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Coraciiformes
Family
Alcedinidae
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Todiramphus
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- New Britain Kingfisher
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- New Britain Kingfisher
- New Britain Kingfisher
- New Britain Kingfisher
- New Britain Kingfisher
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New Britain Kingfisher Todiramphus albonotatus Scientific name definitions

P. F. Woodall
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated June 15, 2016

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

16–18 cm; male 32 g. Male has white supraloral spot, light blue crown, black mask, dark blue wings and tail; remainder of body white ; bill black, often horn-coloured base of lower mandible; iris dark brown; legs and feet greyish-black. Female dark blue lower back and rump. Juvenile duller, white parts of plumage washed with buff, buff edges to upperwing-coverts.

Systematics History

Member of the T. diops species-group (which see). Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago).

Habitat

Mainly lowland primary forest, but recorded also from secondary forest, disturbed and logged forest, forest edges and clearings; sea-level to 1000 m.

Movement

Apparently sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Large insects, including crickets (Grylloidea) and grasshoppers (Orthoptera). Spends much time in upper canopy , but also perches lower down, scanning for prey on ground; swoops down to catch it and then returns to perch, where insects often beaten against branch before being swallowed.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Rapid series  of 4 descending notes, “kee-ku-ko-ko”, or light cackling trill, “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki”.

Breeding

Lays in Aug–Oct. Pair-members sit near each other high in canopy, and call back and forth. Tunnel and nest-chamber dug by both adults in arboreal termitarium, 2 m above ground. Clutch 2–3 eggs; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife NT Near Threatened
Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in New Britain and New Ireland EBA. Despite being widespread in New Britain, it appears to be scarce, although easily overlooked in forest canopy unless calling. Is generally found only in primary and tall secondary forest to 1000 m, and this habitat is severely threatened by logging and clearance for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations. If this species proves to be intolerant of logged forest, its conservation status will need to be reclassified as Threatened. More information is required on its biology.
Distribution of the New Britain Kingfisher - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the New Britain Kingfisher

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Woodall, P. F. (2020). New Britain Kingfisher (Todiramphus albonotatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.nebkin1.01
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