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closeIUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | Low |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 13,100,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | Unknown | not applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 4.2 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be widespread and common in some areas (del Hoyo et al. 2001). | ||||
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to pesticide run-off from adjacent farmland. It is shot as a pest at some trout hatcheries (del Hoyo et al. 2001). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Benin | Native | No | |||
| Botswana | Native | No | |||
| Burkina Faso | Native | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | |||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | |||
| Central African Republic | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| Congo | Native | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Gabon | Native | No | |||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Ghana | Native | No | |||
| Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | |||
| Kenya | Native | No | |||
| Lesotho | Native | No | |||
| Liberia | Native | No | |||
| Malawi | Native | No | |||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mozambique | Native | No | |||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Rwanda | Native | No | |||
| Senegal | Native | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | |||
| South Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Swaziland | Native | No | |||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Togo | Native | No | |||
| Uganda | Native | No | |||
| Zambia | Native | No | |||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Rural Gardens | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Swamp | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | resident |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Megaceryle maxima. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Alcedinidae (Kingfishers) |
| Species name author | (Pallas, 1769) |
| Population size | Unknown mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 13,100,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
|
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