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halcyon leucocephala

Size: 22cm from bill to tail, with a wingspan of 30cm.

Status: Common summer breeding visitor to south Oman from late April to late November. Winters are spent in Africa.

Identification: Has a striking and colourful plumage of a grey head, white chest, rufous belly, aquamarine wings and tail, black back and bright red bill and feet.

Voice: The call is an easily recognisable loud, far-reaching clatter.

Behaviour: Often perches on a twig right out in the open looking for prey on the ground below from where most food in the form of large insects is picked up. Other food items are fish caught in surface water or small reptiles taken from the ground. It is less associated with water than most kingfishers.

Breeding: Digs a burrow in the bank of a dry wadi or a similar vertical surface where the eggs are laid in a chamber away from most predators.

Where to look: Easy to find in wooded areas in the foothills of the Dhofar mountains such as Ayn Razat, Ayn Hamran, Wadi Darbat and Wadi Hanna. In autumn, it can also be seen around farmlands.

Distribution: Found in southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula and in a wide band across central and southern Africa without reaching the far south.