Tim Melling – Crested Kingfisher

Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris) ranges from northern India, across China to Japan.  They seem to occur at pretty low density on large, fast flowing, clean rivers.  They perch on wires, branches and rocks  but they do not hover.  Like most Kingfishers they excavate nesting tunnels in river banks.  I photographed this one with its tail and crest raised at Tangjiahe in Sichuan, China.

There are just four Kingfishers in the genus Megaceryle, which are well distributed across the planet.  There is the Belted Kingfisher of North America, Ringed Kingfisher of South America, Giant Kingfisher of Africa, and  Crested Kingfisher of eastern Asia.  There is overlap in size between these four huge Kingfishers but Crested at 41-43cm averages second largest after Giant Kingfisher, and the smallest is the Belted Kingfisher, which still looks huge.

 

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