Malachite Kingfisher ( Alcedo cristata, family: Alcedinidae)

malachite kingfisher Kruger National Park birds The Malachite Kingfisher (Latin name Alcedo cristata) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 431 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 174 also a picture of the Malachite Kingfisher on page 193. The Malachite Kingfisher belongs to the family of birds classified as Alcedinidae.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Malachite Kingfisher is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Malachite Kingfisher in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Malachite Kingfisher : see above distribution map.

The Malachite Kingfisher.

Malachite Kingfisher Kruger National ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Malachite Kingfisher is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Malachite Kingfisher is about 14 cms and its weight is about 17 gms

The male and female Malachite Kingfisher have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is greenish blue.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is red.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is blue.
  • Legs are orange.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Malachite Kingfisher feeds in or around water mainly

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Malachite Kingfisher is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Alcedo cristata will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Malachite Kingfisher is to create the nest in a hole in the ground. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 3 to 6

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Malachite Kingfisher are: wetlands

You will not see Malachite Kingfisher in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Isaxwila

Zulu ... iNhlunuyamanzi/isiKhilothi/uZangozolo

Afrikaans ...Kuifkopvisvanger

German ... Malachiteisvogel, Haubenzwergfischer

Portuguese ... Pica-peixe-de-poupa

French ... Martin-pcheur hupp

Dutch ... Malachietijsvogel

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 431

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za