The enigmatic Moustached Kingfisher is an extremely poorly-known species, with no published records of the bougainvillei taxon by ornithologists or birdwatchers since 1928. The only photos which exist are of a mistnetted individual from Guadalcanal of the excelsus subspecies, taken in 2015, and a couple of phone photos depicting individuals captured by local villagers on Bougainville during the past decade.

Following a week of scouting in September 2024 for our Bougainville expedition, we located one pair in a gully at 1350m. The base of the gully had significant areas of open ground amongst tall wild banana plants. The male would sing (unprompted) only once or twice each morning between 06:00 and 06:30 in the predawn darkness. One one occasion, he was observed sitting 2m off the ground on a presumed hunting perch. Nearby, we came across a young bird which we guessed was less than one year old, showing slightly muted colours and a dark brown bill. Photos and recordings obtained by our group indicate quite substantial differences between the bougainvillei and excelsus taxons with regards to bill and belly colouration, plus a slower and more drawn-out song.

More details about this exciting discovery can be read at The Search for Lost Birds.

Male Moustached Kingfisher (Actenoides bougainvillei bougainvillei) by Joshua Bergmark