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
Madagascan pygmy kingfisher Madagascan pygmy kingfisher The Madagascan pygmy kingfisher ("Corythornis madagascariensis") is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and found in western dry deciduous forests. The first formal description of the Madagascan pygmy kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the twelfth edition of his "Systema Naturae" under the binomial name "Alcedo madagascariensis". Although it has been placed in the genera "Ceyx" and "Ispidina" in the past, a study of its molecular phylogenetic relationships with other genera in the region suggests it is best treated as a member of the genus