differences

• Black-capped Kingfisher is Vulnerable while Chocolate-backed Kingfisher is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-capped Kingfisher	Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
Kingdom same	Animalia (동물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum same	Chordata (척삭동물)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class same	Aves (새)	Aves (새)
Order same	Coraciiformes (파랑새목)	Coraciiformes (파랑새목)
Family same	Alcedinidae	Alcedinidae
Genus same	Halcyon	Halcyon
Species	Halcyon pileata	Halcyon badia

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-capped Kingfisher and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Halcyon.

Conservation Status

Black-capped Kingfisher

VU — Vulnerable

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-capped Kingfisher	Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-capped Kingfisher

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Taiwan. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Black-capped Kingfisher

The Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a species in the genus Halcyon. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

The Chocolate-backed Kingfisher (Halcyon badia) is a medium-sized kingfisher in the family Alcedinidae, subfamily Halcyoninae, restricted to the lowland tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa, from Sierra Leone and Ghana east to the Congo Basin. It is one of the forest-dwelling 'tree kingfishers' of the genus Halcyon, which hunt not in aquatic environments but in the dense forest interior, preying on large insects, small lizards, frogs, and other invertebrates taken from branches or the forest floor. The upper parts are a rich, warm chocolate-brown — giving the species its name — contrasting with a bright turquoise-blue rump and tail, and a white or pale buff underside. Like other forest kingfishers, it typically perches silently on a branch and drops onto prey detected from above. Nesting occurs in arboreal termite mounds or rotten tree cavities. The species is dependent on intact lowland rainforest and appears intolerant of heavily degraded or open habitats. The IUCN classifies it as Least Concern given its broad range across the Congo Basin, which still contains large areas of relatively intact forest. Long-term threats include deforestation for agriculture, logging, and charcoal production across its range, particularly in West Africa where forest cover has been severely reduced.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway