Wild Birds

Blue-breasted Kingfishers

The Blue-breasted Kingfishers, Halcyon malimbica, is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in tropical West Africa. This kingfisher is essentially resident, but retreats from drier savanna areas to wetter habitats in the dry season.

Blue-breasted Kingfisher is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats.

Description

This is a large kingfisher, 25 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue head, back, wing panel, and tail. Its underparts are white, but it has a blue breast band. The shoulders are black. The flight of the Blue-breasted Kingfisher is rapid and direct. The large bill has a red upper mandible and a black lower mandible. The legs are bright red.

Males and females look alike, but juveniles are duller than adults.

Blue-breasted Kingfishers is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats. It perches quietly in deep shade whilst seeking food. It is territorial but wary.

Call / Vocalization

The call of this noisy kingfisher is a whistled pu-pu-pu-pu-ku-ku-ku-ku.

Diet / Feeding

This species mainly hunts large insects, arthropods, fish, and frogs, but will also eat the fruit of the Oil Palm.

Breeding / Nesting

Blue-breasted Kingfisher has a striking display in which the wings are spread to show the white linings. The nest is a hole in a tree termite nest. A single clutch of two round white eggs is typical.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gordon Ramel

Gordon is an ecologist with two degrees from Exeter University. He's also a teacher, a poet and the owner of 1,152 books. Oh - and he wrote this website.

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