Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher

1. Long white tail streamers (much shorter or absent in juveniles)

2. Bright blue head and wings, black eye-stripe, and rich buff-orange underparts

3. Juveniles have brown bills, yellowish feet, and lack the long white tail feathers

These kingfishers feed on a wide range of invertebrates (such as beetles, grasshoppers, and spiders) and small vertebrates (including frogs and lizards), hunting by perching low and swooping to catch prey on the ground or in foliage. Breeding occurs soon after arrival, with pairs excavating nesting tunnels in active termite mounds on the ground or in trees. The tunnel, about 15 cm long, leads to an unlined chamber where 3–4 lustrous white eggs are laid. Both parents incubate the eggs (about 23–28 days), but only the female incubates at night. Chicks fledge after about 25–29 days, and both parents feed the young. Most pairs raise a single brood, but a second clutch may be laid if the first fails early.

In Australia, Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers are found in the lowland rainforests and monsoon forests of far north Queensland during the breeding season, from November to April. They favour areas with abundant termite mounds for nesting, typically below 5 meters elevation, and are often seen in the mid-storey and lower canopy or perched low in the understory. After breeding, adults migrate north to New Guinea, with juveniles following a few weeks later.