Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

Other Names

  Angola Kingfisher, Red-and-black-billed Kingfisher, Senegal Kingfisher, Angolan Woodland Kingfisher   Martin-chasseur du Sénégal, Martin-pêcheur du Sénégal   Senegalliest   Alción Senegalés   Skogskungsfiskare   Senegal ijsvogel   Martin pescatore di bosco

World: Occurs across most of Africa from 15°N down through South Africa, avoiding the drier areas. Distribution in Kenya represents the eastern limit of its range

Kenya: Occurs mainly in the Western regions below 1500m, with Lake Baringo (where the above specimen was photographed) representing an extension to its range

A mainly insectiverous inhabitant of bush and woodland. This is one of those, all too rare, birds which has a clear, unambiguous, identification feature. It is the only East African Kingfisher with a bi-coloured bill. The upper part is red while the lower part is black. At Lake Baringo the bird is usually an inter-tropical migrant, seen only between April and September but seems to have taken up residence in the last few years and had bred there in January 2001