Least Concern Birds

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Halcyon albiventris

Brown-hooded Kingfisher feeds on insects near African savannas and farmland edges.

Scientific name	Halcyon albiventris
Swahili name	Mkundu-mwekundu
Conservation status	Least Concern
Class	Aves
Order	Coraciiformes
Family	Alcedinidae
Size	Male: approximately 22-23 cm, weight about 60-75 g; female: similar size, slightly lighter weight

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How to identify

Head brown, back blue, belly white; bill large and red; wings blue with black markings; distinct white eye ring; tail feathers blue

Habitat

Open woodland savanna, shrubland, edges of farmland, and open forests

Diet

Primarily insectivorous, also preys on small invertebrates and small vertebrates

When it is active

Diurnal, active frequently during the day

Where it lives

Distributed in eastern and southern Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, etc.; widely found in the Masai Mara region of Kenya

How to spot it

Observe at dawn and dusk in open woodland savanna or shrub edges, paying attention to its distinctive call and habitat behavior

Photography tips

Use a telephoto lens to capture its posture perched on branches, paying attention to light angles to highlight its vivid plumage colors

Threats

Habitat loss due to habitat destruction and agricultural expansion

Similar species

Similar to the Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon malimbica), distinguished by the brown-headed kingfisher’s brown head instead of blue and smaller size

📖 how to spot the brown hooded kingfisher on safari