White-throated kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

The White-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) is a bird found in India, Israel, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Rivers, ponds, fields and gardens across Asia. It eats fish, insects and other small invertebrates and reptiles and frogs. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Halcyon smyrnensis
Region	Asia
Found in	India, Israel, Thailand and Sri Lanka

🏡 Where the White-throated kingfisher lives

Rivers, ponds, fields and gardens across Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish40%
🐛 Insects & bugs30%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs30%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 A bright turquoise bird with a loud, laughing call. It eats lizards and insects as well as fish.

Hear the White-throated kingfisher

Recorded by Uku Paal (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1096621. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the White-throated kingfisher

Where does the White-throated kingfisher live?

The White-throated kingfisher lives in India, Israel, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Rivers, ponds, fields and gardens across Asia.

What does the White-throated kingfisher eat?

fish (about 40%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 30%), reptiles and frogs (about 30%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the White-throated kingfisher endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.