Africa Wild

436. Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala (Gryskopvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
Length: 20 cm. A medium-sized kingfisher with a silvery-grey head, nape and breast and a distinctive chestnut belly. The plumage is blackish-brown on the back. The wing primaries are black, while the secondaries, the lower back and the tail are cobalt-blue. In flight, it shows chestnut underwing coverts and black primaries with white patches at the base. The straight, dagger shaped bill is bright orangey-red. The iris is dark brown. Sexes are alike in appearance,
Immature birds tend to be duller, lack chestnut below and may have a blackish bill. Dark barring across the chest.

Distribution
Common across sub-Saharan Africa, avoiding arid regions. In southern Africa, it is most common in Zimbabwe and northern Botswana, but it also has populations scattered across northern Namibia, Mozambique and Limpopo Province.



Habitat
It prefers well-developed woodland often close to rivers or streams, such as Acacia and Mopane (Colosphermum mopane) woodland.

Movements and migrations
Intra-African migrant, breeding in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, DRC and Malawi, moving north during the non-breeding season. In southern Africa it arrives in April, goes through its breeding cycle and then usually leaves from December-May. Note that it does not breed in all areas of its southern African range, with most of the birds breeding in Zimbabwe and surrounds.

Diet
Despite the name, the grey-headed kingfisher does not feed on fish, but instead thrives on a wide variety of insects, such as grasshoppers, cockroaches and beetles, and occasionally takes small vertebrates such as lizards. Like other kingfishers, this species generally sits still on a perch, before diving steeply down to the ground in pursuit of prey.

Breeding
Both male and female participate in excavating a horizontal tube of 50 cm to 1 m length into an earth bank, using their strong bill and feet. The burrow is a tunnel leading to a nest chamber. It is usually dug into riverbanks, erosion gullies, irrigation ditches and termite mounds. Egg-laying season is from September-December, peaking from October-November. It lays 3-4 pinkish-white eggsbinto the nest chamber at the end of the tube, which are incubated by both sexes for about 20 days. The eggs hatch into small, naked chicks with black bills and brownish legs, which are cared for by both parents. The young fledge after about 3 weeks.

Call
Weak sibilant trill ji-ji-ji-ji-chi. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Uncommon except in extreme north of region. Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

436. Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala

© Duke

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, S52

© pooky
Mana Pools National Park

© PRWIN

Female. Kruger National Park, © Lisbeth


Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
C. Hilary Fry, Kathie Fry. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.
https://www.warwicktarboton.co.za/birdpgs/436GhKnf.html

435. Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris (Bruinkopnisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
It is a medium sized kingfisher. Length 22-24 cm, weight 60 g. The all-red bill, brown hood and brown, not blue, back help to distinguish the Brown-hooded Kingfisher from similar species.
Adult male: The crown and nape are brown with pale streaks, the eyebrow is whitish, and there is a dark stripe through the eye. The back and sides of the neck and upper mantle are buff, contrasting with a darker upper back. The wings are black and turquoise, the lower back and rump are azure, and the upper tail is blue. The chin is white, and the throat and belly whitish. The breast and flanks are pale brown with darker streaks. The bill is red, tipped brown, the eyes dark brown, and the legs and feet are orange-red.
Adult female: Similar to the male, but with dark brown (rather than black) upperparts.
Juveniles resemble the female bird. The bill starts as all brown.
Similar species: It differs from Striped Kingfisher by its all-red (not black-and-red) bill and by the lack of white in the upper underwing.

Distribution
It occurs from the Congo and Kenya south to southern Africa, where it is common in the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), northern and eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa, due its adaptability and broad diet.

Habitat
Unlike many other kingfishers it does not fish often, so it can often be found far from water. It generally prefers dense woodland, riverine woodland, thickets, edges of evergreen forest, plantations, wooded grassland, large gardens and parks.

Diet
It has a varied diet which includes insects, mammals, birds, reptiles and rarely fish. It hunts by sitting on a perch, searching for prey. Once prey is located, it rapidly flies down to grab it with its bill, before flying back to its perch.

Breeding
The Brown-hooded Kingfisher is monogamous. Both sexes excavate a burrow, which is used as their nesting site. It is normally dug into the banks of gullies, consisting of a roughly one metre long tunnel, ending in a 25-30 cm wide chamber. Egg-laying season is normally from September-December. It lays 2-5, rarely 6 white eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 14 days. Youngs are fed mainly fed by the female.

