Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Halcyon albiventris
Woodland. Upper body and tail blue; upper wings blue and black; head and mantle streaked brownish; below white; bill red.
Kingfishers
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common resident. Told from [Grey-headed Kingfisher] by larger size, streaked brown head and streaked buffy breast and flanks. Female has brown (not black) wings and shoulders. Told from [Striped Kingfisher] by larger size, larger, heavier bill (wholly red, not red and black), less obvious black eye-stripes and buffy underparts. The immature is duller. The call is a loud, descending ‘kik-kik-kik-kik’. Usually occurs singly in mixed bushveld, woodland, riverine forests, suburban parks and gardens. Still-hunts for insects from a low branch – normally away from water – but will occasionally fish.
Quick Facts
Size
23-24 cm - M
Names
A: Bruinkopvisvanger
Z: isiphikeleli
G: Braunkopfliest
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
Usually occurs singly in mixed bushveld, woodland, riverine forests, suburban parks and gardens.
