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African river
Pied kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
A black and white kingfisher with a shaggy crest and a long, dagger-like beak, often seen hovering over water.
- Size
- About 25cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rivers, lakes and estuaries across Africa south of the Sahara
My spotter's list
Hovers beside you, beak pointing down. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
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Pied kingfisher
Good to know
Six things about the pied kingfisher
HoverThe hovering champion
It is the largest bird that can hover in still air for long, hanging on beating wings while it looks for fish.
FishingNo perch needed
Because it hovers, it can fish far out over open water where there is nothing to sit on.
EatingEating on the wing
It can swallow small fish while flying, without going back to a perch.
HelpersHelpers at the nest
Young males from earlier broods often help their parents to feed the next chicks.
ColourHim and her
The male has two black bands across his chest. The female has one, usually broken in the middle.
NestA tunnel in the bank
The nest is at the end of a tunnel dug into a sandy riverbank, sometimes more than a metre long.
The real thing
Photos of the pied kingfisher
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Watch any stretch of open water for a small black and white bird hanging in the air, beating its wings fast, then dropping like a stone.
Lend a handHow to help
Like all kingfishers they need clean water and undisturbed sandy banks for their nest tunnels.
Following youLadybird
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