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Brown-hooded Kingfisher
Afrikaans name: Bruinkopvisvanger
Brown-hooded Kingfishers are common in some residential areas
Photo © Steven Herbert
Halcyon albiventris
The Brown-hooded Kingfisher is a common and widespread bird in South Africa. It is found in the southern and eastern regions of the country.
Despite being a kingfisher this bird does not catch fish. Its food consists mainly of insects as well as smaller birds, frogs and reptiles.
The Brown-hooded Kingfisher nests in a tunnel in a bank. Both sexes assist in digging the tunnel. It lays between 2 and 5 eggs. The pair remain together for life.
This bird weighs around 60 grams and is around 24 cm in length.
The habitats favoured by the Brown-hooded Kingfisher include parks, gardens, bushveld, forest edges and thornveld.
References and further reading
A First Guide to South African Birds - 7th Edition - Author: Leonard Gill - Year Published: 1975 - Page: 99Animals of the Kruger National Park - Author: G. de Graaff - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 93
Birds of the Natal Drakensberg Park - Author: Robin Little and William Bainbridge - Year Published: 1992 - Page: 57
Birds of the South Western Cape - Author: Joy Frandsen - Year Published: - Page: 137
Collins Illustrated Checklist - Birds of Southern Africa - 1st edition - Author: Ber van Perlo - Year Published: 1999 - Page: 46
Field Guide to the Birds of Kruger National Park - Author: Ian Sinclair and Ian Whyte - Year Published: 1991 - Page: 124
Geoff Lockwood's Garden Birds of Southern Africa - Author: Geoff Lockwood - Year Published: - Page: 83
Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks and Nature Reserves of Southern Africa - 2nd edi - Author: Editor - Alan Duggan - Year Published: 1991 - Page: 411
Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa - 5th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Year Published: 1985 - Page: 378
Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa - 6th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Year Published: 1993 - Page: 375
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - 4th Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair et al. - Year Published: 2011 - Page: 258