Grey-headed Kingfisher
Halcyon leucocephala
Mixed woodland. Back, tail and wings royal blue; wing coverts black; head and mantle grey; belly chestnut; bill red.
Kingfishers
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Uncommon to locally common summer resident and visitor. Identified by grey head and mantle, chestnut belly and deep blue, almost purple wings and tail; cf. [Brown-hooded Kingfisher]. Not very vocal, the call a weak, descending ‘chi-chi-chi-chi’. An insectivorous kingfisher, found singly or in pairs in woodland or mixed bushveld Sep–Apr. Occasionally catches fish.
Quick Facts
Size
20 cm - M
Names
A: Gryskopvisvanger
Ss: Seinodi Sa Hlohoputswa
G: Graukopfliest
Bird Family
Fish- or insect-eating birds with short legs and long, dagger-like bills. The fish-eating species plunge-dive for their food from a perch or, in some cases, after hovering. Fish are beaten into immobility before being swallowed head-first. The insectivorous species hunt from a low branch, usually away from water, where they watch for and seize insects on the ground. They breed in holes in banks or trees. Immatures resemble adults but are duller.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
An insectivorous kingfisher, found singly or in pairs in woodland or mixed bushveld Sep–Apr.
