Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala)

Without a doubt, this is Cape Verde’s most colourful and striking bird, and a symbol of the islands. It is 22 cm long and lives in Santiago, Fogo and Brava, where it is locally common and widely distributed, especially in woodland and areas of tree cover. It breeds in hollows dug out of soft soil, on waysides, cliffs and slopes, mainly from September-November, coinciding with summer and autumnal rainfall, although it can breed outside this period. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates (e.g., reptiles). Extremely active during the breeding season, it constantly calls and pursues other specimens, as part of courtship rituals and territorial defence.