Numfor Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera carolinae
A long-tailed kingfisher of forest and gardens on Numfor Island where it is the only paradise-kingfisher. Dark blue body with deep blue crown and shoulder patch, bright red bill and long, white raquet-tail, rump and undertail. Like other paradise-kingfishers, slowly pumps its tail while perched. Song, a rising and quickly accelerating series of nasal notes, starting slowly and ending in a rapid trill “waaaaaak wak ak k-k-k-k-k-k…..”. Pairs fan and raise tail while duetting.
Identification
The Numfor paradise kingfisher grows to a length of 34 to 38 cm (13 to 15 in) including its long tail. The sexes look alike and have purplish-blue upper parts and similarly coloured underparts, with the lower back, rump, vent region and tail being white. The iris is brown, the bill red and the legs and feet greenish-brown. The juvenile has duller purple-blue plumage with rufous and buff underparts, a white rump and blackish tail. The voice is said to be similar to the call of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tanysiptera carolinae
- Authority
- Schlegel, 1871
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Tanysiptera
Range and habitat
The Numfor paradise kingfisher is found only on Numfor, a 335 km2 (129 sq mi) island in the Biak Island group off the northwestern coast of Papua Province, Indonesia. Its typical habitat is forest, light woodland, agricultural land and coastal vegetation. It seems that these birds originated from a few founding T. galatea birds which arrived on the island and became isolated from the mainland birds. These then underwent a "genetic revolution". There were no particular biotic factors involved, but there was sufficient variation among the founding birds to encourage speciation, and the assortment of genes that the birds received was later undisturbed by further inflow of alien genes.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The diet of the Numfor paradise kingfisher mostly consists of snails and large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. Its behaviour and ecology have been little studied and are presumed to be similar to those of the common paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea) which is found on the mainland of New Guinea.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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