WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Pied Kingfisher - Ceryle rudis

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful SLIDE SHOW SUNRISE over Lake Malawi (on my blog) and today I am showing you the Pied Kingfisher that were nesting in a bank at the beach at Montfort Cottage.  There were between 40-50 of them, like the one below, who were busily bringing fish for their young that were still in the burrow/nest. 

This kingfisher is estimated to be the world's third most common kingfisher.  A large, black-and-white kingfisher, about 17cm in length, with a long, black bill and short neat crest with the upper parts being barred in black.  Male has double breast band; female has a single, incomplete breast band. Juvenile is like female, but feathers from chin to breast edged buff.

The Pied Kingfisher is a water kingfisher and is found widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Its black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish makes it distinctive. 

This is Montfort Cottage where we were staying for a few days while Daniel, my grandson completed his Scuba diving lessons and dives.  The garden lead directly down to the beach where the birds were nesting.

The breeding season is February to April. Its nest is a hole excavated in a vertical mud bank like this one above, about five feet above water. The nest tunnel is 4 to 5 feet deep and ends in a chamber. Several birds may nest in the same vicinity. The usual clutch is 3–6 white eggs.

They are usually found in pairs or small family parties. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail.

In this shot you can easily distinguish between the male and the female.

This kingfisher feeds mainly on fish, although it will take crustaceans and large aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae. It usually hunts by hovering over the water to detect prey and diving vertically down bill-first to capture fish. When not foraging, they have a straight rapid flight and have been observed flying at nearly 32 mph.

Voice: Rattling twitter; sharp, high-pitched ‘chik-chik'. 

The Pied Kingfisher sometimes reproduces co-operatively, with young non-breeding birds from an earlier brood assisting parents or even unrelated older birds.   

They can deal with prey without returning to a perch, often swallowing small prey in flight, and so can hunt over large water bodies or in estuaries that lack perches that are required by other kingfishers. Unlike some kingfishers, it is quite gregarious, and forms large roosts at night.

Common resident at freshwater wetlands, coastal lagoons and tidal pools.

          Several subspecies are recognised within the broad distribution.

         

I have a short video to show you, CLICK HERE if it does not appear below.

         

                       I was thrilled and sat for ages watching them fishing.

                           I hope you enjoyed seeing the Pied Kingfisher. 

       I am linking this post with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Thank you for visiting my post today.

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