Photographing the Kingfisher in Paradise

There aren’t many birds that anyone would recognize at a glance. Many groups of birds are so inconspicuous, the differences between species so subtle, and their behaviors so mysterious that even nature lovers struggle to identify them. Kingfishers are different. As soon as you learn what a kingfisher looks like, you will always be able to recognize this beautifully-colored bird waiting at the water’s edge. But in the jungles around the equator, even the kingfisher has adapted in some surprising ways. Meet the Paradise Kingfisher.

Let’s travel in word and image to the humid tropical forests of Papua New Guinea and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. This is the habitat of the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera sylvia), which differs in many ways from the common kingfisher. Today, I’ll share with you the bird’s “liklik stori” – meaning “little story” in the Papuan language Tok Pisin.

Many kingfisher species, especially tropical ones, live their sedentary lives in the same habitat in which they were born. That’s the first way the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher differs from other kingfishers. Indeed, it is a very capable traveler, making an annual journey of up to several thousand kilometers from Papua New Guinea to its breeding grounds in Australia. The long wings (about 35 cm / 14 inch wingspan) that gave this kingfisher its scientific name certainly come in handy for traveling such distances.

But even with long wings, it is not easy to cross the 150-kilometer / 93-mile wide Torres Strait that separates Papua New Guinea from Australia. The waves of the ocean will mercilessly swallow those who are not strong enough to fly non-stop across this vast expanse of water. The Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher undertakes this migration in flocks in the dead of night. One morning in October or November, the birds will suddenly appear on their breeding grounds and begin preparations for their upcoming parental duties.

Like many other kingfishers, Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers form permanent pairs. Till death do them part, as the saying goes. However, there is one unusual feature here, and that is social cooperation. The breeding pair is occasionally joined by another male who helps care for the offspring. What benefit does it derive from such altruism? It is not known for sure, but it is thought that he may take the place as the “husband” if the female’s mate dies, or even for the chick after it hatches. What a priceless neighbor…

Another evolutionary curiosity is the way Paradise Kingfishers nest. Like other kingfishers, they dig burrows. But these aren’t, as usual, somewhere in a steep clay bank on the edge of a stream or lake. Paradise Kingfishers have formed an alliance with termites of the genus Microcerotermes to make their homes – though this alliance is beneficial to only one party, the kingfishers. They use their beaks and feet to break into the termite mound. There, they dig a tunnel that ends in a nest chamber, in which they lay three or four white eggs. The termites keep the whole structure strong and durable, and even provide the constant heat needed for successful incubation of the eggs.

This brings us to another peculiarity. The English name “Kingfisher” suggests that the bird catches and feeds on fish like a king. But with the Paradise Kingfisher, that would be mistaken. We’re in the tropics, and things are different here. Not only does the Paradise Kingfisher not feed on fish, it doesn’t even seek out the presence of water. Its main food consists of insects, earthworms, spiders, snails, and frogs.

Let’s finish this “liklik stori” with the last remarkable feature of the Paradise Kingfisher, which is actually the first thing that will catch your attention – its appearance. There are no major surprises in the color of the plumage; here the Paradise Kingfisher meets the strict aesthetic requirements we place on members of this group of birds. But look at the tail!

No other kingfisher in the world has such a long and bizarrely shaped tail. In fact, most kingfishers don’t even have tails to speak of. The Paradise Kingfisher, on the other hand, is adorned with two 18 cm / 7 inch white streamers that make up more than half of its body length. The color of the feathers merges into a white patch on the bird’s back, ending behind the neck. In its natural habitat, the flying kingfisher resembles a white line plunging into the deep green of the jungle. Trying to photograph it is like trying to photograph an arrow in flight.

I don’t know if the word “paradise” in the bird’s name refers to the jungles of northern Australia or those of Papua New Guinea. But one thing is for sure – this region has a suspiciously high number of birds with the word paradise in their names. Perhaps there is nothing to do but to go there and see for yourself if paradise really exists. Just don’t be discouraged by the happy swarms of mosquitoes and groups of leeches sharing this paradise with you.