The kingfisher males have a chestnut breast. These giant kingfishers are an uncommon to common as a local resident and found over most of Southern Africa, but absent from the dry west.
They like rivers, estuaries, lakes, wooded streams, sewage ponds and seashore where they feed on fish, crabs and frogs.
Giant kingfishers are usually solitary, rarely in pairs being shy and unobtrusive unless calling. They fly high between feeding areas, sometimes one kilometre apart. Perching motionless on rocks or low branches of trees overlooking the water, sometimes hovering, especially over the sea.
They call often in flight with a loud ringing laughing yelp wak – wak – wak – wak singly or up to four notes.
Breeding takes place from August until January. The nest is a tunnel in an earth bank between two to eight metres long, the entrance being about one metre from the top of the bank. The chamber at the end is lined with fish bones and crab carapaces and excavated by both sexes.
Three to five glossy white eggs are laid, the nestling period is 37 days. The Zulu name is isiVuba and in Afrikaanse die reuse visvanger.
