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Grey-headed Kingfisher

A species of Typical Woodland Kingfishers
Scientific name : Halcyon leucocephala Genus : Typical Woodland Kingfishers

Grey-headed Kingfisher, A species of Typical Woodland Kingfishers
Botanical name: Halcyon leucocephala
Genus: Typical Woodland Kingfishers
Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) Photo By Steve Garvie , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

The sexes are similar. The adult of the nominate race H. l. leucocephala has a pale grey head, black mantle and back, bright blue rump, wings and tail, and chestnut underparts. Subspecies H. l. pallidiventris has a darker grey head and paler chestnut underparts but is otherwise similar. The beak is long, red and sharp. This bird grows to an average length of 21 cm (8.3 in). The song is a succession of notes, ascending, descending and then ascending again, becoming increasingly strident. The warning call is a series of sharp notes, "tchk, tchk, tchk, tchk".
Size
22 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Gray
White
Blue
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Grey-headed Kingfisher primarily feasts on a variety of invertebrates, vertebrates, and fish. A skilled hunter, grey-headed Kingfisher is known for its unique behavior of swooping down to snatch prey. Adaptations like sharp vision and rapid flight assist in its diverse diet selection.
Habitat
The grey-headed Kingfisher inhabits tropical and semi-tropical zones throughout Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Favoring various landscapes such as woodlands, scrublands, and human-altered areas like farmlands and parks, grey-headed Kingfisher is found from sea level up to 2400 meters. This species typically avoids dense forests and very dry regions but may occupy gardens and areas near desert palms, especially during migration.
Dite type
Piscivorous

General Info

Feeding Habits

Bird food type

Distribution Area

The grey-headed kingfisher is found in tropical and semi-tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Its range includes Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its typical habitat is woodland, scrub and cultivated areas, up to altitudes of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft).

Species Status

Not globally threatened.
Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) Photo By Steve Garvie , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
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