Giant Kingfisher (female)

South Luangwa | Zambia

 

Order : CORACIIFORMES, family : Alcendinidae

There are around 115 species of kingfisher worldwide, broadly separated into three subfamily groups being ‘river kingfishers’, ‘water kingfishers’ of which there are only nine species and, by far the largest group ‘tree kingfishers’.

 

I’ve seen Giant Kingfishers before in both the Gambia and Tanzania, but have never managed to get a decent shot of one, so I was delighted when this beautiful lady sat posing for her photograph to be taken.

 

The Giant Kingfisher is classified as a ‘water kingfisher’ within subfamily Cerylinae.

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