There are 119 species of Kingfishers worldwide, most of them in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Africa is home to both the smallest and largest Kingfishers; the African Dwarf is only 10cm long while the Giant Kingfisher is up to 48cm in length. The Pied Kingfisher has a wide distribution across Africa and southern Asia and is one of the three commonest Kingfishers in the world. Their brilliant black and white attire is a familiar sight along the streams, rivers and lakes of South Africa and their ability to hover above the water is remarkable; they are in fact one of the world’s heaviest ‘hovering’ birds. Having spotted a fish, they dive at incredible speed and hit the water with force, a bony plate sliding across their eyes to protect them from the impact. Male Pied Kingfishers have a double black band across the chest while females have a black chest broken by a white stripe in the middle.

On a recent visit to the Kruger National Park, I found myself becoming more and more captivated by sightings of birds. Despite the fact that it was during the dry winter months when the migratory birds are far away in the northern hemisphere, it felt as though I was seeing a greater diversity than on many previous occasions; rollers and sunbirds, orioles and kingfishers, barbets, owls and coucals – suddenly it felt as though there were birds everywhere. Looking back at the photographs from the trip, I have become absorbed by the structure of birds, the detail of the feathers, the shape of the bills, the configuration of the tails. As a result of these observations, I’ve now embarked on a series of bird studies, given the incredible variety of species in southern Africa, this could be a long journey!

Signed Limited Edition Print on 300 GSM Fine Art Cotton Paper from an original watercolour painting. This print is delivered rolled into a tube, ready for framing. Free worldwide shipping.

Limited Edition of 25 Fine Art Prints.

Size: 420mm x 300mm