Bird Album
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus, 1758)
25 cmLength84 gWeight
It is a black-and-white kingfisher with a crest and black bands across the breast.
Busiest months: November–February · Most records: India, Israel, China
How to identify
Field marks
- Face black-and-white; supercilium white
- Black bands across breast
- Crest neat; upperparts with black barring
- Medium-sized kingfisher; body length about 25 cm
Male, female and young
Male has two breast-bands, the second narrower; female has only one broken breast-band.
Voice
Often gives a piercing “chirruk chirruk”.
Where and when it's recorded
Pied Kingfisher has been recorded at 1,255 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 70 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel3,908 records
- Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)3,078 records
- Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia2,659 records
More places
- Hama'apil FishpondsIsrael1,927 records
- Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda1,580 records
- Ma'ayan Tzvi FishpondsIsrael1,366 records
- Kfar Ruppin fishpondsIsrael1,255 records
- Eilat north beachIsrael1,235 records
- Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia1,141 records
- Vellayani – Punchakkari WetlandsIndia1,133 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it has five recognised subspecies, and is the only member of the genus Ceryle. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Pied Kingfisher?
The Pied Kingfisher is about 25 cm long and weighs around 84 g.
Where does the Pied Kingfisher live?
Its breeding range: Africa, Oriental: widespread, also Middle East. It is most often recorded in India, Israel and China.
When is the best time to see the Pied Kingfisher?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, November and December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Pied Kingfisher endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Pied Kingfisher as Least Concern.
What does the Pied Kingfisher eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Pied Kingfisher in?
It belongs to the family Kingfishers (Alcedinidae), order Coraciiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 25 cm
- Weight
- 84 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 136 mm
- Tail
- 76 mm
- Bill
- 64 mm
- Tarsus
- 11 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa, Oriental: widespread, also Middle East
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Ceryle rudis leucomelanurus e Afghanistan through India to s China and n Indochina
- Ceryle rudis insignis e, se China and Hainan I.
Classification
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Kingfishers Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Ceryle
More from the family Kingfishers
Green-backed KingfisherActenoides monachus
Scaly-breasted KingfisherActenoides princeps
Moustached KingfisherActenoides bougainvillei
Spotted Wood KingfisherActenoides lindsayi
Blue-capped KingfisherActenoides hombroni
Rufous-collared KingfisherActenoides concretus
Hook-billed KingfisherMelidora macrorrhina
Banded KingfisherLacedo pulchella
Common Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera galatea
Kofiau Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera ellioti
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Charles J. Sharp. ↗
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