The pied kingfisher has black and white coloration, including a black face-mask; a black crown; black and white spotted wings; a white supercilium (a stripe which runs from the base of the beak, above the eye, and finishing toward the back of the head); black breast-bands (females have one, males have two); and a black dagger-like bill.
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| This kingfisher was seen on the edge of a river in the Okavanga Delta of Botswana. We saw kingfishers plunging into the water after fish. |
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| Standing on a rusted piece of metal in the Okavanga Delta. |
There are five subspecies. We saw the nominate subspecies (rudis), found in Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa.
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| These pictures from the Zambia side of the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls show different looks of the head. |
It feeds mainly on fish, but will also eat crustaceans and large aquatic insects, such as dragon-fly larvae.
The head and beak are so disproportionate to the body.
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