Melidora macrorrhina
The Hook-billed Kingfisher (Melidora macrorrhina) is a uniquely adapted member of the tree kingfisher family (Halcyonidae), distinguished by its conspicuously large, hooked, and slightly flattened black bill. Measuring 27-30 cm in length, this stocky kingfisher exhibits predominantly dark olive-brown to blackish plumage on its upperparts, contrasting with a bold white crescent across the nape, prominent white facial markings including a 'moustache' streak, and warm rufous-orange underparts. I...
Inhabits primary lowland and hill rainforests and denser secondary growth, typically found away from open water, ranging from sea level up to 1500 meters (occasionally higher).
Primarily carnivorous, feeding on large terrestrial invertebrates such as crickets, stick insects, beetles, cockroaches, and spiders, supplemented by small vertebrates like frogs, lizards, and possibly small snakes, which it catches by pouncing from a perch.
Unusually for a kingfisher, the Hook-billed Kingfisher is predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal, becoming active at dusk and dawn, and occasionally on moonlit nights. It is a solitary, ambush predator, typically perching motionlessly on low branches or vines, often near the forest floor, before...
The Hook-billed Kingfisher is endemic to the island of New Guinea and several satellite islands, encompassing a broad distribution across both Indonesian West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) and Papua New Guinea. On mainland New Guinea, it is found throughout the vast lowland and hill rainforests, ex...
Least Concern
- The Hook-billed Kingfisher is one of the few kingfisher species known to be primarily nocturnal or crepuscular, a stark contrast to its diurnal relatives. - Its massive, hooked bill, resembling a butcher's hook, is specially adapted for gripping and dismembering large ground-dwelling prey, not ...