Habits
Sociable. Inpairs or noisy groups. Commonly hovers above water while foraging.
Voice
Various loudly whistled chattering notes, including 'tik twikik', 'cheek' and 'chit-it-it', uttered in flight or from a perch. A low-pitched 'trrr' uttered in alarm.
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) [XC855533]
by Ding Li Yong from San Tin Fishponds, New Territories, Hong Kong, China (flight call, threat or agitation calls)
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) [XC300093]
by Tero Linjama from Lake Awassa, Ethiopia (call, interaction calls)
Subspecies
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) - Central and southern Turkey and Israel to Syria, Iraq and south-western Iran, also northern Egypt and Nile Valley, and sub-Saharan Africa (except arid regions).
leucomelanura Reichenbach, 1851 - North-eastern Afghanistan, western Pakistan and India (except south-west) south to Sri Lanka, and east to Thailand and Indochina.
travancoreensis Whistler, 1935 - South-western India, from northern Kerala south to Cape Comorin.
insignis Hartert, 1910 - South-eastern China, including Hainan.
syriacus Roselaar, 1995 - Turkey to Israel east to south-western Iran.