The brownhooded kingfisher eyeing the camera warily from its perch in an apple-leaf tree with eaten leaves is at home, the tourist entering its space not.

This bird lives all over the northeast of South Africa as well as along the south coast. It keeps to thickets, woodland and dense savanna, also favouring riverine and coastal bush.

This kingfisher does not fish, mainly eating insects and some lizards but occasionally other small birds. Crabs and small rodents, even scorpions and small snakes make up the rest of a balanced diet and some adventurous banqueting (Maclean, 1993).