Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
- Order
- Coraciiformes
Overview
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. Its black-and white-plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single broken breast band.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to see it
Destination guides featuring this bird
Range and habitat
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Côte d'Ivoire
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Vietnam
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Pied kingfisher
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.

