alcedinin^. 233 



The Pied Kingfisher. 



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Descr. — Head and ears black, white-streaked, with also a white 

 supercilium ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings, black, 

 white-edged ; lower parts, and the sides of the neck, white, 

 with a streak of black down the side of the neck from the 

 ear-coverts ; breast with a broad interrupted band of black 

 in both sexes, and below this another complete but narrow 

 band, in the male only ; wings with a white band, formed by 

 the bases of some of the quills, and the greater coverts ; primary 

 coverts and winglet black ; tail white at the base, broadly 

 black at the end, and tipped white. 



Bill black ; legs brown ; irides dark brown. 



Length 11 inches ; extent 19 ; wing 5^ ; tail 3, 1 inch or 

 more longer than the wing ; bill at front 2^^^ ; tarsus | ; weight 3 oz. 



Mr. Strickland separated the Indian bird from rudis, stating 

 that it had more white on the upper parts ; but it is not generally 

 allowed to be distinct. Indeed his varia appears to have been 

 founded on a newly-moulted specimen, as contrasted with one 

 having worn and abraded plumage. 



This spotted Kingfisher is found over all India, Burmah, 

 and Malayana ; also Western Asia, Africa, and the south of Europe 

 occasionally. It is very common and abundant on the banks of 

 rivers, backwaters, and canals ; also on the edges of tanks, and 

 even of pools and ditches by the road side. Unlike the other King- 

 fishers, which watch for their prey from a fixed station, and then 

 dart down obliquely on it, this one searches for its prey on the 

 wing, every now and then hovering over a piece of water, and, on 

 spying a fish, darting down perpendicularly on it, and rarely failing 

 in its aim. Now and then, during its descent, it is baulked, and 

 turns off from its swoop ; but I never saw one plunge into the 

 water and return without its prey. I cannot say that I have 

 observed it stay so long under water as Pearson would imply, 

 when he states that ' it plunges down, dead as a stone, into the water, 

 and remains below it so long, that the ripple over the surface 

 clears away some time before it comes up again.' Sundevall notices 

 its holding its tail erect when sittino-. It makes its nest in holes in 

 banks of rivers. 



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