Tanysiptera sylvia Gould 1850
The brightly colored kingfisher Tanysiptera sylvia is a migratory bird
from Oceania. The species dwells for half of the year in New Guinea and
then breeds in north-east Australia during the rainy season (Legge et al 2001).
Distinctive for their bright blue wings, buff-yellow breast, and carrot orange
strong pointed beak, these birds also have a dark-blue to black back and
long white tail flanked with black supporting feathers (Oiseaux.net).
Darwin, in the Descent of Man, marveled over both the female and male
central tail feather which is greatly extended. He also noted that the
female's tail becomes crumpled as she incubates her nest (Darwin 1871).
The buff-breasted paradise kingfisher is unique because it nests exclusively in active termite mounds (Legge et al. 2001).
Because of its wide range and the fact it is relatively common, it is
considered a species of least concern by the IUCN though it is
recognized that populations are decreasing overall (IUCN Redlist).
According to studies by Legge et al, the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher lays its eggs in termite mounds. Each clutch has, on average, three eggs. Incubation lasts for 25 days and each nest produces approximately 1.5 viable offspring (due to predation, brood reduction and very occasional hatch failure) (Legge et al 2001).
Fledglings become sexually mature at one year of age. Pairs predominately mate for life and return to the same nesting sites year after year with a return rate of 56-84%. Interestingly, 7% of the nests examined in the study were assisted by an extra male bird thought to be unrelated to the parents (Legge et al 2001).
According to Darwin in the Descent of Man, the tail of the female kingfisher becomes crumpled as she incubates her eggs. Darwin compares this crumpling to that of a peahen's tail during incubation, and concludes that the female's tails are not as long as the male tails because it becomes more of an inconvenience or danger at this large size. The male tails, he suggests, are larger because it helps them attract a mate, making the individual with the trait more fit than it would be if the female did not find the tail attractive (Darwin 1871).