Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristatus Scientific name definitions

This iconic and breathtakingly beautiful kingfisher is a common and widely distributed species of sub-Saharan Africa and includes two insular subspecies—the Sao Tome Kingfisher (C. c. thomensis) and Principe Kingfisher (C. c. nais)—treated by some authorities as separate species. With its striking colors, violet-blue above and orange below, a large red bill and legs, and a blue crown with black barring, it would seem difficult to miss, but it can be somewhat unobtrusive. The Malachite Kingfisher typically inhabits fresh water systems—slow-flowing rivers, lagoons, and marshes—in open areas, where it dives from a low perch to capture small fish or crustaceans, but will also take frogs and insect larvae. Some populations are suspected to be partially migratory.