From Opus

Photo by John Dempsey
East Tsavo reserve, Kenya

Halcyon leucocephala

[edit] Identification

Length 20-21 cm. A medium-sized kingfisher with a grey head and chestnut belly.

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

[edit] Taxonomy

Halcyon leucocephala has five subspecies:^[1]

H. l. acteon

• Cape Verde Islands

H. l. semicaerulea

• Red Sea coast of extreme southern Arabian Peninsula

H. l. leucocephala

• Senegambia to Ethiopia, north-western Somalia and north-eastern DRC

H. l. hyacinthina

• Southern Somalia and coastal Kenya to Mozambique

H. l. pallidiventris

• Congo, DRC, Rwanda and north-western Tanzania to northern South Africa

[edit] Habitat

Non-aquatic; woodland and savanna.

Immature Grey-headed Kingfisher
Photo by Mybs
Kruger National Park, South Africa

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds mainly on insects taken on or near the ground; also eats fish, frogs, reptiles, small mammals and birds (including Bronze Mannikin, Red-throated Wryneck and chicks of Red-billed Quelea, White-eared Barbet and Black-collared Barbet).

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

• List of references

[edit] External Links