Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Corythornis cristatus, C. nais and C. thomensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously placed in the genus Alcedo and lumped as A. cristata following Melo and Fuchs (2008). Prior to that, all three taxa had been split as A. cristata, A. thomensis and A. nais following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2014 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Not Recognised | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 24,500,000 km2 | |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | unknown | - | - | - |
| Population trend | stable | - | suspected | - |
| Generation length | 3.08 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be widespread and often common (del Hoyo et al. 2001).
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extant | native | yes | |||
| Botswana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burundi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eswatini | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gabon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lesotho | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liberia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malawi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mozambique | extant | native | yes | |||
| Namibia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Oman | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Rwanda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sierra Leone | extant | native | yes | |||
| Somalia | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Africa | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Togo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zimbabwe | extant | native | yes |
| Country/Territory | IBA Name |
|---|---|
| Yemen | Wadi Hajar |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | marginal | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Rural Gardens | marginal | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | marginal | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | marginal | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland | marginal | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | marginal | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | marginal | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | marginal | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | marginal | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | marginal | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | marginal | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Shrub Dominated Wetlands | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 3000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Malachite Kingfisher Corythornis cristatus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/malachite-kingfisher-corythornis-cristatus on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.