Call
The call of the Brown-hooded Kingfisher is a weakly trilled ki-ti-ti-ti or a whistled tyi-ti-ti-ti falling in pitch, and a harsher klee-klee-klee alarm note. They have a call which can be interpreted as saying pity for me.
Listen to Bird Call: http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Halcyon-albiventris

Status
Common resident.

435. Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris

© Toko
Female, iMfolozi

© The Cow
Female

© Dewi
Male

© nan
Male

© The Cow
Kruger National Park, Skukuza

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/435.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/martin-c ... brune.html
C. Hilary Fry, Kathie Fry. Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65. http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/africa ... )61-65.pdf

437. Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti (Gestreepte Visvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
16-18 cm. Grey brown upperparts. Metallic blue lower back, secondary flight feathers and tail. White wing linings with a black border. Whitish underparts. Buffy breast, with brown streaks. Crown streaked dark brown. Whitish face, throat, and back of the neck. A black line goes around the back of the neck, above the white collar, and through the eyes. Bill: blackish upper mandible; reddish-orange lower mandible.
The juvenile resembles the adult but is paler. It has less blue on the wings, a darker crown, dusky tips to the breast feathers, and dull red on the lower mandible.
Similar species: Told from the larger Brown-hooded Kingfisher by streaked head, two coloured bill (upper mandible black and lower mandible red), bold black eye-stripe extending to the nape, white collar encircling the neck.

Distribution
Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, although absent from arid areas in East Africa and much of the equatorial rainforest belt. In southern Africa it is locally common in north-eastern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and north-eastern South Africa. In southern Africa it occurs mainly in the north and east, south to c. 26°S in general, but to c. 28°S on the mid-Orange River and the Tugela River mouth.



Habitat
It generally favours open woodland and grassland, such as savanna and miombo (Brachystegia), Mopane (Colosphermum mopane) and Acacia woodland. It generally avoids thick forest and extensively cultivated areas.

Diet
Its diet consists mainly of insects, especially grasshoppers, supplemented with small vertebrates. It usually hunts by sitting on a perch, trying to locate prey. Once it spots something it dives to the ground, picking up the prey item before returning to its perch.

Breeding
Monogamous, solitary nester, vigorously defending a fairly large territory. The breeding pair sometimes are assisted by a non-breeding male, who helps out with incubation and caring of the chicks. It usually nests in tree cavities, either natural or made by woodpeckers or barbets (especially Black-collared barbet and Crested barbet). It also may also use a nest box, hole under the eave of a house or even a swallow nest (incl. Lesser-striped swallow). If the swallow nest is occupied it forcefully takes over, killing any chicks or eggs present in the nest. Egg-laying season usually peaks from October-November. It lays 2-6, usually 3-4 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes. The chicks are cared for by both parents and the nest helper, becoming fully independent soon after fledging.

Call
The call is distinctive, a high-pitched, piercing cheer-cherrrrrr or a far-carrying KEW, kerrrrrrrrr. It is often given at dusk in a display where the bird opens its wings. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Fairly common resident.

437. Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti

© Grumpy

© Guinea Pig
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, near Mata Mata

© Mel
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

© PRWIN

© Peter Connan
Ethaleni picnic site, uMkhuze

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/sites/ ... 961-65.pdf

433. Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis (Bosveldvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
This is a medium-sized non-aquatic tree kingfisher, 20–23 cm in length, with a red and black bill (red upper mandible and black lower mandible). Bright blue upperparts and white underparts (Bright blue back, wing panel and tail, white head, neck and underparts, black shoulders, dark stripe through the eye, black underwing, primaries and secondaries, white underwing coverts, white breast). Legs are dark. Sexes are alike.
Juveniles have a dusky, reddish brown or mostly black bill and are duller than adults.
Similar species: Some birds may have greyish heads, causing confusion with Mangrove Kingfisher. Unlikely to be found in same habitat as Mangrove Kingfisher. Rare individuals with all-red bills can be separated by black eye-patch that extends behind eyes, and their black (not brown) legs. The underwing, primaries and secondaries are black with white underwing coverts (there is a black carpal patch on the white coverts in Mangrove Kingfisher). The inner webs of the base of the flight feathers are white, creating an indistinct white wingbar (white completely absent from wings in Mangrove Kingfisher). The breast is white (tends to be much greyer in Mangrove Kingfisher).

