Common Paradise Kingfisher
A species of Paradise Kingfishers Scientific name : Tanysiptera galatea Genus : Paradise Kingfishers
Common Paradise Kingfisher, A species of Paradise Kingfishers
Botanical name: Tanysiptera galatea
Genus: Paradise Kingfishers
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nigel Voaden
Description
This kingfisher has a red bill, a dark turquoise cap with brighter blue edges, blackish cheeks, and bluish-black upper parts. The under parts are white and the under-wing coverts are blue and white. The central tail feathers are elongated and their base is blue. It is similar in appearance to the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera sylvia) apart from the colour of the breast, and in some parts of Papua New Guinea, both birds coexist.
Size
43 cm
Feeding Habits
Common Paradise Kingfisher diets on earthworms, snails, beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, centipedes, and small lizards, focusing on earthworms for nestlings. It forages from the understory, catching prey on the ground or from foliage and consumes it after beating. Wet season brings more ground foraging, with a particular method of extracting earthworms.
Habitat
The common Paradise Kingfisher primarily resides in monsoon forests and primary lowland rainforests, often near water sources such as gallery forests alongside rivers in grassy valleys. Suitable habitats include secondary forests, forest remnants within savannas, and occasionally old plantations. The existence of arboreal termite nests is a notable component of their preferred environment. The bird tends to avoid areas occupied by closely related species and may occasionally be seen in less typical habitats such as dry savannas or urban areas when juveniles are dispersing.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The common paradise kingfisher is found in the forested interior of New Guinea and on some of the offshore islands to the north. Its distribution is rather patchy and it mostly occurs below 500 m (1,600 ft) on the mainland and 820 m (2,700 ft) on Karkar Island. On some islands it is replaced by sister species; the Biak paradise kingfisher (T. riedelii) on Biak Island; the Kofiau paradise kingfisher (T. ellioti) on Kofiau Island; and the Numfor paradise kingfisher (T. carolinae) on Numfor Island. It seems that each of these island species originated from founding T. galatea birds which became isolated from the mainland birds and 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 on each island received was later undisturbed by the inflow of alien genes.
Species Status
T. galatea has a very wide range and is reported to be common. The population trend for this bird is thought to be downward as logging takes place in its forest habitat, but the rate of decline is not great enough to cause concern and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Photo By Nigel Voaden
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Family
Kingfishers Genus
Paradise Kingfishers Species
Common Paradise Kingfisher