Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
FamilyAlcedinidae (Kingfishers)
GenusHalcyon (Typical Woodland Kingfishers)
SpeciesHalcyon senegalensis (Woodland Kingfisher)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Table Mountain National Park

1 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026

11,020 Verified sightings across all 38 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Woodland Kingfisher

The woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus included the woodland kingfisher with the binomial name Alcedo senegalensis in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae which was published in 1766. Linnaeus based his formal description on "Le Grand Martin-Pescher du Sénégal" that the French naturalist Mathurin Jacques Brisson had described and illustrated in 1760. The current genus Halcyon was introduced by the English naturalist and artist William Swainson in 1821, with the woodland kingfisher as the type species.

Three subspecies are recognised: H. s. fuscopileus Reichenow, 1906 – Sierra Leone to south Nigeria and south to DR Congo and north Angola H. s. senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) – Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia and north Tanzania

H. s. cyanoleuca (Vieillot, 1818) – south Angola and west Tanzania to South Africa This is a medium-sized kingfisher, 23 cm (9.1 in) in length. The adult has a bright blue back, wing panel and tail. Its head, neck and underparts are white, and its shoulders are black. The flight of the woodland kingfisher... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

Ceryle rudis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Corythornis cristatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Megaceryle maxima

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Merops albicollis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Merops apiaster

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Coracias garrulus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Merops persicus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Merops bullockoides

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Semuliki National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~70%
2	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~60%
3	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~50%
4	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~40%
5	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
6	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~30%
7	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	~30%
8	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	~20%
9	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	~20%
10	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~20%
11	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~20%
12	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~20%
13	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~20%
14	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
15	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
16	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
17	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	~10%
18	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~10%
19	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	~10%
20	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	~10%
21	Selous Game Reserve	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
22	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~10%
23	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
24	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~10%
25	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
26	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
27	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	~10%
28	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
29	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
30	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
31	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
32	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
33	Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
34	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
35	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
36	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
37	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
38	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	Insufficient data

← Back to Table Mountain National Park

Woodland Kingfisher

About the Woodland Kingfisher

Recent sightings of Woodland Kingfisher in Table Mountain National Park

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

Pied Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Whitethroated Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

European Roller

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found