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Numfor Paradise Kingfisher (1998)

Acrylic on illustration board
30" x 20"

 

The little paradise kingfishers of New Guinea and northern Australia are characterized by long streamers on their tails and rather terrestrial habits. Unlike typical kingfishers, which dive into the water after fish, these birds sit on low perches in dark forests, searching for insect prey, upon which they swoop to capture on the ground. This species, Tanysiptera carolinae, is restricted to Numfor Island, just north of the Vogelkop region of Irian Jaya.