Pied Kingfishers caught in territory fight

Normally these magnificent birds are glimpsed only as a flash of monochrome Black and white speeding across the surface of a lake or river.

Occasionally they are captured in their hovering state in air or plunging head first into the water or emerging with a small fish clamped tightly in its long beak.

“Holding a territory with a plentiful supply of food is essential for the birds sometimes they fought ferociously on the riverbank over the fishing rights.”

The pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia.

Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish make them distinctive.