Black and White Kingfisher Bird - Profile

The pied kingfisher or black and white kingfisher is one in all six species of kingfishers discovered at Kariega. The opposite species are the large, brown-hooded, pygmy, half-collared, and the malachite kingfishers.

A black and white kingfisher is small to medium dimension bird with distinctive giant heads, lengthy, sharp, pointed payments, quick legs, and stubby tails.

The black and white kingfisher primarily eats fish however can typically be seen consuming frogs, bugs, and even snakes.

The black and white kingfisher has, as its identity suggests, black and white plumage. The male has a black crest and crown, a white stripe above its eye, a bigger black stripe throughout the attention so far as its neck, and a white throat and collar.

Its higher elements are black, edged in white, giving a mottled impact and its rump has black and white streaks. The wing coverts have white spots.

The underparts of the black and white kingfisher are white, with two strains of nice black bars, the higher being wider and often damaged within the center.

The bill is black and lengthy and appears like a dagger. The eyes are darkish brown and theft and legs are blackish.

The feminine of the black and white kingfisher has only one breast band, which is narrower than that of the male.

The tail is white and considerably lengthy, its median tail feathers and ideas being black, and its followers out in flight.

Distribution

The black and white kingfisher resides within the Center East, sub-Saharan Africa, the Asian mainland, and southern China.

In sub-Saharan Africa, they’re frequent alongside the Nile, and in east Egypt, and in Pakistan they’re regularly discovered throughout the Sind plains and Punjab. They’re uncommon in Greece, Cyprus, and Poland.

It has an especially giant vary with global inhabitants that have not been quantified.

It’s discovered throughout a lot of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding solely probably the aridest areas, to north Egypt, central and southern Turkey, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Southwest Iran, in addition to a lot of south and Southeast Asia, starting from Northeast Afghanistan to Indochina.

It’s the largest chicken able to a real hover in nonetheless air, it’s also the one kingfisher with all black and white plumage.

These birds reside beside streams, lakes, estuaries, rivers, irrigation ditches, canals, floodplains, bays, and reedy inlets.

In addition, they reside in river valleys close to mountainous areas. They’re often not present in mangroves and enormous swamps.

Black and white kingfisher Diet and Vitamin

black and white kingfisher primarily eats fish, and typically aquatic bugs, frogs, amphibians, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Black and white kingfisher Habits and Way of life

Pied kingfishers are diurnal, typically perching in the course of the day beside streams so as to preserve power.

They can even perch on artificial constructions reminiscent of fences, huts, and canoes. At sure occasions of the yr pied kingfishers type communal roosts.

They’re the most important birds which might hover for a protracted interval. Their attribute conduct consists of common bobbing of their head or tail.

They bathe by diving into the water repeatedly, fly in a straight line, and infrequently hunt on land.

As they fly, they emit noisy chirps, and so they additionally make these sounds throughout nesting to mark territory. People reside both in pairs or in loosely tied households. These birds don’t migrate.

Black and white kingfisher Reproduction

A black and white kingfisher is sexually mature when they’re one yr previous. Courtship entails shows of dancing, that is carried out by three to 12 males collectively. Males additionally provide meals to females over an interval that lasts about three weeks.

Pairs are monogamous, and females and males each assist to dig a nest gap within the comfortable earth of a financial institution, above water, or type in a grassy floor.

A burrow might be dug to a depth of about one meter. The breeding season extends from February to April.

4 to 5 white shiny eggs are laid and are incubated by each adult for about 18 days.

Whereas the nest is being dug and through laying and the incubation interval, the male chicken shows and brings meals for the feminine, then helps to lift the chicks earlier than they fledge.

The fledglings keep within the nest for about three weeks.

Population threats

In Nigeria, these kingfishers are tamed as pets, turning into tame after one week. After that, they’re free to comply with youngsters about, whereupon some return to the wild.

Some birds could also be eaten in this space as effectively. They might profit from fish farming and human dams however they’re susceptible to being poisoned by bioaccumulation of poisons within the fish they eat.

Inhabitants quantity

In keeping with All About Birds useful resource, the whole breeding inhabitants of the Pied kingfisher at 1.7 million people.

General, at the moment this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

Ecological area of interest

Pied kingfishers are the main fish predators. There’s proof for a relationship with clawless otters that’s mutualistic.

Black and white kingfisher Facts

It’s solely a black and white kingfisher.
The pied kingfisher is the most important of the ‘hovering’ birds. Hovering describes the flexibility to remain in a single place whereas flying. You could be lucky to see a pied kingfisher hovering over a dam or river whereas searching.
Pied kingfishers are extensively distributed throughout Africa and Asia.
Males have a double black band throughout their breasts.
Females have a black chest that’s typically damaged with a white stripe within the center.
They’re sociable birds that might be often present in pairs or small family teams and type giant roosts at night time.
When perched they often bob their heads and flick up their tail
They feed primarily on fish and may swallow their prey in mid-flight.
They’re fast-paced and fly at speeds of as much as 50 km/h.
The name regularly with a loud “chirruk chirruk” sound.

Black and White Kingfisher Bird – Profile | Facts