Woodland kingfisher

Description:

This tree kingfisher is about 20 to 22cm long, with distinctive powder blue wing covers. It has whitish-greyish underparts, and a light blue coat, coming up to the nappe or crown. There is also a blackish stripe from the eye to the base of bill. The bill is large and sports red upper mandible and black lower mandible.

Habitat:

This is a very common sub-Saharan species of tree kingfisher, seen almost all over the continent (south of Sahara), except parts of Southern Africa. Here, seen in urban setting, but as close to the nature as Kinshasa would allow it... seen on banks of river Congo, in a park-like wooded area. Its normal habitat are woodlands, forests and savannas.

Notes:

These photos are the choice photos of months of observations in the same area - banks of river Congo. As this tree kingfisher is very common, I prefered to provide a compilation of photos from the same spot, instead of listing them one by one...