Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher

Description

The Woodland Kingfisher is a very striking, good-looking, popular summer visitor to Botswana. The forehead, crown and hind neck are pale brownish grey, with feathers broadly tipped pale blue. The rump and upper tail coverts are azure.  The belly and undertail coverts are white. Sexes are alike, and the bill is diagnostic, with a red upper bill and black lower mandible.

Voice

The call is a characteristic loud, trilling song, kri-trrrrrrrrr, descending and fading.

Behaviour and habitat

It is a fairly common intra-African migrant, present from October to April. It frequents open woodland savanna, particularly along river, swamp or wetland fringes.

It eats mostly insects, especially grasshoppers. Its wide range of other prey consists of small birds, lizards, snakes and frogs.