Tanysiptera danae
The Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher (*Tanysiptera danae*) is a truly spectacular and elusive avian jewel endemic to the dense rainforests of New Guinea. Measuring approximately 28 to 34 cm in total length, a significant portion of which is accounted for by its two elongated, spatulate white tail streamers, this species boasts a unique and vibrant plumage. Its most striking features include a rich, deep brown head and nape that contrasts vividly with an iridescent purplish-blue back and wings...
This species primarily inhabits humid, lowland to lower montane tropical and subtropical rainforests, typically found from sea level up to elevations of about 1,500 meters, favoring dense, undisturbed primary forest with a closed canopy.
Its diet primarily consists of insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, and orthopterans, as well as spiders, snails, and small lizards. It forages by snatching prey from foliage, the ground, or decaying wood from a perch.
The Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher is largely diurnal, maintaining a solitary and secretive existence within the mid-story of the forest. Its primary foraging strategy involves perching motionless for extended periods, then rapidly sallying to capture invertebrates from foliage, the forest floo...
The Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher is endemic to the island of New Guinea and several nearby satellite islands. Its distribution spans both the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua, and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. Within this extensive range, it is found in the lowlands ...
Least Concern
- The Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher's specific epithet 'danae' honors Mrs. Danae, the wife of British naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace. - Its two central tail streamers can grow to be nearly as long as its entire body, making for a spectacular sight when in flight. - Unlike many k...