Alternative names: Aru Paradise Kingfisher; Lesser Paradise Kingfisher; Blue-tailed Paradise Kingfisher; Aru Island Racquet-tail
- Tanysiptera hydrocharis
Identification
30 cm with tail-streamers.
- Dark blue crown and upperparts
- White rump and underparts
- Dark blue tail, central tail-feathers 11 cm longer than rest and with white margins, spatulate tips
- Red bill
Sexes similar.
Juveniles are browner with rufous-buff underparts with darker stripes and a brown bill.
Similar species
Smaller than Common Paradise Kingfisher. Note also dark blue crown and outer tail feathers.
Distribution
Found on Aru Islands (Indonesia) and in southern New Guinea (Trans-Fly region).
A little known restricted-range species. Uncommon in New Guinea, status not well known on Aru Islands.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Closely related to Common Paradise Kingfisher.
Habitat
Found in dense lowland rainforest.
Also in drier habitats than Common Paradise Kingfisher.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects and insect larvae. Takes food from foliage and on the ground.
Breeding
Lays in April in Aru Islands, a recently fledged bird recorded in May. Reported to nest in termite nest in trees. No other information.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Little Paradise Kingfisher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Paradise_Kingfisher
