Africa Wild

432. African Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta (Dwergvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Juvenile

Description
Size 12-13 cm. The smallest Kingfisher in the region. It has a small dark blue crown (finely transversely banded with ultramarine), that does not extend down to the eye, rufous underparts and a blue back extending down to the tail. The adult bird has orange cheeks with mauve wash to ear coverts. Red bill. Red legs.
The natalensis subspecies occurring in the south of the range has paler underparts and a blue spot above the white ear patch.
Juvenile resembles adult but is duller, with a darker face, and breast scaling. It has less extensive violet on the ear coverts and a blackish rather than orange bill.
Similar species: It may be differentiated from the similar Malachite Kingfisher by its smaller size, lacking a crest, its broad orange supercilium and the violet wash around the ears coverts. Both species have wholly red bills, but that of the Pygmy Kingfisher is stubbier.

Taxonomy
There are three subspecies: Only I. p. natalensis occurs in southern Africa.
I. p. pictus: Senegambia to Ethiopia, Uganda, southern Mozambique and Pemba Island with lilac ear coverts.
I. p. ferruginea: Rainforests of Sierra Leone to Congo Basin and western Uganda
I. p. natalensis: Angola to southern Mozambique and South Africa.

Distribution
Widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, absent only from parts of East Africa and southern Africa. It is an intra-African migrant occurring in Zimbabwe, the Caprivi Strip, marginally in Botswana, the Transvaal, Swaziland and along the east coast and adjacent interior. It is relatively abundant along the east coast littoral and the Transvaal escarpment.



Habitat
Non-aquatic; frequents woodland savanna and coastal forets. It generally prefers savanna, riverine forest, coastal bush, plantations and gardens.

Movements and migrations
Intra-African breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa in the period from September-October. Once the breeding season is over (around March), the juveniles and adults migrate back to other parts of Africa.

Diet
It rarely eats fish, but rather feeds mainly insects, occasionally supplemented with small vertebrates. It usually hunts by sitting on a perch, trying to locate prey. Once it locates something it dives to the ground, picking up the prey item before returning to its perch. The diet includes grasshoppers, flies, moths, beetles caterpillars, spiders, millipedes, crabs, small frogs, lizards, skinks and aquatic insects.

Breeding
It nests in burrows dug into an earthen banks, such as a erosion gullies, stream banks, termite mounds, trenches and pits. Egg-laying season peaks from October-December. It lays 3-6 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for roughly 18 days. The chicks stay in the nest for about 18 days, after which they rapidly develop hunting skills, becoming fully independent soon after fledging.

Call
A high-pitched chip chip flight note.

Status
Common summer visitor.

432. African Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta (Dwergvisvanger)

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Pretoriuskop Loop Road

© Sprocky
Kruger National Park, Shingwedzi

© nan
Juvenile

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.

431. Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristatus
ORDER CORACIIFORMES. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
13-14 cm. Bright metallic blue upperparts. Green on crown. White streak on sides of neck. Orange-chestnut underparts and face. The crest is not usually raised. Red bill. The legs and feet are red and the eyes are dark brown. In northeastern Namibia, on the Okavango River and Panhandle, a white-breasted form occurs that has a much paler blue back and crest. Sexes are alike.
Juveniles have a black bill, which might lead to confusion with Half-collared Kingfisher, but Malachite Kingfisher is smaller, and has a dark back, chestnut, not blue, cheeks and reddish brown underparts.
Similar species: This species differs from the similar but smaller African Pygmy Kingfisher in having the turquoise-and-black barred crown extending down to the eye, and in lacking the violet wash on the sides of the head. The Pygmy has no crest and is a woodland rather than a waterside bird.

Distribution
Common across much of sub-Saharan Africa; within southern Africa it occurs in northern and southern Namibia, northern and south-eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.

Habitat
Aquatic margins, seldom found away from water.

Diet
Mostly small fish, also tadpoles, frogs, insects, small crabs and lizards. Large fish are usually beaten on a branch or other convenient hard surface before being swallowed head first, while small fish and insects are quickly eaten.

Breeding
They are monogamous and both sexes participate in excavating a burrow nest, which is dug into the earthen bank of a stream or river. It consists of a tunnel going 0.25-1.2 m into the ground, ending in a 9 cm wide nest cavity. It builds 2-3 burrows simultaneously, but only completing one. It lays 3-6 white eggs on the sand at the end of the tunnel at one day intervals, which are incubated by both sexes for 14-16 days. The chicks are brooded mainly by the female. They leave the nest at 22-25 days old, fledging one or two days later.

Call
The call of the Malachite kingfisher is a shrill seek. In flight a high-pitched peep-peep. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Most common small kingfisher in region. Resident, with regular local movements.

431. Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristatus

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park

© Bushcraft

© Michele Nel

© Pumbaa

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park

© Grumpy
Juvenile

© Super Mongoose
Juvenile

© Grumpy

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/431.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.

430. Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata (Blouvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
Length 18 cm, weight 35-40 g. Identified by black bill, entirely bright blue upperparts and orange lower breast and belly. The only 'blue' kingfisher with a black bill in the region. The throat and chin are white, and there is a whitish mark on the side of the neck. Sexes are alike.
Juveniles have black-tipped breast feathers and appear barred.
Similar species: It is larger than Malachite Kingfisher, with which it overlaps in distribution, but lacks the turquoise crest and can be differentiated by the black bill and blue cheeks. It can be distinguished from juvenile Malachite Kingfisher (which also has a dark bill) by its larger size, blue, not chestnut cheeks and the lack of the turquoise chest.

