Malachite kingfisher 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 with pale blue or greenish-blue on its forehead.
The Malachite Box Fairy Tale" (), based on "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain". Based on "Marko's Hill", Klara Katsman created the operetta "Mark Beregovik" (), which premiered in Sverdlovsk in 1955. Lyubov Nikolskaya composed the children's opera "Silver Hoof" based on the story of the same name in 1959. Vladimir Goryachikh composed the ballet "The Living Stone" () based on "Sinyushka's Well", which premiered in Nizhny Tagil in 1965. The 1973 opera "The Fire Maid" (based on "The Fire-Fairy") for schools was composed by Robert Long, with story adapted and lyrics by Dorothy Gulliver The 2012 opera "The Malachite Casket", based on