Brown-hooded Kingfisher ( Halcyon albiventris, family: Dacelonidae)

brown hood kingfisher kruger national park birds The Brown-hooded Kingfisher (Latin name Halcyon albiventris) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 435 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 181 also a picture of the Brown-hooded Kingfisher on page 193. The Brown-hooded Kingfisher belongs to the family of birds classified as Dacelonidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Brown-hooded Kingfisher is also known by these other names: Brown-headed Kingfisher.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. In terms of distribution of the Brown-hooded Kingfisher you might see it in all areas.

The Brown-hooded Kingfisher is neither Endemic or near Endemic is however a common resident of the Kruger.

Kruger Park Brown Hooded KingfisherThe Brown-hooded Kingfisher is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the Brown-hooded Kingfisher is about 24 cms and its weight is about 60 gms

You will find that the male Brown-hooded Kingfisher plumage and colours are different to that of the female Brown-hooded Kingfisher

  • Head is brown.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is red.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is black.
  • Legs are orange.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

The Brown-hooded Kingfisher feeds on fish and other aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Brown-hooded Kingfisher is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Halcyon albiventris will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Brown-hooded Kingfisher is to create the nest in a hole in the ground. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 5

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Brown-hooded Kingfisher are: woodlands and riverine areas or along wetlands.

The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Undozela

Zulu ... iNdwazela/uNongobotsha/uNongozolo

Afrikaans ...Bruinkopvisvanger

German ... Braunkopfliest

Portuguese ... Pica-peixe-de-barrete-castanho

French ... Martin-chasseur tte brune

Dutch ... Bruinkapijsvogel

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 435

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za