
Photo: (c) Afsar Nayakkan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Ceryle rudis
Diet
Fish
Habitat
Clear lakes and rivers
Range
Africa and Asia
The pied kingfisher is a water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia and the only member of its genus. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758 and has five recognised subspecies. Its black-and-white plumage and crest, and its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, and females a single broken band (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is usually found in pairs or small family groups, and when perched often bobs its head and flicks up its tail (Wikipedia, general species account).