Birds
Shovel-billed Kookaburra
Clytoceyx rex · also called shovel-billed kingfisher
Digging an earthworm straight out of the forest floor with a broad, shovel-shaped bill, a shovel-billed kookaburra hunts in a way no other kingfisher on Earth does, a New Guinea forest specialist that has abandoned fishing entirely.
Overview
The shovel-billed kookaburra, Clytoceyx rex, is a terrestrial, earthworm-hunting kingfisher restricted entirely to forest habitat across New Guinea. Its massive, uniquely shovel-shaped bill built for digging rather than fishing, complete reliance on the forest floor rather than water, and secretive habits make it one of the most anatomically and behaviourally unusual members of the entire kingfisher family.
A kingfisher that gave up fishing
While its bill shape screams kingfisher, the shovel-billed kookaburra has abandoned the family’s signature fishing lifestyle almost entirely, relying instead on a broad, digging bill to unearth worms from the forest floor.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across suitable forest habitat throughout New Guinea.
Shovel-billed Kookaburra: common questions
Why does the shovel-billed kookaburra have such an unusual bill?
This species has a massive, broad, shovel-shaped bill built specifically for digging earthworms directly out of the forest floor, a tool unlike that of any other kingfisher, which typically use slender bills built for fishing.
Does the shovel-billed kookaburra hunt fish like other kingfishers?
Rarely, if ever, since this species relies almost entirely on digging earthworms out of the forest floor, standing apart from nearly every other kingfisher in its complete reliance on terrestrial foraging.
Where is the shovel-billed kookaburra found?
This species is restricted to the forests of New Guinea, found nowhere else on Earth, making it one of the more geographically limited members of the entire kingfisher family.
Why is the shovel-billed kookaburra rarely seen?
This species spends much of its time foraging quietly on the forest floor rather than perching in open view, a secretive habit that makes it one of the more difficult kingfishers to observe.