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
White-mantled kingfisher White-mantled kingfisher The white-mantled kingfisher or New Britain kingfisher ("Todiramphus albonotatus") is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to New Britain off Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. The white-mantled kingfisher is 16–18 cm in length and has a black bill, and the plumage is mostly white in the male, with blue wings, tail, a turquoise crown, and a thick black stripe through the eye. The female is similar to the male but has blue on the lower back. The call is a rapid descending ""kee-ku-ko-ko"" or a trilling ""ki-ki-ki-ki-ki"".