Kingfisher in length and between in weight. The largest kingfisher in Africa is the giant kingfisher ("Megaceryle maxima"), which is in length and in weight. The familiar Australian kingfisher known as the laughing kookaburra ("Dacelo novaeguineae") is the heaviest species with females reaching nearly in weight. The plumage of most kingfishers is bright, with green and blue being the most common colours. The brightness of the colours is neither the product of iridescence (except in the American kingfishers) or pigments, but is instead caused by the structure of the feathers, which causes scattering of blue light (the Tyndall effect). In most
Winchell's kingfisher Winchell's kingfisher Winchell's kingfisher or the rufous-lored kingfisher ("Todiramphus winchelli") is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae, the kingfishers. It is endemic to the Philippines, its natural habitat being lowland forests. It is threatened by deforestation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a vulnerable species. This species was described as "Halcyon Winchelli" by British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1877, using a specimen collected by American ornithologist Joseph Beal Steere. It was named after American geologist Newton Horace Winchell, as requested by Steere. Although two subspecies were later described, they were