Malachite kingfisher downwards. Fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans are eaten. Malachite kingfisher The malachite kingfisher ("Corythornis cristatus") is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate-related movements. The malachite kingfisher was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name "Alcedo cristata". The specific epithet "cristata" is from the Latin "cristatus" meaning "crested" or "plumed". The adjective "malachite" in the vernacular name normally refers to the dark green colour of the copper containing mineral. This kingfisher has blue upperparts but has black banding
The Malachite Box are popular. The characters of the Ural Mountains folklore such as the Mistress of the Copper Mountain became very well known after their appearance in Pavel Bazhov's "The Malachite Box". In the 1930s the Communist Party of the Soviet Union greatly encouraged the interest in the past of the country and the people. The Party paid a lot of attention to the development of the historical science. Maxim Gorky initiated the publication of such books as "The History of Factories and Plants" (). The initiative was supported by the Communist Party. History books and various historical fiction titles were published