Uganda: Lake Victoria – Pied Kingfisher
One of the more numerous species at Lake Victoria and the Mabamba Swamp is the amazing Pied Kingfisher. While the bird is common in both Africa and Asia, here its numbers are very high and you see them almost everywhere and in the air when exploring the lake. Pied Kingfisher is easily distinguishable from other kingfishers due to it black and white coloration and ability to literally hover in midair sighting its fish pray before speed diving into the water. Once the fish is caught, the can eat it in flight, often flying at speeds up to 50 kph. The bird was first described by the legendary Karl Linnaeus himself in 1758, the father of the classification system. We saw literally hundred of them – hovering, diving, flying, sitting on branches and papyrus. And at sunset they all start flying in large groups.
