Brown-hooded Kingfisher
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Bruinkopvisvanger  Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris Perched on a tree branch above the Luvuvhu River near Crook's Corner, near the Old Pafuri tented campsite Kruger National Park |
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Description - Male Brown-hooded Kingfishers have a black back, and the females a brown one. Juveniles resemble the female bird. The wings and tail are light bright blue, the bill and feet red.
Distribution - Eastern part of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and eastern coast of South Africa.
Habitat - They are non-aquatic and can be found in open woodland, thornvelds, coastal forests, and in gardens and parks, as they have adapted to suburban life. They are widespread except in arid regions, and common residents.
Biological - Possibly the best known of the kingfishers. Found solitary or in pairs. Pairs display to each other with open wings, bobbing, pivoting and calling. It perches on a branch, a post or telephone wire, scanning the ground below for prey. Length 22-24 cm.
Diet - They do not feed on fish but eat mainly insects and lizards, and sometimes young of other birds.
Breeding - They will breed in holes in trees or banks, from September to November. The nest is a tunnel, about 1 m long, about 1-3 m above ground level; the chamber is lined with regurgitated arthropod fragments. The female incubates up to 6 eggs for about 14 days.
Voice - They have a call which can be interpreted as saying 'pity for me': a whistled 'tyi-ti-ti-ti' falling in pitch, and a harsher 'klee-klee-klee' alarm note.
Other names - D Braunkopfliest - F Martin-chasseur à tête brune - ES Alción Cabecipardo
Weblinks
Alexandra High School Bird Sanctuary
John Voelcker Bird Book Fund
Books
Ian Sinclair - A photographic guide to birds of Southern Africa. Struik Publ. ISBN 1-86872-553-7
Ian Sinclair et al. - Sasol birds of Southern Africa. Struik Publ. ISBN 1-86872-033-0
Kenneth Newman - Newman se voëls van Suider-Afrika. SAPPI. ISBN 1-868-12-758-3