Brown-hooded kingfisher

Halcyon albiventris

The Brown-hooded kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris) is a bird found in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Woods, gardens and coastal bush in southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and small mammals and birds. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Halcyon albiventris
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa and Zimbabwe

🏡 Where the Brown-hooded kingfisher lives

Woods, gardens and coastal bush in southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%
🐭 Mammals & birds10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It often hunts bugs and small lizards on the ground rather than fish.

Hear the Brown-hooded kingfisher

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1137527. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Brown-hooded kingfisher

Where does the Brown-hooded kingfisher live?

The Brown-hooded kingfisher lives in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Woods, gardens and coastal bush in southern Africa.

What does the Brown-hooded kingfisher eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%), small mammals and birds (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Brown-hooded kingfisher endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.