The Vulnerable (VU) Black capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata Boddaert, 1783: first sighting record for Darjeeling Hills

The Central Himalaya biodiversity hotspot in India provide critical ecosystem services. The region is also developing at an unprecedented rate, both economically and demographically resulting in extensive forest fragmentation. Such activities are likely to influence avian faunal diversity, which raises the concern over vulnerable species with restricted ranges and specialised requirements. The Black capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata is vulnerable and identifying the landscape heterogeneity with respect to riverine forest patches and inland riverine forest patches, where the species occurs can influence the temporal dynamics of bird species richness and composition. Here, we report the occurrence of Halcyon pileata in riverine forests of the Shiva Khola of the Darjeeling District of the state of West Bengal, extending the previously known range of the species in the country.