Bird

Malachite Kingfisher Sightings

Corythornis cristatus

PredatorSeen in 3 parks

Want to know where and when to find Malachite Kingfisher right now? opspoor tracks live, verified sightings across South Africa's parks.

About the Malachite Kingfisher

The malachite kingfisher is a small, brilliantly coloured African kingfisher strongly associated with freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, lakes, dams and wetlands. It has vivid blue-green upperparts, a bright orange underparts and a long red bill. It usually hunts from a low perch close to the water, diving rapidly to catch small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles and other small aquatic prey.

How to identify the Malachite Kingfisher

Very small, brilliantly coloured kingfisher with a blue-green back and head, orange throat and breast, and bright blue wings. The bill is long, straight and black, with red or orange colouring at the base in some individuals.

Did you know?

The Malachite Kingfisher often perches very close to the water before diving almost vertically to catch small fish and aquatic prey.

Also known as: Kuifvisvanger, Kingfisher

Parks where you can see the Malachite Kingfisher

Recent Malachite Kingfisher sightings

No public sightings here yet — check back soon.

Planning a South Africa safari? opspoor tracks real, verified wildlife sightings like these across the country's parks — logged by people on the ground, not guesswork. It all works with zero signal, too, so a dead zone deep in the bush never costs you a sighting.