Crested Kingfisher

About the Crested Kingfisher

The crested kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) is a very large kingfisher that is native to parts of southern Asia. It is part of the kingfisher genus Megaceryle with three other species: the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), the ringed kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata), and the belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) with which it forms a species complex.

The crested kingfisher is a very large, stocky black and white bird, usually between 38 and 43 cm (15 and 17 in) tall, and weighs between 230 and 280 g (8 and 10 oz). It has a large, pointed black bill with a yellowish-white tip and a large, shaggy black and white barred crest. It has finely barred black and white upperparts with flanks barred grey and white, while its belly is white with a black-speckled breastband. It has a white collar that starts at the bottom of the bill and goes to the back of the neck. The tail feathers are black with 6 to 8 white bars. Males and females are the same size but exhibit sexual dimorphism in their plumage. Females have bright pink-cinnamon underwing coverts washed with pale rufous, while males lack this and instead have rufus-orange feathers on the breastband.

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