Megaceryle
| Megaceryle | |
|---|---|
| A male belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Alcedinidae |
| Subfamily: | Cerylinae |
| Genus: | Megaceryle Kaup, 1848 |
| Type species | |
| Alcedo guttatus Vigors, 1831 | |
| Species | |
|
M. maxima | |
| Phylogeny |
| Cladogram based on Andersen et al. (2017) |
Megaceryle is a genus of very large kingfishers. They have a wide distribution in the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The genus was erected by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1848. The type species is a subspecies of the crested kingfisher, Megaceryle lugubris guttulata. Megaceryle is from the Ancient Greek megas, "great", and the existing genus Ceryle.