NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Half-collared Kingfisher
Alcedo semitorquata Swainson, 1823
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The half-collared kingfisher (Alcedo semitorquata) is a kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae that is found in southern and eastern Africa. It feeds almost exclusively on fish and frequents streams, rivers and larger bodies of water with dense shoreline vegetation.
The half-collared kingfisher was described by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1823 and given its current binomial name Alcedo semitorquata. The word Alcedo is the Latin for a "kingfisher". The specific epithet semitorquata is from the Latin semi- for "half" or "small" and torquatus for "collared". The half-collared kingfisher is one of eight species in the genus Alcedo and is most closely related to the shining-blue kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys).
It is known to sometimes vocalize while approaching its nest, but the purpose or advantage of this behavior is unclear.
Wikipedia contributors, Half-collared kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:00:32.620639+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Alcedo semitorquata Swainson, 1823
- Name authority
- Swainson, 1823
- Common name
- Half-collared Kingfisher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Alcedo
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- subfamilyAlcedininae
- genusAlcedo Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesAlcedo semitorquata Swainson, 1823
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Alcedo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Shining-blue KingfisherAlcedo quadribrachys Bonaparte, 1850 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blyth's KingfisherAlcedo hercules Laubmann, 1917 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-eared KingfisherAlcedo meninting Horsfield, 1821 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cerulean KingfisherAlcedo coerulescens Vieillot, 1818 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-banded KingfisherAlcedo euryzona Temminck, 1830 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Alcedo semitorquata semitorquata Swainson, 1823 Swainson, 1823 | synonym |
| Alcedo semitorquata heuglini Laubmann, 1925 Laubmann, 1925 | synonym |
| Alcedo semitorquata tephria Clancey, 1951 Clancey, 1951 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554550 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:65W6Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.