Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – African Pygmy Kingfisher

THE African Pygmy Kingfisher is the smallest Kingfisher species found in the Highway area, but its stunning colours make up for its tiny size.

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Description

The African Pygmy Kingfisher has an average length of 12cm (about the same size as a Sparrow) and weighs about 15g. It has vibrant colours with a violet-blue back, rufous underbelly and striking orange beak and legs.

It has a speckled dark blue crown and distinguishable violet cheeks. It can be confused with the larger Malachite Kingfisher, so look for the violet cheeks, which are missing in the Malachite. Males and females are almost identical and difficult to tell apart.

Distribution

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is a migrant species, found in South Africa during the summer months, mainly along the eastern part of the country from East London, northwards. It can also be found in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and the northern parts of Gauteng. It is absent from the Western Cape and all the dry parts of South Africa.

Habitat

This bird enjoys being in woodlands, riverine and coastal forests and some savannahs and is not reliant on rivers or streams.

Breeding

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is a monogamous species, but the males must work quite hard to win over the females. Food is an important part of the courtship ritual as the male offers tasty morsels of food, such as a juicy lizard or fat caterpillar, to persuade the female to mate.

Nests are in burrows on riverbanks, dongas or termite mounds. The burrow is mostly excavated using the sharp bills of both partners. Three to six eggs are laid and take approximately 18 days to hatch. Parenting duties, including incubation and feeding, are shared by both adults.

Predators and threats

It is listed as Least Concern by the ICUN, but there is concern, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, that habitat loss from deforestation is impacting negatively on overall population numbers.

Local information
They are a very shy species and quite a challenge to spot, which is made more difficult by their tendency to stand very still on their perch with only the very small nodding movements of the head, as they survey the surroundings. It is found across the entire Highway area but best spots may be along riverine forest edges.

Interesting facts
The Pygmy Kingfisher has proportionally larger eyes than most species as it travels at night during its migration. This is unusual for most migrating species, and it may be a tactic to avoid predators on the journey.

Support
To support the ongoing work of the Kloof Conservancy, visit its website at https://www.kloofconservancy.org.za.

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