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
Scaly-breasted kingfisher Scaly-breasted kingfisher The scaly-breasted kingfisher or regent kingfisher ("Actenoides princeps") is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae endemic to central and southwestern Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical, moist, montane forests. The adult scaly-breasted kingfisher measures about in length. It has a blue head and reddish-brown collar, and the female has a buff-coloured forehead. The back is dark brown scalloped with buff. The underparts are plain whitish-buff in the male and are barred with darker colour in the female. Birds in the northeast of the range have horn-coloured bills, northwestern birds have red bills,