Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) erupts from the water after an unsuccessful dive into the Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Richard Du Toit / Pied kingfisher pair courtship display {Ceryle rudis} Botswana female on left, male on right.

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Pied kingfisher {Ceryle rudis} hovering, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Ralf Kistowski/ BIA / Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) female landing, Gambia

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) pair perched on branch, looking in opposite directions. Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) pair perched on branch, looking in opposite directions. Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on tree snag. Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Bernard Castelein / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) feeding on fish, perched on branch. Allahein River, Gambia. Digital composite.

Tony Heald / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) with a fish, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Eric Baccega / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on a branch with fish prey. Murchisson Falls National Park, Uganda, February.

Jed Weingarten / Wild Wonders of China / Crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) sitting on a stone by the water, Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Qingchuan County, Sichuan province, China

Ann & Steve Toon / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) male with fish, Zimanga private game reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, September

Bernard Castelein / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering, Gambia.

Eric Baccega / Two Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on Cape buffalo's horns. (Syncerus caffer) with heron in the background. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) juvenile with frog in bill, Chobe River, Botswana.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) preening whilst perched on branch, Chobe River, Botswana.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), juvenile perched on thorny branch, Chobe River, Botswana.

Guy Edwardes / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Chobe River, pair perching on reed, Chobe River, Botswana.

Eric Baccega / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on a branch with fish prey. Baringo lake. Kenya.

Ann & Steve Toon / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on a branch above water, Zimanga private game reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, June.

Lucas Bustamante / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight, Chobe River, North-West District, Botswana.

Eric Baccega / Pied Kingfisher portrait (Ceryle rudis), Moremi National Park, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Southern Africa

Ann & Steve Toon / Pied kingfishers (Ceryle rudis), Zimanga Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, April 2017

Nick Garbutt / Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering. Satpura National Park, India. Sequence of 12 images. Digital composite.

Christophe Courteau / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) flying overhead, looking for fish in the Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana, October

Robin Chittenden / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis travancoreensis) in flight over water, Sri Lanka.

Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) female hovering over water, Shingwedzi River, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) portrait, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on dead branch, Zibadianja Lagoon, Selinda Reserve, Botswana.

Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on a dead branch at a waterhole, Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Neil Aldridge / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) perched on a dead branch with fish after successful dive at a waterhole, Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limopopo Province, South Africa.

Constantinos Petrinos / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering and diving composite sequence. Masai Mara National Reserve, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, East Africa, August.

Aflo / Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) on branch over river, Tsurui, Hokkaido, Japan. September.

Aflo / Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) flapping wings, Tsurui, Hokkaido, Japan. August.

Wim van den Heever / Pied kingfsiher (Ceryle rudis) taking off from a branch, Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Will Burrard-Lucas / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering, Busanga Plains, Kafue National Park, Zambia.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering, Chobe River, Botswana, June.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight with fish in beak, Chobe River, Botswana, June.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) catching food in beak, Chobe River, Botswana, August.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight with fish prey, Chobe River, Botswana, May.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight, Chobe River, Botswana, April.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering, Chobe River, Botswana, June.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight, Chobe River, Botswana.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) in flight with frog prey, Chobe River, Botswana, April.

Lou Coetzer / Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) twisting neck with frog prey in beak, Chobe River, Botswana.

Lou Coetzer / Juvenile Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) being fed in mid air, Chobe River, Botswana.

Mike Wilkes / Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovering whilst hunting for fish, Gambia, West Africa.