Grey-headed kingfisher  (Halcyon leucocephala)

Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).

The grey-headed kingfisher is an insect-eating kingfisher with a silvery-grey head, nape and breast and a distinctive chestnut belly (3) (4) (5).The wing primaries are black, while the secondaries and the tail are cobalt-blue (3) (5). The straight, dagger shaped bill is bright orangey-red (3) (5) (6). Although the sexes are alike in appearance, immature birds tend to be duller and have a blackish bill and dark barring across the chest (3) (5).

The grey-headed kingfisher is common across much of sub-Saharan Africa (2) (7) (8). As a migratory species, it generally only occurs in southern Africa during the breeding season (8).

Found in broadleaved woodland and savanna habitats, particularly along rivers and streams (2) (3) (8).

Despite the name, the grey-headed kingfisher does not feed on fish, but instead thrives on a wide variety of insects, such as grasshoppers, cockroaches and beetles, and occasionally takes small vertebrates such as lizards (3) (8). Like other kingfishers, this species generally sits still on a perch, before diving steeply down to the ground in pursuit of prey (6) (8).

The nest, which is excavated by both sexes, consists of a tunnel up to a metre long, dug into a riverbank, gully or termite mound (2) (8). Egg-laying occurs between September and December, with three to four eggs incubated by both parent birds for around 20 days (8).

The grey-headed kingfisher is widespread, common and not thought to be under significant threat (7) (8), but is probably affected by habitat loss and fragmentation in parts of its range.

There are currently no known conservation measures in place for the grey-headed kingfisher. However, given its widespread distribution, it is likely to occur in numerous protected areas across its range (9).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To find out more about the conservation of African birds see:

• The African Bird Club:
  www.africanbirdclub.org

For more information on this and other bird species please see:

• BirdLife International:
  http://www.birdlife.org