The woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.
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 is rapid and direct. The large bill has a red upper mandible and black lower mandible. The legs and feet are dark grey. Some birds may have greyish heads, causing confusion with mangrove kingfisher.
However, the lores are dark, creating a dark stripe through the eye (the stripe does not extend through the eye in mangrove kingfisher), and the underwing, primaries and secondaries are black with white underwing coverts (there is a black carpal patch on the white coverts in mangrove kingfisher). The inner webs of the base of the flight feathers are white, creating an indistinct white wingbar (white completely absent from wings in mangrove kingfisher). The breast is white (tends to be much greyer in mangrove kingfisher). The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and have a brown bill.
The call of this noisy kingfisher is a loud trill sounding like a nail run down the teeth of a comb. (Source: Wikipedia)

Photographed at Soi Safari Lodge, Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Tags:   The Kingfisher Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis Kingfisher Beautiful Bird Colourful Bird Wild Bird Bird Birder Bird Watcher Bird Perfect Birdlife Ornithology Birds of East Africa Wildlife African Wildlife Wild Africa Wild Animal Lake Baringo Soi Safari Lodge Kenya MAC's Wild Pixels Outdoors Out of Africa Avian plumage coth5 NGC NPC

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The dark chanting goshawk (Melierax metabates) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which is found across much of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The dark chanting goshawk is a medium sized, bulky hawk with an upright stance. The head, breast and upperparts are essentially dark grey, while the underparts, other then the breast, are white, finely barred with black. The wing primaries are black, and the tail has broad black and white bars. The cere and the long legs are orange-red.
The dark chanting goshawk preys on a wide variety of animals, especially mammals, birds and reptiles; these are normally hunted from a perch, from which the bird swoops to capture prey on the ground or in the air.

This Dark-chanting Goshawk was enjoying the fruits of it's hard earned labour and was photographed near the cliffs of Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Tags:   Dark-chanting Goshawk The Hunter Melierax metabates Bird Birder Bird of Prey Birdlife Wild Bird Bird Watcher Bird Perfect Beautiful Bird Colourful Bird Wildlife African Wildlife Wild Africa Wild Animal Outdoors Nature Outdoor Out of Africa Lake Baringo Great Rift Valley Tumbilli Cliff Lodge Kenya MAC's Wild Pixels Avian Ornithology NGC coth5 NPC

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Explored #21 on 2017-06-20

The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world.
They have a black crown and back with the remainder of the body white or grey, red eyes, and short yellow legs. They have pale grey wings and white under parts. Two or three long white plumes, erected in greeting and courtship displays, extend from the back of the head. The sexes are similar in appearance although the males are slightly larger. Their resting posture is normally somewhat hunched but when hunting they extend their necks and look more like other wading birds.
These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals, and small birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes.

The lovely Black-crowned Night Heron was photographed on boat ride on Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Tags:   Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Wader Bird Birdlife Birder Bird Watcher Bird Perfect Birds of East Africa Outdoors Out of Africa Wild Africa Animal Wild Bird Wildlife Beautiful Bird Colourful Bird Lake Baringo Great Rift Valley Kenya MAC's Wild Pixels Boat Ride Fisher ornithology Avian NGC coth5 NPC

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The African darter (Anhinga rufa), sometimes called the snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa.
It often swims with only the neck above water, hence the common name snakebird. This, too, is a habit shared with the other anhingas.
Unlike many other waterbirds the feathers of the African darter do not contain any oil and are therefore not waterproof. Because of this, the bird is less positively buoyant and its diving capabilities are enhanced. After diving for fish, the feathers can become waterlogged. In order to be able to fly and maintain heat insulation, it needs to dry its feathers. Thus the African darter is often seen sitting along the waterside spreading its wings and drying its feathers in the wind and the sun along with cormorants which may share its habitat.

This African Darter was photographed on a boat ride in Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Tags:   The Snake Bird African Darter Anhinga rufa Wader Water Bird Bird Birdlife Ornithology Bird Watcher Bird Perfect Birder Birds of East Africa Wild Bird Wild Africa Wild Animal Animal Beautiful Bird Colourful Bird Lake Baringo Great Rift Valley Kenya Boat Ride MAC's Wild Pixels Outdoors Out of Africa African Wildlife Wildlife Sunrise Golden Hour Golden Light NGC

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The African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), or to distinguish it from the true fish eagles (Ichthyophaga), the African sea eagle, is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur.
The African fish eagle feeds mainly on fish, which it swoops down upon from a perch in a tree, snatching the prey from the water with its large, clawed talons. The eagle then flies back to its perch to eat its catch.

African Fish Eagle photographed on boat ride after successfully catching its bait in the waters of Lake Baringo, Kenya.

Tags:   The Ultimate Raptor Eagle Fish Eagle African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer Bird Birder Bird Watcher Beautiful Bird Colourful Bird Wild Bird Birdlife Ornithology Fisher Bird Perfect Bird of Prey Birds of East Africa Wildlife Animal Outdoors Out of Africa Wild Africa Wild Animal African Wildlife Lake Baringo Great Rift Valley Kenya MAC's Wild Pixels coth5 NGC NPC

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