Description
The White-tailed Kingfisher is brilliant blue and black above with orange red bill and two long white tail plumes. The rump and tail is white and underside is buff yellowish colour. Immatures have black beaks and do not have the long tail plumes initially.
Other Names
Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
Size
total length 30cm - 36cm including tail of 17cm - 25cm
Habitat
lowland rainforest, scrubby mountain gullies
Food
small reptiles, invertebrates, frogs
Breeding
The White-tailed Kingfisher nests in an active termite nest. Lays one to three white eggs in a chamber at end of tunnel in the termite nest.
Range
north east Queensland from Cape York to Townsville. Migrates from Papua New Guinea October to November leaving again in March to April
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Coraciiformes | | Family: | Alcedinidae | | Genus: | Tanysiptera | | Species: | sylvia | | Common Name: | White-tailed Kingfisher |
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