Woodland Kingfisher ( Halcyon senegalensis, family: Dacelonidae)
The Woodland Kingfisher (Latin name Halcyon senegalensis) is described
in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 433 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 178 also a picture of the Woodland Kingfisher on page 193. The
Woodland Kingfisher belongs to the family of birds classified as
Dacelonidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Woodland Kingfisher is also known by these other names:
Senegal Kingfisher, Red-and-black-billed Kingfisher, Angola Kingfisher.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Woodland Kingfisher is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common summer visitor
In terms of distribution of the Woodland Kingfisher in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Woodland Kingfisher : see above distribution map.
The Woodland Kingfisher.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Woodland Kingfisher is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the Woodland Kingfisher is about 24 cms and its weight is about 65 gms
The male and female Woodland Kingfisher have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are brown.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Woodland Kingfisher feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Woodland Kingfisher is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Halcyon senegalensis will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Woodland 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 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Woodland Kingfisher are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Woodland Kingfisher in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... iNkotha/uNongozolo
Afrikaans ...Bosveldvisvanger
German ... Senegalliest
Portuguese ... Pica-peixe-dos-bosques
French ... Martin-chasseur du Sngal
Dutch ... Senegalese Ijsvogel
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 433
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
