Megaceryle maxima (Pallas, 1769)

Here in Europe, only one species of Kingfisher exists - and, as its breeding habitat wasn't widely available to begin with, and has been significantly degraded by anthropogenic development (i.e. people building near water), it's not easy to see over most of the continent (well, lets be honest, medium-sized peninsula).

In Zambia, there are at least 9. This is one of them:

Female. Photographed near Livingstone, Southern Prov., Zambia, photographed with Olympus E-420 and Zuiko 70-300mm Telephoto lens.

On a visit to the upper Zambezi, a pair of these pigeon-sized birds were frequently in evidence, flying away from walkways with an offended screech, or bashing freshwater crabs into submission on rocks, branches and pathways.

The male, before we get onto the taxonomy, looks like this:

(note the red band across the chest, as opposed to a black one in females).

This charismatic crab-basher is

Megaceryle maxima

(Pallas, 1769)

Also known as, as you might suspect from the reference to their being pigeon sized, the Giant Kingfisher, sometimes referred to as the African Giant Kingfisher to distinguish it from the  (as unrelated as Kingfishers can get) Laughing Kookaburra, the only species that can rival it in size, of Eastern Australia. It is also called Reusevisvanger (literally Giant Kingfisher) in Afrikaans and Maseke in Chewa (and derived languages)

Unlike the Kookaburra, the maseke is closely associated with water - and typically found only where large rivers or lakes are bordered by mature woodland. As you might gather from that, it's declining - but, in the absence of any close assessment of population trends and range contractions, the IUCN tends to list African species as 'least concern', rather than the significantly more accurate 'data deficient'.

Anyway, before I get into a slightly unfair attack on an organisation that does a lot of work processing important statistics and has contributed hugely to conservation efforts for a lot of species, on with the taxonomy:

- Cerylidae   

- Alcedines     

- Coraciiformes

- Neoaves          

See also Troglodytes troglodytes, Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus and Tockus alboterminatus.

- Neognathae       

- Neornithes           

- Euornithes             

- Aves                        

- Maniraptora               

- Coelurosauria               

- Tetanurae                       

- Therapoda                        

- Saurischia                           

- Dinosauria                             

- Avemetatarsalia                        

- Archosauria                                

- Archosauromorpha                        

- Sauria                                              

See also  Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara and Lygodactylus capensis.

- Diapsida                                             

- Romeriida                                             

- Reptilia                                                    

- Amniota                                                     

- Reptiliomorpha                                             

See also Syncerus caffer and Hipposideros vittatus.

- Tetrapoda                                                       

See also Rana temporaria, Breviceps poweri and Chiromantis xerampelina.

- Sarcopterygii                                                     

- Osteichthyes                                                        

See also Synchiropus splendidus.

- Teleostomi                                                             

- Gnathostomata                                                         

- Vertebrata                                                                  

- Craniata                                                                       

- Chordata                                                                        

- Deuterostomia                                                                  

- Nephrozoa                                                                         

See also Burtoa nilotica, Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Hyllus argyrotoxus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi, Pardosa amentata, Enallagma cyathigerum, Pseudagrion hageni, Lestinogomphus angustus, Rhyothemis semihyalina, Humbe tenuicornis, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Cyathosternum prehensile, Heteropternis thoracica, Stictogryllacris punctata, Tettigonia viridissima, Sibylla, Pephricus, Grypocoris stysi, Ranatra, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Anthophora furcata, Andrena nigroaenea, Zebronia phenice, Crambus pascuella, Nemophora degeerella, Sphinx ligustri, Laelia robusta, Acada biseriata, Metisella willemi, Anthocharis cardamines, Papilio demodocus, Panorpa germanica, Chloromyia formosa, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Metadon inermis, Diasemopsis meigenii, Dolichotachina caudata, Megistocera filipes, Hagenomyia tristis, Phyllobius pomaceus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Malachius bipustulatus, Oedemera nobilis, Melolontha melolontha, Cheilomenes lunata, Neojulodis vittipennis, Demetrias atricapillus, Anthia fornasiini and Lophyra cf. differens.

- Bilateralia                                                                             

- Eumetazoa                                                                             

- Animalia                                                                                  

- Eukaryota                                                                                  

And, having rambled on at some length earlier, that's all for now, folks!