2-1-2024 LAMIN RICE FIELDS, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

The Giant kingfisher is Africa’s largest species of kingfisher. It has a large crest and a big straight black beak. Most of its body is covered with black feathers that are tipped with white spots. A male has an orange breast and its belly is white with some black spots. A female’s breast is black and white spotted and the belly is orange, and the difference between them can be remembered by thinking of a male as wearing an orange shirt and a female wearing an orange skirt.

27-12-2023 KOTU CREEK, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

The giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima) is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert, other than the arid southwest.

The first formal description of the giant kingfisher was by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1769 under the binomial name Alcedo maxima. The current genus Megaceryle was erected by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848.

There are two subspecies:

M. m. maxima (Pallas, 1769) – Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia and south to South Africa

M. m. gigantea (Swainson, 1837) – Liberia to northern Angola and western Tanzania, island of Bioko

The nominate subspecies M. m. maxima occurs in wooded savanna while M. m. gigantea prefers tropical rainforest.

The giant kingfisher is 42–46 cm (16.5–18 in) long, with a large shaggy crest, a large black bill and fine white spots on black upperparts. The male has a chestnut breast band and otherwise white underparts with dark flank barring. The female has a white-spotted black breast band and a chestnut belly. The forest race M. m. gigantea is darker, less spotted above, and more barred below than the nominate race, but the two forms intergrade along the forest edge zone.

The call is a loud wak wak wak.

In South Africa breeding takes place between September and January, in Zimbabwe from August to March, in Zambia March to April and in Liberia December to January.[5]

The giant kingfisher is monogamous and a solitary breeder. The nest is a long horizontal tunnel that is excavated into a river bank by both sexes using their feet and bills. The entrance hole is 11 cm (4.3 in) high and 15 cm (5.9 in) wide. The tunnel is typically 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length but a tunnel of 8.5 m (28 ft) has been recorded. A clutch of around three eggs is laid in a chamber at the end of the tunnel.

The Giant Kingfisher frequents rivers, streams, lakes, dams and even mountain streams with marginal wooded areas, both in forests and savannahs. It is also found in coastal lagoons, mangroves, estuaries and seashores, and occasionally on stagnant pools along dried-up rivers. It can be seen up to 100 metres from the water. In Tanzania, it may occur up to 1600 metres of elevation.

The race “maxima” is found from Senegambia to W Ethiopia and S Angola, N Botswana and South Africa, mainly is the East half, S to Cape Town and SW.

The race “gigantea” occurs in forest from Liberia to N Nigeria, E to W Tanzania and S to N Angola.

 

The Giant Kingfisher feeds mainly on aquatic preys such as fish, river crabs, amphibians and also small reptiles and insects.

 

18-12-2022 FARASUTO FOREST, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73010-Megaceryle-maxima

20-12-2022 MARAKISSA, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73010-Megaceryle-maxima

25-4-2022 KOTU, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73010-Megaceryle-maxima

20-4-2022 MANDINA LODGE, GAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73010-Megaceryle-maxima

30-5-2019 VICTORIA FALLS, ZAMBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

15-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, NAMIBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

The Giant Kingfisher, Megaceryle maxima, stands as Africa's largest kingfisher, boasting a length of 42–46 cm. It is adorned with a large, shaggy crest and a robust black bill. The plumage is characterized by fine white spots set against a black backdrop on the upperparts.

Males can be distinguished by a chestnut breast band and predominantly white underparts with dark flank barring. Females, on the other hand, display a white-spotted black breast band and a chestnut belly. The subspecies M. m. gigantea, found in forests, is darker, less spotted above, and exhibits more barring below than the nominate race.

The nominate subspecies, M. m. maxima, favors wooded savanna environments, while M. m. gigantea is more inclined towards tropical rainforests.

This resident breeding bird is widespread across most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the arid southwest.

The Giant Kingfisher is monogamous and breeds solitarily. It is known for excavating long horizontal tunnels into river banks as nests, a task undertaken by both sexes.

Its vocalization is a distinctive and loud "wak wak wak."

Breeding seasons vary by region: in South Africa, it occurs from September to January; in Zimbabwe, from August to March; in Zambia, during March and April; and in Liberia, from December to January. The species lays a clutch of around three eggs in a chamber at the end of the tunnel, which can be impressively long, with records of up to 8.5 m.

The diet of the Giant Kingfisher consists mainly of crabs, fish, and frogs, which it catches by diving from a perch.

The Giant Kingfisher is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating a stable population.

15-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, NAMIBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima) COURTESY OF MRS VALERIE FISHER

The Giant Kingfisher, Megaceryle maxima, stands as Africa's largest kingfisher, boasting a length of 42–46 cm. It is adorned with a large, shaggy crest and a robust black bill. The plumage is characterized by fine white spots set against a black backdrop on the upperparts.

Males can be distinguished by a chestnut breast band and predominantly white underparts with dark flank barring. Females, on the other hand, display a white-spotted black breast band and a chestnut belly. The subspecies M. m. gigantea, found in forests, is darker, less spotted above, and exhibits more barring below than the nominate race.

The nominate subspecies, M. m. maxima, favors wooded savanna environments, while M. m. gigantea is more inclined towards tropical rainforests.

This resident breeding bird is widespread across most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the arid southwest.

15-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, NAMIBIA - GIANT KINGFISHER (Megaceryle maxima ssp maxima)

The Giant Kingfisher, Megaceryle maxima, stands as Africa's largest kingfisher, boasting a length of 42–46 cm. It is adorned with a large, shaggy crest and a robust black bill. The plumage is characterized by fine white spots set against a black backdrop on the upperparts.

Males can be distinguished by a chestnut breast band and predominantly white underparts with dark flank barring. Females, on the other hand, display a white-spotted black breast band and a chestnut belly. The subspecies M. m. gigantea, found in forests, is darker, less spotted above, and exhibits more barring below than the nominate race.

The nominate subspecies, M. m. maxima, favors wooded savanna environments, while M. m. gigantea is more inclined towards tropical rainforests.

This resident breeding bird is widespread across most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the arid southwest.

The Giant Kingfisher is monogamous and breeds solitarily. It is known for excavating long horizontal tunnels into river banks as nests, a task undertaken by both sexes.

Its vocalization is a distinctive and loud "wak wak wak."

Breeding seasons vary by region: in South Africa, it occurs from September to January; in Zimbabwe, from August to March; in Zambia, during March and April; and in Liberia, from December to January. The species lays a clutch of around three eggs in a chamber at the end of the tunnel, which can be impressively long, with records of up to 8.5 m.

The diet of the Giant Kingfisher consists mainly of crabs, fish, and frogs, which it catches by diving from a perch.