Pied Kingfisher or Ceryle rudis

The Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) belongs to the Cerylidae family, the family of water kingfishers. It is the world’s third commonest kingfisher.

These birds are easily identifiable with their black and white plumage with speckles. Each has a length of 25 centimetres. Pied Kingfishers are noisy birds and can easily be tamed.

Pied Kingfisher is a master hoverer. When flies over a waterbody, it stops in mid air and hovers for a little. If it spots a fish, the bird dives bill down to catch it.

Pied Kingfishers are also unique in the sense that they can hunt in both fresh and salt waters. They are also able to eat the prey in flight, without retreating to a comfortable branch.

They are mostly seen near lakes, rivers, estuaries, canals, bays, floodlands and the like. Making nests in the holes on the bank, they are more often seen living as part of a colony. Three to six white eggs are laid at a time.

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