Gray-Headed Kingfisher
Zambia, Africa
The Gray-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) is a beautiful bird native to sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Unlike many of its relatives, it is a "dry-country" kingfisher that does not rely on water for food. It primarily eats grasshoppers, beetles, and lizards, though it occasionally takes small fish or frogs if near water. It sits motionless on a branch for long periods, bobbing its head before diving to the ground to snatch prey.
They inhabit a variety of open areas, including tropical woodlands, scrublands, and cultivated fields, excavating horizontal tunnels in steep riverbanks or termite mounds for nesting. They protect their nests by aggressively "dive-bombing" large predators like monitor lizards to fend them off.
Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.
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