Species guide
Pied Kingfisher: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Heinrich Human · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Ceryle rudis
- Family
- Kingfishers
- Size
- About 24–29 cm
- Habitat
- Rivers, lakes and coasts with clear water
- Found in
- Africa and Asia
The key marks
A black-and-white kingfisher with a shaggy crest and one or two black breast bands. It hovers above water before diving.
Voice
A sharp, rattling “chirruk”.
Good to know
It is one of the few kingfishers that regularly hovers, sometimes for long periods, before plunging for a fish.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in rivers, lakes and coasts with clear water. It is especially common in Kenya. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.