I saw an African pygmy kingfisher on the hill below Nkima Forest Lodge and above the Mabamba Swamp and Lake Victoria, near Entebbe, Uganda. It looks like a small version of the malachite kingfisher. What distinguishes it is its smaller size and a violet wash on the ear coverts.
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| The violet wash is visible on this bird, but does not stand out as much as on other photos I've seen. The head also does not have the turquoise color of the malachite kingfisher. |
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| This illustration from Birds of the World does have the same turquoise head coloring, but the photos I've seen on Birds of the World and Wikipedia do not replicate it. It is of the nominate ssp. picta found from Senegal to Eritrea, south to Uganda and Pemba. |
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| Range from Birds of the World. |
I love the weird proportions of kingfishers. The head is as big as the body, and the colors on this one are so beautiful
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