Not only is the pied kingfisher the largest bird capable of a true hover in still air, it is also the only kingfisher with all black and white plumage. This distinctive bird has white-spotted, black upperparts and white underparts, with a broad band of black streaks on the upper-breast and a narrow black bar below. There is a prominent white eyebrow and a black eyeband that stretches to the back of the neck, as well as a white throat and collar and a white patch on the wing-coverts. The rump is barred black and white, the iris is brown and the weak, fleshy, feet and legs are black. The male pied kingfisher as in this image is distinguished from the female by the presence of two full breast bands, with the female having just a single incomplete band. A proficient predator of fish, the pied kingfisher forages from a perch or while hovering, flying low over the water before rising up to ten metres, holding a brief hover, and then plunging into the water and seizing its target in its bill. Because of the pied kingfisher’s unrivalled ability to hover, it does not always require extensive woodland around its habitat […]
Not only is the pied kingfisher the largest bird capable of a true hover in still air, it is also the only kingfisher with all black and white plumage. This distinctive bird has white-spotted, black upperparts and white underparts, with a broad band of black streaks on the upper-breast and a narrow black bar below. There is a prominent white eyebrow and a black eyeband that stretches to the back of the neck, as well as a white throat and collar and a white patch on the wing-coverts. The rump is barred black and white, the iris is brown and the weak, fleshy, feet and legs are black. The male pied kingfisher as in this image is distinguished from the female by the presence of two full breast bands, with the female having just a single incomplete band. A proficient predator of fish, the pied kingfisher forages from a perch or while hovering, flying low over the water before rising up to ten metres, holding a brief hover, and then plunging into the water and seizing its target in its bill. Because of the pied kingfisher’s unrivalled ability to hover, it does not always require extensive woodland around its habitat […]
The pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.It is a familiar bird of countryside and open scrub or grassland where it is found perched at the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs, looking out for insect prey. hey pick up insects mainly from the ground. he female has dark brown upperparts and rufous underparts and rump. She has no white wing patches. Juveniles are similar to females. Males display during the breeding season by splaying the tail, fluttering and puffing up the white scapular feathers. This is classified as least concern by IUCN.
