EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Malachite Kingfisher Jewel

Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata galerita), Family Alcedinidae
Lake Naivasha, Kenya, Africa

Explanation:  This is the jewel of the Rift Valley wetlands of eastern Africa!  It is a diminutive adult Malachite Kingfisher.  Measuring only 14 cm (5.5 inches), this is one of the world's smallest kingfishers. 

They are usually solitary, often perching over water and diving for prey, and quickly disappearing with direct rapid flight.  

And they are very difficult to approach closely and photograph (I took these photos from a small boat on Rift Valley lakes in Kenya).  

With a relatively large bill, Malachite Kingfishers feed on small fish, insects, tadpoles, frogs, crabs, and other small prey, and breed August to February.  Their populations throughout Africa seem large and secure.

Adult Malachite Kingfishers are spectacular from all angles!

Information:
     Maclean, G. L. 1993. Roberts' birds of southern Africa. Sixth edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. 871 pp.