Grey-headed kingfisher

Description

The grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) has a wide distribution from the Cape Verde Islands off the north-west coast of Africa to Mauritania,Senegal and Gambia,east to Ethiopia,Somalia and southern Arabia and south to South Africa.The sexes are similar.The adult of the nominate race H.l.leucocephala has a pale grey head,black mantle and back,bright blue rump,wings and tail,and chestnut underparts.Subspecies H.l.pallidiventris has a darker grey head and paler chestnut underparts but is otherwise similar.The beak is long,red and sharp.This bird grows to an average length of 21 cm (8.3 in).The song is a succession of notes,ascending,descending and then ascending again,becoming increasingly strident.The warning call is a series of sharp notes,"tchk,tchk,tchk,tchk".