Corythornis cristatus Facts, Habitat, Size & Lifespan

Table of Contents

Corythornis cristatus, Malachite Kingfisher, Alcedo cristata, has three subspecies (1. Alcedo cristata galerita is a Ghanaian subspecies found in Senegal and Ghana. 2. Alcedo cristata cristata is found in Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Kenya. 3. The Sudanese subspecies Alcedo cristata stuartkeithi is found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.) .

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The crowned kingfisher is very territorial. Sexual loneliness, usually live alone on the branches or rocks near the water, waiting for the opportunity to hunt, mainly to eat small fish, and eat crustaceans and a variety of aquatic insects and larvae, but also peck small frogs and a small number of aquatic plants. When a kingfisher plunges into the water, it can also maintain excellent vision because its eyes can quickly adjust the contrast in the Angle of view caused by the light in the water. So the fishing ability is very strong.

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Crested kingfishers generally nest on earth cliffs or in the dikes of fields and streams, using their mouths to dig tunnle-like burrows, which are generally unfoiled. The eggs are laid directly on the nest ground. Each clutch lays 6-7 eggs. Egg color pure white, bright, slightly spotted, about 28 mm ×18 mm in size, 1-2 broods per year; The incubation period is about 21 days, and the eggs are incubated by both sexes, but only fed by the female. The chicks are fed larvae and aquatic insects, small crabs, shrimp, tadpoles, small fish and frogs, beetles, crickets and small reptiles (mainly lizards). Feed is divided between five chicks approximately 60 to 70 times a day.

Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2013 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Low Risk (LC).

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Profile Details

Key characteristics, appearance, and habitat information.

Traits & Behavior

The crowned kingfisher is one of the most common kingfishers in Africa

Appearance

The crowned kingfisher is 13 cm long and weighs 12-18 grams. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. The crown kingfisher also looks like the common kingfisher, but it is slightly smaller, has a red beak instead of black, and the feathers on its head can be raised into a crown, hence its name. The crest feathers are black and pale blue or blue-green with white spots. The cheeks to the throat show red, with white spots on the chin and throat to the neck. The rest of the upper neck is bright ultramarine blue. The chest, wings, underbelly and tail have a very dark red color. Red mouth, dark brown irises, red-orange legs.
Male and female are similar. In young birds the plumage is darker and the bill is black, the forehead and apex of the feathers are more extensive and shorter, and the black bill begins to turn red after about 3 months.
Mouth thick straight, long and firm, mouth ridge round; No nasal furrow; The wingtip is long, the first primary feathers are slightly shorter

Distribution & Habitat

Crown Kingfisher Origin: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d 'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Eswatini, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Traveler: Oman.
Crested kingfishers live in brush or open forest, clear and slow-flowing rivers, streams, lakes, and irrigation canals. It sometimes lives on rocks along the coast.

Visual guide