Distribution
Common across sub-Saharan Africa. In southern Africa it occurs in northern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), northern and eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern parts of South Africa.

Habitat
Open woodland savanna, particularly along river, swamp or wetland fringes, absent from arid areas.

Movements and migrations
Intra-African migrant, arriving in southern Africa from September-December, going through its breeding cycle before leaving for Central Africa in the period from March-April.

Diet
Mostly insects, especially grasshoppers. Wide range of other prey, including small birds, lizards, snakes and frogs. It hunts from an exposed perch, often on a dead branch of a tree, or perches quietly in semi-shade while seeking food.

Breeding
Monogamous. It usually nests in tree cavities, either natural or excavated by Barbets or Woodpeckers, such as Crested Barbet, Black-collared Barbet, Bearded Woodpecker, Bennett's Woodpecker and Golden-tailed Woodpecker. It also uses nest boxes and holes underneath the eaves of buildings. Egg-laying season is from about November-March, peaking from December-January. It lays 2-4 round white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for an estimated period of 13-14 days. The chicks grow rapidly and are cared for by both parents, leaving the nest at about 18-24 days old. They remain dependent on their parents for about 5 more weeks after fledging, after which they usually disperse.

Call
The call of this noisy kingfisher is a loud trill sounding like a nail run down the teeth of a comb kri-trrrrrrr, descending and fading. Listen to Bird Call

Status
Fairly common breading intra-African migrant; present October-April; nocturnal migrant.

433. Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis

© Flutterby

© Bushcraft

© leachy

© Pumbaa

© pooky

© Pumbaa

© Sharifa & Duke

© Pumbaa

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/433.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.robertsonline.co.za/bird/11030/11030-1.asp
Ian Sinclair. SASOL VOELS VAN SUIDER AFRICA (3de UIT)
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.

434. Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides (Manglietvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
21-23 cm. Light grey head and turquoise upperparts. Forehead, crown and hindneck dark grey brown. Narrow white line from nostril to above eye. Lores black. No stripe behind eye. Ear coverts and cheeks brown grey. All-red bill, with dusky tip on the lower mandible. Breast and flanks vermiculated grey.
In flight it reveals a black carpal crescent on the underwing.
Juvenile duller than adult with buff brown wash on head, breast and flanks and dark bill.
Similar species: Differs from Woodland Kingfisher in greyish crown and mantle and completely red bill. However, some Woodland Kingfishers do have all-red bills. The underwings of the two species also differ – African Mangrove Kingfisher has a black ‘comma’ close to the wrist, which Woodland Kingfisher lacks.

Distribution
Occurs along the east coast of sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Somalia through Kenya and Tanzania to southern Africa. Within southern Africa it is uncommon in central and southern Mozambique, the coast of KwaZulu-Natal and adjacent Eastern Cape.

Taxonomy
Halcyon senegaloides has two subspecies:
H. s. senegaloides: Coastal Mozambique and east coast of South Africa
H. s. ranivorus: Coastal Somalia to Tanzania, Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia islands

Habitat
In summer it generally prefers the banks of forested rivers, streams and estuaries along or near the coast, while in winter it mainly stays in mangroves and nearby woodland.

Movements and migrations
It is thought to at least be a partial migrant in South Africa, breeding in the Eastern Cape from August-June, after which it heads to KwaZulu-Natal for the non-breeding season.

Diet
Mainly eats insects, other invertebrates and fish, doing most of its foraging from a tree perch, descending to the ground or water to catch prey before returning to its perch to feed.

Breeding
Monogamous and territorial, nesting solitarily in a hole in a tree or riverbank (rarely), or alternatively using the old nest of a woodpecker or barbet. Egg-laying season is from October-January in the Eastern Cape. It lays three eggs, which are probably incubated solely by the female, who is fed by the male at the nest. The chicks are fed by both parents, but nothing else is known about their development and care.

Call
A raucous tchit-tchoo, tha-tcha-tcha-tch-tch-tch.

Status
Uncommon resident.

434. Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides

© Duke
Umlalazi Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

© Duke
Umlalazi Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/434.pdf
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/sites/ ... 961-65.pdf