Rediscovery of a ‘Lost’ bird – the Bismarck Kingfisher in New Ireland

REC group member and PhD candidate John Lamaris has made an exciting discovery – securing the first documented evidence of the Bismarck Kingfisher (Ceyx websteri) in over a decade. His excellent photographs confirm the species is no longer considered a ’Lost Bird.’

Bismarck Kingfisher (Photo by John Lamaris)

The Lost Birds program highlights species that have undocumented - not filmed, photographed or sound recorded in the wild - for at least ten years, serving as an early warning system for birds that may be sliding towards extinction. Of the ~11,000 known bird species worldwide, just 121 (~1%) are currently listed as lost. Finding one is a truly rare event that most ornithologists can only dream about.

John’s discovery occurred during his latest expedition to southern New Ireland, where his PhD research focuses on locating the nesting grounds of the Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel (generously supported by a Warham Scholarship). While conducting nocturnal surveys in the headwaters of the Tadang River, 6 km inland, a flashlight beam landed on a small blue-and-white bird perched on a thin stick – the kingfisher! Local community members who were a part of the expedition briefly hand-caught the bird and John was able to then photograph it before it was safely released.

Endemic to New Britain and New Ireland, the Bismarck Kingfisher is thought to inhabit small, slow-flowing rivers in lowland forest. At sea level it is often replaced by the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) in mangroves, sluggish rivers, and lakes, while further upstream it gives way to the Variable Kingfisher (Ceyx lepidus). The last documented record of the Bismarck Kingfisher was some 13 years ago in 2012. This discovery serves to highlight the islands of eastern Papua New Guinea as a global hotspot for lost species, echoing the remarkable 2022 rediscovery of the Black-naped Pheasant Pigeon on Fergusson Island, 124 years after its last record.

The small stream where the Bismarck Kingfisher was rediscovered (Photo by John Lamaris)

Beyond its importance to the Lost Birds program, the find reinforces the conservation value of southern New Ireland, an area recognised by Papua New Guinea’s Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) as a national priority. The region contains two Key Biodiversity Areas – Cape St George (Las Kona) and the Southern New Ireland Marine KBA. John’s photographs of the Bismarck Kingfisher help highlight these biodiversity values and strengthen the case for establishing a Protected Area in southern New Ireland.