Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

Cover image: Pied Kingfisher by Colin Summersgill – Albert Falls Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

Kingfishers belong to the family ALCEDINIDAE. They are small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, with just a handful of species found in Europe and the Americas. The family contains 118 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. Despite the English name ‘Kingfisher’, the majority of species do not feed on fish.

Identification

The Pied Kingfisher is easy to identify as it is the only kingfisher in the region with entirely black-and-white plumage. It is the second largest African Kingfisher after the Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima).

The head is black with a conspicuous white supercilium and with a short crest. Pied Kingfishers have a relatively large-headed appearance when compared to the rest of the body. This is due in part to the long straight, and heavy black bill. The upper parts are mottled in black and white. The underparts are mainly white, often with Some dusky flecks on the flanks. The under-tail is predominantly black. The sexes can be differentiated by the black bands across the breast. Both sexes have a broad, upper breast-band that is usually (but not always incomplete). Males also have a second, thinner breast-band below (lacking in females). In both sexes the bill, legs and feet are black, and the eyes are dark brown.

Juveniles resemble the female but have a greyish-black breast band and the feathers on the face, throat, and breast have buffy edges.

The Pied Kingfisher is distinctive and conspicuous at all ages and is unlikely to be mistaken for any other species.

Status and Distribution

The Pied Kingfisher is a Locally common resident or local nomad in response to changing water levels. It has a very wide distribution and occurs throughout sub-Saharan Africa except the Horn of Africa and much of the south-west arid zone in southern Africa. The Pied Kingfisher is also present along the Nile River valley in Egypt. The distribution also extends across the Middle East and southern Asia to China.

The Pied Kingfisher is not threatened, and is well represented in protected areas. Some populations are locally impacted by the application of endosulfan to kill tsetse flies (Glossina spp), endosulfan also kills fish. Pied Kingfishers are also susceptible to other poisons used for killing both fish and Red-billed Queleas. The species has benefited widely from the construction of impoundments for irrigation and hydroelectric power.

Habitat

The Pied Kingfisher makes use of virtually any type of water body and its occurrence is entirely dependant on the presence of small fish. Chosen habitats include perennial streams, large rivers, lakes, ephemeral pans, temporarily flooded areas, estuaries, and rocky coastlines. They also inhabit man-made canals, dams, reservoirs, ornamental ponds and sewage works if fish are present. They are less common along well-wooded, fast-flowing streams. Pied Kingfishers are restricted to major rivers and impoundments in arid country. For breeding they require suitable banks for the excavation of nest tunnels.

Behaviour

The Pied Kingfisher is usually encountered solitarily, in pairs or loose family groups. They roost gregariously at night. Pied Kingfishers perch conspicuously in the open on an exposed branch, rock, pole, etc. They frequently raise and lower their tails when perched.

They bathe by diving, often repeatedly, before flying off to perch. They then shake vigorously before preening.

They hunt from a prominent perch over water, or frequently by hovering. The Pied Kingfisher hovers more efficiently and far more often than any other kingfisher. Hovering enables them to hunt over open water without perches and provides a competitive advantage over other kingfisher species. This allows them to hunt far (up to 3km) from shore. The Pied Kingfisher is thought to be the world’s largest bird capable of sustained hovering in still air. When hovering, the body is held almost vertically, with the head well forward. Pied Kingfishers hover more often in windy conditions.

The diet consists mainly of fish up to 26 g. Frogs and large tadpoles are eaten less frequently. Invertebrates are also consumed, including crustaceans, dragonflies and their larvae, water bugs, water beetles, and the occasional terrestrial insect like grasshoppers.

Fish are usually beaten to death on a branch or rock before being swallowed, head first to prevent fish spines snagging in the throat.

Pied Kingfishers are monogamous breeders. Around a third of all breeding pairs are facultative cooperative breeders, with up to 4 male helpers.

There are two distinct types of helpers. Primary helpers are the male offspring of previous breeding attempts that have failed to disperse or establish breeding territories of their own. They assist from the beginning, helping to defend the territory, and are vital to breeding success. Secondary helpers are also males. They are not related to the breeding pair and usually arrive after the eggs have hatched towards the end of the breeding attempt. They are typically unmated males or males whose breeding attempts have failed. Secondary helpers are initially chased away by the breeding pair and play a lesser role in the breeding success. Primary helpers have smaller testes and lower testosterone levels than the breeding male or the secondary males. They are therefore incapable of breeding, hence their greater commitment during the breeding cycle. Primary helpers have a lower survival rate than secondary helpers due to their efforts, but this cost is offset by ensuring that their own genes are passed on by helping to raise their siblings or half-siblings.

Pairs nest solitarily, but sometimes also in loose colonies. Pied Kingfishers are territorial with pairs and helpers defending the nest burrow and its immediate vicinity.

The nest is a burrow, up to 2.4 meters long, dug into a vertical sandbank. Nest tunnels are usually situated in the most inaccessible position available to reduce the threat of predation. Tunnels are excavated by both sexes. The soil is first loosened with the open bill and then kicked out with the feet. On average, the nest tunnel takes 26 days to complete, but can take anywhere from 11 to 77 days. At the end of the tunnel is an unlined nest chamber, usually around 300 mm long, 200 mm wide, 130 mm high.

Egg laying is recorded in all months but is somewhat dependant on local water levels. Most records in southern Africa are from August to November, except in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (May to June peak) due to the annual flood cycle.

Clutch size ranges from 1 to 7 eggs, although 4 to 6 eggs is the norm. The eggs are glossy and pure white in colour. Incubation begins with the first laid egg and lasts for 18 days. Incubation is performed by both sexes, but mostly by the female. During the breeding process, males will only feed their mates but helpers will feed both breeding birds.

The full clutch takes up to 3 days to hatch. The newly hatched young are altricial and are born blind and naked with pink skin. The nestling period takes 24 to 29 days. The nestlings are brooded by both sexes and sometimes also by the helpers. Young can shake and beat fish within 3 days of leaving the nest and start diving for prey within 14 days after fledging. However, the young are still fed by their parents and helpers for up to 2 months after leaving the nest. If there are no helpers, the young are fed almost equally by both adults. If helpers are present, the female does very little feeding or no feeding at all.

Clutches and broods of the Pied Kingfisher are often at risk from flooding, trampling, irregular incubation, and predation by ants, snakes, and mammals, particularly the Water Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) which is a major predator of both young and adults. Nestlings of pairs without helpers have a reduced chance of survival and frequently starve to death. Pied Kingfishers will frequently re-lay after an early breeding failure.

Further Resources

This species text is adapted from the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1), 1997.

The use of photographs by Ansie Dee Reis, Colin Summersgill, Dawie de Swardt, Dieter Oschadleus, Johan Van Rooyen Lia Steen, Marius Meiring, Neels Putter, Pamela Kleiman, Walter Jubber and Wiekus Moolman is acknowledged.

Virtual Museum (BirdPix > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name).

Other common names: Bontvisvanger (Afrikaans); iHIabahlabane, isiQuba, isiXula (Zulu); Isaxwila (Xhosa); N’waripetani, Xicelele (Tswana); Bonte Ijsvogel (Dutch); Alcyon pie, Martin-pêcheur pie (French); Graufischer (German); Pica-peixe-malhado (Portuguese).

List of species available in this format.

Recommended citation format: Tippett RM 2024. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2024/05/23/malachite-kingfisher-alcedo-cristata/

Bird identification, birding