Chocolate-backed Kingfisher

Halcyon badia Verreaux, J & Verreaux, É, 1851

Alcedinidae — Kingfishers

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Halcyon badia, is a kingfisher of the African tropical rainforest, breeding from Sierra Leone to Ghana and from southern Nigeria east to western South Sudan, Uganda and central DR Congo. It is a forest bird of lowland primary and secondary rainforest, and it is not tied to water. Its dark upperparts contrast with white underparts, while the rump and a wing patch are bright blue. The bill is red to reddish brown. Juveniles resemble adults, but have a scalloped breast and a blackish bill with an orange tip.

Order
Coraciiformes
Family
Alcedinidae — Kingfishers
Breeding range
Africa: Sierra Leone to Ghana, s Nigeria to w South Sudan, Uganda and c DR Congo
Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
© Francesco Veronesi from Italy · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

8 tours in Uganda

18 Days Uganda Birding: Forests, Falls and Albertine Rift
18 Days Uganda Birding: Forests, Falls and Albertine Rift
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 18 days

An extended Uganda circuit with full days in Mabira, Budongo, Semuliki and both Bwindi sectors, plus Murchison Falls, Kazinga and Lake Mburo...

7 Days Uganda Birding: Mabamba, Budongo and Semuliki
7 Days Uganda Birding: Mabamba, Budongo and Semuliki
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 7 days

A busy week from Mabamba’s Shoebill channels to Budongo and Semuliki forest trails, with Murchison Falls and Kazinga Channel boat trips an...

14 Days Uganda Birding: Bwindi, Semuliki and Murchison Falls
14 Days Uganda Birding: Bwindi, Semuliki and Murchison Falls
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 14 days

Travel from Mabamba and Lake Mburo to Bwindi’s high forests, then north through Kibale, Semuliki and Budongo to Murchison Falls, with gori...

10 Days Uganda Avian Adventure
10 Days Uganda Avian Adventure
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 10 days

A compact Uganda circuit linking Ziwa, Budongo, Murchison Falls, Kibale and Ruhija, with river cruises, forest walks and a final morning in ...

18-Day Uganda Birding and Primates Tour
18-Day Uganda Birding and Primates Tour
Uganda / Entebbe Private tour 18 days

An extensive Uganda safari combining Mabamba, Murchison Falls, Budongo, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Mburo with birding and prim...

14-Day Uganda Forest Birding Safari
14-Day Uganda Forest Birding Safari
Uganda / Entebbe Private tour 14 days

A forest-focused circuit through Budongo, Kaniyo Pabidi, Kibale, Semuliki, Maramagambo and Bwindi for Uganda’s lowland and Albertine Rift ...

17-Day Uganda Birding and Wildlife Safari
17-Day Uganda Birding and Wildlife Safari
Uganda / Entebbe Private tour 17 days

A birding and wildlife journey from Entebbe through Murchison Falls, Budongo, Kibale, Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Lake Mburo and Mabi...

14-Day Uganda Birding for Special Species
14-Day Uganda Birding for Special Species
Uganda / Entebbe Private tour 14 days

A focused circuit through Mabamba, Budongo, Kibale, Semuliki, Bwindi and Lake Mburo for Uganda’s wetland, forest and Albertine Rift specia...