Pied Kingfisher - Ceryle rudis

Pied Kingfisher

Ceryle rudis

Order : Coraciiformes

Family : Alcedinidae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 24 à 26 cm
Wingspan : 45 à 47 cm
Weight : 70 à 95 gr

Longevity : 4 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Martín Pescador Pío (es), Martin pescatore bianco e nero (it), Graufischer (al), Bonte ijsvogel (nl), Pied Kingfisher (en)

Physical description :
Pied Kingfisher has black and white plumage. It is impossible to confuse it with another kingfisher. It is a medium-sized bird.
Male has black crest and crown, a white stripe above the eye, a black larger stripe across the eye extending on nape, and white throat and collar. Upperparts are black with white edges giving a mottled aspect. Rump is streaked black and white.
We can see white spots on the wing coverts. Underparts are white, finely barred with two black lines, the higher being broader and often broken in the middle.
Bill is black, long and similar to a dagger. Eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are blackish.
Female has only one breast band, narrower than male and also broken in the middle.
Young resembles female, but it has complete breast band, rather greyish black than black. It has some blackish 'scales' on the white areas, and on head, neck and throat.
In flight, the fanned tail is rather long, white, with black median tail feathers and tips.
Hand is black, with broad white spot at primary base.

Voice : Pied Kingfisher's typical call is a loud 'kwik' or 'kik', penetrating and repeated, and a high-pitched 'TREEtiti TREEtiti '.

Habitat : Pied Kingfisher lives close to the water, near large rivers, in estuaries, close to small and large lakes, coastal lagoons, on rocky and sandy coasts, close to fresh or brackish water tanks. It needs perches close to water, as trees, fences, posts and others.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Centre and South of Turkey, Israel to Syria, Iraq, SW Iran, northern Egypt and Nile Valley, south of the Sahara.

Behaviour : Studies show that Pied Kingfisher has complex behaviour. As in many tropical birds, breeding pair has several non breeding birds as helpers, until up to four. They sometimes are the young of the previous year, but they may are completely exterior to the pair family. This system makes it possible raising the greatest number of young within the colony, in spite of the environment. It nests alone or in colonies, usually less of 20 nests.
It fishes by watching for preys from a perch, bobbing head and flicking tail, and then by diving into the water making shower of water, and appearing again with its stabbed prey in the bill. It also may hover before to dive, just time to locate prey.
When back on its perch, it strikes the prey against the support in order to stun it, then, it returns it before to swallow.
Pied Kingfisher is usually sedentary. Seasonal dispersions are abundant, but it is mainly according to the food resources, rather regular migrations.

Flight : Pied Kingfisher can hover when searching for prey above water. That allows it to hunt over large water surfaces, being the only kingfisher able to move away from the shores. Usually, it performs a rather slow flight, often high above the water, before diving to catch its prey.

Reproduction-nesting : Pied Kingfisher's nest is dug in an earthy bank, above water, occasionally in a flat and grassy ground. Pair digs the burrow which sizes about one metre in depth.
Female lays 4 to 5 white glossy eggs. Incubation lasts about 18 days, shared by both adults. During nest's digging, laying and incubation, male displays and feeds female. It also takes part in raising chicks before they fledge. Young remain at nest about three weeks.
They reach their sexual maturity at one year.

Food habits : Pied Kingfisher feeds mainly on fish, aquatic insects, crabs and crayfish, frogs and molluscs.

Protection / threats : Pied Kingfisher populations are not threatened. Pied Kingfisher is one of the Kingfishers the most widespread in the world.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife

Specification sheet created by Nicole Bouglouan

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Updated on 2008/05/04 05:30:55 - © 1996-2008 Oiseaux.net