Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis preying on a Levaillant’s Cisticola Cisticola tinniens

The Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis is primarily a piscivorous species, while resorting at times to feeding on insects, crustaceans and amphibians. Here we describe, with photographs, an instance of a female Pied Kingfisher preying on an adult Levaillant’s Cisticola Cisticola tinniens at Midmar Dam, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. When first observed, the kingfisher had already caught the cisticola. Over the next 21 minutes, the kingfisher pounded the cisticola on a branch until it was flaccid and apparently ready to be swallowed. We believe this to be the first report of a Pied Kingfisher taking avian prey.