The role of experimental perches on the hover and perch hunting preferences of the Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

Abstract

The Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis is a fishing kingfisher that employs two hunting modes. The bird can either hunt from a perch or hover and then dive into the water. The former method is energetically cheap but limits prey searching to the area below the perch, whereas hovering is costly but gives access to feeding areas that lack perches. This exploratory study examined how the provision of artificial perches influences the frequency of hover and perch hunting. In the hunting tracts with additional perches, 82% of 175 hunts were successful, but there was no correlation between the success of hunts and the presence of perches. However, hunting rates in tracts with extra perches were four-times higher than in control tracts. These results suggested that even though more perches did not improve the hunting success of Pied Kingfishers, the birds could increase their hunting rates, which probably enabled them to catch their daily fish requirements in a shorter time.