Male nominate race blue crown, dark blue UpP, white rump, bluish-white outer tail, central R up to 20 cm longer than rest, blue with white stipulate tips, UnP white, bill red, iris dark brown, legs and and feet brownish-grey to yellow-brown. Female like male but slightly smaller. Juvenile brown UpP, rich blue edges to crown feathers, yellowish-buff below, breast rufous with darker margins giving scallope appearance, brown bill. Races vary mainly in depth of colour of crown and wing-coverts. margarethae distinctive, rumú feather broadly edged blue, tail mostly blue, amiliae, doris and sabrina white on upper back, vulcani and rosseliana tail mostly white.
Not Threatened.
Male nominate race blue crown, dark blue UpP, white rump, bluish-white outer tail, central R up to 20 cm longer than rest, blue with white stipulate tips, UnP white, bill red, iris dark brown, legs and and feet brownish-grey to yellow-brown. Female like male but slightly smaller. Juvenile brown UpP, rich blue edges to crown feathers, yellowish-buff below, breast rufous with darker margins giving scallope appearance, brown bill. Races vary mainly in depth of colour of crown and wing-coverts. margarethae distinctive, rumú feather broadly edged blue, tail mostly blue, amiliae, doris and sabrina white on upper back, vulcani and rosseliana tail mostly white.
VOICE: 1-4 mournful whistles, at some pitch accelerating to a trill lasting 1-5 second, several birds may sing together. Other call include “wheeyou”, downslurred for 1-5 second, or upslurred and longer.
33-43 cm, including tail streamers, male 58-65 g, female 55-69 g (galeata), 40-78 (other races)
Taxonomy:
- Tanysiptera galatea G. R. Gray, 1859, Manokwari, New Guinea. Forms a superspecies with T. ellioti, T. riedelii and T. carolinae; commonly regarded as conspecific with the first two, but morphological differences, combined with geographical isolation, support treatment as separate species. Fifteen subspecies currently recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * brunhildae Jany, 1955 - Doi I, off N Halmahera (N Moluccas). * emiliae Sharpe, 1871 - Rau I, off N Halmahera. * doris Wallace, 1862 - Morotai. * browningi Ripley, 1983 - Halmahera. * sabrina G. R. Gray, 1860 - Kayoa I, off SW Halmahera. * margarethae Heine, 1859 - Bacan. * obiensis Salvadori, 1877 - Bisa, Obi Latu and Obi. * acis Wallace, 1863 - Buru. * boanensis Mees, 1964 - Boano I, off NW Seram. * nais G. R. Gray, 1860 - Manipa, Ambon, Seram, Manawoka and Gorong. * galatea G. R. Gray, 1859 - W Papuan Is, E to Geelvink and Triton Bays. * meyeri Salvadori, 1889 - N New Guinea. * vulcani Rothschild & Hartert, 1915 - Manam I, off NE New Guinea. * minor Salvadori & D’Albertis, 1875 - S New Guinea. * rosseliana Tristram, 1889 - Rossel I, in Louisiade Archipelago.
Monsone forest and primary lowland rainforest to 300 m, occasionally to 820 m. Also found in gallery forest along watercourses in grassy valleys, and in forest fragments in savana, in secondary forest, and in old teak plantations. Presence of arboreal termitia may be essential part of habitat. Absent in areas when T.danae, T.nympha or T. sylvia occur. Dispersing juveniles sometimes found in atypical habitats.
Many Annelida, also Gastropoda, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Chilopoda and small lizards. Nestlings are fed mainly on earthworms, but also lizards and armoured centipedes.
Lay in wet season, Oct-Mar in PNG. Nest 2-6 m above ground in arboreal termitarium of Microcerotermes biiroi, tunnel excavated by both sexes – 15 cm long. Generally very sedentary. Adults maintain territory throughout year. Young birds disperse several kilometres. Not globally threatened. In some areas could be very numerous.