Striped Kingfisher
Halcyon chelicuti
Woodland. Small blackish and white bird. Lower mandible and feet red; blue on back, tail and wings.
NT
Not Endemic
Description
Fairly common resident. A small, sombrely coloured kingfisher, distinguished from [Brown-hooded Kingfisher] by smaller size, streaked head, two-coloured bill, bold black eye-stripe extending to the nape and white collar encircling the neck. Male has darker underwings than female. The call is ‘tirrrrrr, deeeoo-deeeoo-deeeoo’. Pairs call in a duet while performing a wing-opening display. Most often heard in the evening when several individuals may call from scattered points. Pairs occur in mixed bushveld and woodland, generally perched high on an outer branch far from water.
Quick Facts
Size
18-19 cm - S
Names
A: Gestreepte Visvanger
Z: unongozolwane
Ss: Seinodi Sa Metjhato
G: Streifenliest, Gestreifter Baumliest
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
Pairs occur in mixed bushveld and woodland, generally perched high on an outer branch far from water.
