NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-capped Kingfisher
Halcyon pileata (Boddaert, 1783)
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 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.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-capped kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:56:53.293499+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Halcyon pileata (Boddaert, 1783)
- Name authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Common name
- Black-capped Kingfisher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Halcyon
- 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
- subfamilyHalcyoninae
- genusHalcyon Swainson, 1821
- speciesHalcyon pileata (Boddaert, 1783)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Halcyon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Javan KingfisherHalcyon cyanoventris (Vieillot, 1818) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mangrove KingfisherHalcyon senegaloides A. Smith, 1834 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray-headed KingfisherHalcyon leucocephala (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-breasted KingfisherHalcyon malimbica (Shaw, 1812) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Woodland KingfisherHalcyon senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-hooded KingfisherHalcyon albiventris (Scopoli, 1786) | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruddy KingfisherHalcyon coromanda (Latham, 1790) | 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 pileata Boddaert, 1783 Boddaert, 1783 | 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=554586 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:6KXRH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.