Distribution
Widespread but uncommon, with populations scattered across sub-Saharan Africa. In southern Africa it occurs in northern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), eastern Botswana, northern Zimbabwe, central and northern Mozambique and eastern and southern South Africa.

Habitat
Narrow rivers, streams and estuaries with dense vegetation onshore, but it may also move into coastal lagoons and lakes.

Diet
Its diet consists mostly of fish, which it hunts by sitting on a perch for long periods then, once it spots a fish, diving in to catch it.

Breeding
It nests in burrows dug into vertical riverbanks, excavated by both sexes. The entrance is usually wider than it is high, and is often concealed by overhanging vegetation. Egg-laying season is from July-March, usually peaking from September-October. It lays 1-6, usually 3-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes, usually taking alternating 1-2 hour shifts. The chicks probably remain in the nest for about 27 days, learning to fly soon after leaving.

Call
A shrill teep or seek-seek.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Alcedo-semitorquata

Status
Uncommon resident.

430. Half-collared Kingfisher Alcedo semitorquata

© Toko
Ithala Game Reserve, KZN

© Flutterby

© Sharifa

© Sharifa

© Sharifa
Loskop dam

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/430.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.

429. Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima (Reuse Visvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
The largest kingfisher in the region. Has a long heavy black bill, dark, a large crest and finely spotted white on black upperparts. Legs, eyes and bill are black in both sexes.
The male has a chestnut breast band and otherwise white underparts with dark flank barring.
The female has a white-spotted black breast band and chestnut belly. It rarely hovers.
The immature female is all white underneath, the immature male has a speckled black breast band.

Distribution
Occurs across much of sub-Saharan Africa, including southern Africa, where it is fairly common in northern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), northern and eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, central and southern Mozambique and South Africa.

Habitat
Almost all water bodies that provide fish and have perches from which to hunt.

Diet
Mainly fish, also crabs, frogs and aquatic invertebrates. They dive from a perch, often immersing completely. The prey is then taken to the perch and vigorously beaten against solid subject until dead.

Breeding
Monogamous. Both sexes excavate the nesttunnel 1-3 m into vertical bank next to, or close to, the water's edge. Egg-laying season is normally from July-January, peaking from August-October. The female lays 3 to 5 glossy white eggs, which are incubated for 25 to 27 days by both sexes. The nestlings are fed mainly by the male every one to four hours and stay dependent on the parents for between 56 to 60 days.

Call
The call of the Giant kingfisher is a loud, harsh and nasal kek or kakh kakh kakh. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident, rare above 1500 m. Sedentary but moves in response to water levels.

429. Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima



© Joan
Male

© Moshi Monster
Female, Chobe, Botswana

© Bushcraft
Female

© BluTuna
Female

© ExFmem

© nan

© BluTuna

© nan
Giant kingfishers nest in burrows that are excavated approximately one metre below the top of a vertical bank. H14, Kruger National Park

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.

428. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis (Bontvisvanger)
Order: Coraciiformes. Family: Alcedinidae


Description
This kingfisher is about 17 cm long. Only Kingfisher in area with black and white plumage. Its crown feathers form a short crest. It has a black dagger-like bill, black legs and feet. It has white with a black mask, a white supercilium and black breast bands, the upperparts are barred in black.
The male has a double and the female a single breast band.
Juveniles are similar to adult females, but with the lores, chin, throat, and breast feathers tipped with brown. The bill is shorter and the breast band is greyish black.

Distribution
In the middle east, southern Asia to China, Egypt and Africa south of the Sahel. In southern Africa, it is common in many areas, including South Africa, northern Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Habitat
All water bodies with fish. The waterbodies exploited include large rivers and perennial streams, estuaries, man-made canals, lakes and reservoirs, and the intertidal zone of the coast. It exploits ornamental ponds in parks as well as farm dams.

Diet
Mainly fish, also invertebrates such as crabs, prawns and aquatic and terrestrial insects. It often uses the hovering technique for catching fish, searching for prey from a high vantage point in the air, then diving straight down into the water to grab the prey item. It immediately flies back to its perch, where it beats the prey to death then swallows it.

Breeding
Monogamous; about 1 out of 3 pairs with nest helpers (always males). Primary helpers are usually one year old offspring of the breeding pair, and help with incubation, the caring of the chicks and the defending of their territory. Secondary helpers usually appear after the chicks have hatched and are unmated adults. The nesting site is excavated into a sandbank by both sexes, and consists of a 0.8-1.2 m long tunnel, leading to a 20-30cm wide chamber. Egg-laying season is from July-April in Zimbabwe, April-June and September-October in Botswana and from August-November in South Africa. It lays 1-7, usually 4-6 eggs, which are incubated mainly by the female for about 18 days. The chicks stay in the nest for 24-29 days. At 38-43 days old, they can dive and eat for themselves.

Call
Highly vocal with chattering high pitched kwik kwik kwik calls. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common to very common and 1 of the 3 most numerous kingfishers in the world. Resident, but locally nomadic in response to changes in water level and food supply. Usually in pairs or small family groups.

428. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis



© BluTuna
Male & Female

© ExFmem

© Dewi

© Sharifa

© ExFmem
Courtship feeding

© Pumbaa
Male, Kruger National Park

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Sweni hide

© BluTuna
Hovering Pied Kingfisher

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds

ARKive: http://www.arkive.org/pied-kingfisher/ceryle-rudis/
Oiseaux net: http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-pied-kingfisher.html
Hockey, P.A.R. 1997. Africa’s kingfishers: a guide to their identification. Africa - Birds & Birding 2(1):61-65.