NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Biak Paradise Kingfisher
Tanysiptera riedelii J. Verreaux, 1866
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Biak paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera riedelii) is a tree kingfisher that is endemic to the Indonesian island of Biak which is one of a small group of islands located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua. This bird has a turquoise-blue back with a white belly and tail streamers and a reddish beak. Its natural habitat is forests and the IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being "near-threatened".
Wikipedia contributors, Biak paradise kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:48:31.752019+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tanysiptera riedelii J. Verreaux, 1866
- Name authority
- J. Verreaux, 1866
- Common name
- Biak Paradise Kingfisher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Alcedinidae
- Genus
- Tanysiptera
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyAlcedinidae
- subfamilyHalcyoninae
- genusTanysiptera Vigors, 1825
- speciesTanysiptera riedelii J. Verreaux, 1866
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tanysiptera. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brown-headed Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera danae Sharpe, 1880 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera galatea G. R. Gray, 1859 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera hydrocharis G. R. Gray, 1858 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-capped Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera nigriceps P. L. Sclater, 1877 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cobalt Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera carolinae Schlegel, 1871 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fairy Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera nympha G. R. Gray, 1840 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Buff-breasted Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera sylvia Gould, 1850 | AlcedinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554629 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:7BJT9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.