What is this bird called?
It is White breasted Kingfisher also called White throated Kingfisher. Halcyon smyrnensis.


Why this is Halcyon smyrnensis?

Halcyon kingfishers are mostly large kingfishers with heavy bills.

According to wikipedia this genus has 11 species, some workers also include genera Pelargopsis, Syma and Todirhamphus.

Out of all the 11 species only two are comparable to H. smyrnensis; Halcyon badia and Halcyon coromanda.

Halcyon badia is an African resident.


Additional information:


They are “sit and wait” predators of small ground animals including large insects, rodents, snakes, and frogs, but some will also take fish.

The genus Halcyon in the current sense consists mainly of species resident in sub-Saharan Africa, with a couple of representatives in southern Asia, one of which, the white-throated kingfisher, occasionally reaches Europe. White-throated and Ruddy kingfishers (Halcyon coromanda) are at least partially migratory.