Justification of Red List category
This species is known to inhabit southern New Guinea, but recent searches have reported only a handful of records. There is no clear information on its likely distribution extent, population size or trends. For these reasons, it is classified as Data Deficient.
Population justification
The population size of this species has not been quantified. Further research is required.
Trend justification
Deforestation is occurring in areas where the species is suspected to occur (e.g. Bryan and Shearman 2015), but the rate of forest loss is low (Tracewski et al. unpublished data). Therefore, the population trend is essentially unknown.
Tanysiptera hydrocharis has a limited range on the Aru Islands and a handful of localities in southern New Guinea (Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea) to 300 m (Coates 1985, Beehler et al. 1986, Beehler and Pratt 2016). The species is considered rare and very poorly known, and was not recorded during recent surveys of the Aru Islands (Diamond and Bishop 1994, D. Gibbs in litt. per Beehler and Pratt 2016, K. D. Bishop in litt. 1994, 1997, 1999). There are recent records of small numbers of birds along the Elevala River north of Kiunga and recent records from Papua (see Clarke et al. 2010, Verbelen 2014, K. D. Bishop in litt. 1994, 1997, 1999, P. Gregory in litt. 1994, 1999, Richards and Rowland 1995) but it may occur throughout the Fly basin (B. Whitney in litt. 2000). There is also a recent record from the Torres Strait islands (Clarke et al. 2010) suggesting a wider distribution and a degree of dispersal.
In the Trans-Fly north of Kiunga it is present in undisturbed seasonally flooded alluvial lowland forest (K. D. Bishop in litt. 1994, 1997, 1999, P. Gregory in litt. 1994, 1999, Richards and Rowland 1995, B. Whitney in litt. 2000). It may be found in altitudes up to 300 m (Beehler and Pratt 2016).
There is no other indication of its population or its tolerance of degraded habitats but it may be threatened by logging.
Conservation Actions Underway
None is known.
Text account compilers
North, A., Derhé, M., Symes, A., Westrip, J., Dutson, G.
Contributors
Bishop, K.D., Gregory, P., Whitney, B.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Little Paradise-kingfisher Tanysiptera hydrocharis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/little-paradise-kingfisher-tanysiptera-hydrocharis on 05/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 05/12/2024.