- Tanysiptera nympha
Identification
30 - 35 cm (with tail-streamers).
- Blue-black crown and upperparts
- Pink-red rump and underparts
- Purple-blue tail with elongated central feathers with broad white tips
- Orange-red bill
Sexes similar. Juveniles with brown upperparts, blue edges to crown feathers and pink-buff scalloped underparts.
Similar species
Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher has brown head and upperparts.
Distribution
Endemic to New Guinea.
Two discrete populations, on in the Vogelkop Peninsula (east to Geelvink Bay and Etna Bay), Indonesia; the other in the northeast from Adelbert Mountains east to Huon Peninsula and south to upper Watut River and Bulolo Valley, Papua New Guinea.
A locally rather common restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
The described subspecies rothschildi from the Huon Peninsula is usually considered invalid.
Habitat
Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
Occurs usually below 900 m, sometimes up to 1500 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects, larvae and takes possibly also earthworms.
Perches on a low horizontal branch in the understorey of the forest, scanning for prey.
Breeding
One reported clutch contained 2 eggs. No other information about breeding.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-breasted_Paradise_Kingfisher
