Malachite Kingfisher

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Malachite Kingfisher at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve and De Hoop Nature Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Malachite Kingfisher is most recorded in Western Cape (38% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (26% of records), Mpumalanga (12% of records), based on 2,680 iNaturalist observations. 74 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Malachite Kingfisher on site or nearby.

The Malachite Kingfisher is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Anysberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements.