Ankasa, Ghana
May 2011

The Chocolate-backed Kingfisher is distributed in tropical Africa from Sierra Leone to western Uganda. It is found in lowland forest where there are termite nests in trees to provide nesting site for the birds. It is not associated with water and feeds on a variety of insects, spiders and lizards.

It perches quietly, usually high in a tree as in this photo, before catching its prey either on the wing or on the ground.

The song starts with a single, weak note followed by a series of about 17 long, fluty notes rising in pitch at first before falling away.