What to Know About the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda?

The African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda is one of the African Uganda Birds seen during Uganda Birding Tours. The African pygmy kingfisher is a small insectivorous kingfisher found in the Afrotropics, mostly in woodland habitats.

The African Pygmy Kingfisher is approximately 11-13 cm in length – about the size of a sparrow. It is the smallest of all Kingfishers in Uganda.

It can be seen along the banks or river Nile in Murchison falls national park in Uganda.

How Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda Look Like?

The African pygmy kingfisher is a very small kingfisher with rufous underparts and a blue back extending down to the tail.

The dark blue crown of the adult separates it from the African Dwarf-Kingfisher. The smaller size and violet wash on the ear coverts (the feathers covering the ears) distinguish it from the similar Malachite Kingfisher.

The natalensis subspecies occurring in the south of the range has paler underparts and a blue spot above the white ear patch.

Males and females look alike. Juveniles have less extensive violet on their ear coverts and a black rather than orange bill. It is usually found singly or in pairs. Secretive and unobtrusive.

How Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

A high-pitched insect-like “tsip-tsip” given in flight.

How Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda Feed?

The African pygmy kingfisher’s diet consists of insects like grasshoppers, praying mantis, worms, crickets, dragonflies, cockroaches and moths.

They are also known to take spiders which make out quite a large part of their diet. They also take geckos and lizards that are easily their length and small frogs and even occasionally small crabs.

Pray are hunted from low perches and once caught are either crushed in the beak or are smashed against the perch.

How Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda Nest?

African pygmy kingfishers nest in burrows that are dug by both sexes in sandy soil banks or into a ground termite nest. The burrows are between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in) in length.

How Does the African Pygmy Kingfisher in Uganda Reproduce?

The burrows are between 30 and 60 cm in length. The clutch is four to six white eggs. Both parents care for the young. They can have several broods in a year.