Malachite kingfisher
Corythornis cristatus (Pallas, 1764)
The malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) is a species in the family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 15.7 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the malachite kingfisher
- Weight
- 15.7 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the malachite kingfisher
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Where does the malachite kingfisher live?
Not recorded
Is the malachite kingfisher endangered?
The malachite kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the malachite kingfisher classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- genusCorythornis
- SpeciesCorythornis cristatus (Pallas, 1764)
Other names and names in other languages (46)
- MAKIEnglish
- KuifkopvisvangerAfrikaans
- رفراف مالاكيتيArabic
- blauet malaquitaCatalan
- ledňáček modropláštíkovýCzech
- pysgotwr malacitWelsh
- Malakit IsfuglDanish
- MalachitfischerGerman
- Hauben-ZwergfischerGerman
- HaubenzwergfischerGerman
- MalachiteisvogelGerman
- malakita alcionoEsperanto
- Martín pescador malaquitaSpanish
- tutt-jäälindEstonian
- malakiittikalastajaFinnish
- Martin pêcheur huppéFrench
- Martin-pêcheur huppéFrench
- Cruidín malaicíteIrish
- krunati vodomarCroatian
- malachit jégmadárHungarian
- Martin pescatore malachiteItalian
- カンムリカワセミJapanese
- malachitinis tulžysLithuanian
- malahīta dzenītisLatvian
- MalachietijsvogelDutch
- kleine Gekuifde IjsvogelDutch
- tiaraisfuglNorwegian
- zimorodek malachitowyPolish
- ConóbiaPortuguese
- guarda-rios-de-poupaPortuguese
- pica-peixe-de-poupaPortuguese
- pica-peixinho-de-poupaPortuguese
- Малахитовый зимородокRussian
- rybárik chochlatýSlovak
- čopasti vodomecSlovenian
- Malahitski vodomarSerbian
- malakitkungsfiskareSwedish
- Tepeli YalıçapkınıTurkish
- Malahit yalıçapkınıTurkish
- seInwediTswana
- рибалочка діадемовийUkrainian
- 冠翠鳥Chinese
- 冠翠鸟Chinese
- uZangozoloZulu
- iNhlunuyamanziZulu
- isiKhilothiZulu
Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistWikidataWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the malachite kingfisher
Other species in the same genus Corythornis.

Malagasy kingfisher
Corythornis vintsioides

Madagascar pygmy kingfisher
Corythornis madagascariensis

White-bellied kingfisher
Corythornis leucogaster
CompareMalachite kingfisher vs Malagasy kingfisherMalachite kingfisher vs Madagascar pygmy kingfisherMalachite kingfisher vs White-bellied kingfisher
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the malachite kingfisher?
An adult malachite kingfisher weighs 15.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the malachite kingfisher endangered?
The malachite kingfisher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the malachite kingfisher?
The malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) belongs to the family Alcedinidae in the order Coraciiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-kingfisher
“Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-kingfisher.
@misc{malachite_kingfisher_2026,
title = {Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/malachite-kingfisher},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}