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Biak paradise kingfisher

Birds

The Biak paradise kingfisher, Tanysiptera riedelii, is a tree kingfisher found only on Biak, an Indonesian island in a small group in Cenderawasih Bay off the northern coast of Papua. Adults measure about 36 centimetres including a long tail. They have a glossy turquoise-blue crown, nape and back, a white rump and belly, black underwings and a stout red bill. The two central tail feathers are greatly elongated, with bare shafts that flare into racket-shaped tips. Its habitat is forest, and it seems able to use secondary growth where tall trees remain. The bird is thought to descend from a few founding birds of the mainland common paradise kingfisher that became isolated on the island, and some authorities treat it as a subspecies of that bird. Its diet and behaviour have been little studied. The IUCN assesses it as near threatened, with logging a risk to its forest and the population likely to be declining.

Facts
Classification
Population Trend
Decreasing 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Threats
Biological Resource Use 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Conservation Status
Near Threatened 1
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Source Biak paradise kingfisher (Wikipedia)Lead, where it lives
Quote, Lead, where it lives
endemic to the Indonesian island of Biak
Sources
1. Biak paradise kingfisher (Wikipedia)
  • Lead
    has assessed its conservation status as being "near-threatened"
  • Status
    considers it likely that the population trend is downwards
  • Status, threats
    Its forest habitat is under threat from logging
  • Lead, system
    Its natural habitat is forests
  • Status, living or extinct
    is fairly common on the island where it lives
  • Lead, where it lives
    endemic to the Indonesian island of Biak
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