COVER STORY: SPECIES PROFILE
KINGFISHERS are mainly found in the tropics. Europe has only one species. North America has three, although only the belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) is widespread. Africa has 19 species, South America five. The heartland of the family of 96 species is South East Asia, Indonesia, Australia and New Guinea, with their numerous islands.
Species range in size from the African dwarf kingfisher () at about 10cm in length to the raven-sized giant kingfisher () and the laughing kookaburra (), both of which are more than 40cm. All kingfishers have short tails apart from the plume-tailed paradise kingfishers () of Australasia. At one time, the woodland (), white-throated () and collared () were the most commonly kept kingfishers in the UK. The large (35cm) Asiatic-lndonesian stork-billed kingfisher () was also
