Of the 87 species of kingfishers in the world, only 16 occur in Africa – Eastern Asia and Australasia with some 56 species between them are the real hotspots of kingfisher diversity. Nevertheless we have some real beauties like the Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) which presents itself like a tiny multi-coloured bauble darting through riverside vegetation throughout much of sub Saharan Africa.
Malachite kingfishers are southern Africa’s most common kingfisher species. © Wim van den Heever
See more of these beautiful birds in Halcyon days – kingfishers & the winter solstice featuring Wim van den Heever‘s superb images
