Nina Foster / 10 Sep 2025 / Bismarck Kingfisher
John Lamaris is no stranger to wildlife conservation in Papua New Guinea. His journey began with a Wildlife Conservation Society internship studying a near-threatened arboreal marsupial, the Admiralty cuscus, on Manus Island. He continued his research as a master’s student at the University of Queensland, Australia, further exploring the cuscus’ life history and the concept of tambu, a traditional resource management tool characterized by periodic land closure and customary, social, and spiritual prohibitions.
Now a PhD candidate at Monash University in Melbourne, Lamaris has shifted his attention to birds in his home province of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Archipelago. His research with the Research Ecology Conservation Group focuses on recovering populations of a species that was lost and found more than a decade before the Search for Lost Birds commenced: the Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel. After almost 80 years without a confirmed record, the rare seabird was rediscovered in 2007, but its breeding grounds have not yet been located. Lamaris is working to further knowledge of the species, find its breeding grounds, and identify potential threats.
Earlier this year, one lost bird led Lamaris to another. While studying Beck’s Petrel in New Ireland, he was on the lookout for lost species in the area. American Bird Conservancy supported his efforts, providing a grant for him to purchase equipment to help him find and document birds in the field. On May 17, 2025, he checked one bird off the list: the Bismarck Kingfisher, a species lost to science for 13 years.
His team had set up camp at a river confluence to observe Beck’s Petrels navigating the valley at night. “Elvis as the landowner and clan leader led us into the forest accompanied by his son Quinton, uncle Jonathan, and another relative, Moses. Accompanying me for the Beck’s Petrel research were Bernard Maul, Ambrose Kolmaris, and Lasik Eric,” Lamaris recalls. Although focused on the petrel, they hoped the Bismarck Kingfisher would make an appearance. Locals were familiar with the lost bird, and Common Kingfishers were spotted from camp the night before. One had landed on a nearby tree branch — the perfect perch from which to spot and snatch a meal from the water.
Sure enough, around 8:30 p.m. on that memorable evening in May, John’s flashlight illuminated a kingfisher on the same branch where he had spotted the Common Kingfisher earlier. But it wasn’t the bird from before. This kingfisher had a heavier, black bill, a bluish-green chest band and upperparts that contrasted creamy white underparts, and a white neck patch. “One of the guys said, ‘It’s the kingfisher!’ We had mixed feelings,” Lamaris reflects. “There was happiness, but also uncertainty since the bird didn’t have the exact plumage as the images that we had for the Bismarck Kingfisher.”
The birds in the reference photos had orange-tinted underparts, whereas the individual they observed had a white belly. Still, the rest of the description matched, and Lamaris, who has training in safely handling wild birds, was able to capture and photograph the kingfisher before releasing back at its roost site along the river. Uncertainty turned into elation when John shared the images with several experts who confirmed his identification, noting that males have much paler creamy-white underparts.
“When I saw the photographs, I was thrilled to verify John’s identification,” says Guy Dutson, a world authority on the birds of the south-west Pacific region. “The Bismarck Kingfisher has long eluded even the most seasoned birders, with just a handful of confirmed records in the past few decades. Records like this are deeply rewarding; they reignite hope and remind us how much there still is to learn about these island ecosystems.”
The Bismarck Kingfisher is endemic to New Britain, New Ireland, and the nearby islands of Umboi, New Hanover, and Lihir. There are few records of the species, which appears to inhabit small, relatively slow-flowing rivers in lowland forest. The last documented record was a photograph taken in 2012 by Ashley Banwell on New Britain.
The kingfisher is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its small estimated population (2,500-9,999 mature individuals) is likely declining due to habitat loss and degradation from oil palm plantations and logging. Although many palm oil companies have committed to no further forest clearance, others continue to destroy the habitat of the Bismarck Kingfisher and other bird species. Lamaris hopes that the rediscovery of the lost kingfisher will help support conservation on New Ireland, particularly in Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) on the island.
“This finding is significant for birds and wildlife conservation in southern New Ireland and the greater New Ireland region,” he says. “Southern New Ireland is a priority area for conservation for the Papua New Guinea Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, as it hosts two KBAs: Cape St. George (Las Kona) and Southern New Ireland Marine. I hope this finding strengthens and initiates plans to revalidate the Cape St. George KBA, and to create a protected area in southern New Ireland.”
The rediscovery of the Bismarck Kingfisher also underscores the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge in conservation work. The observation was made possible by Lamaris’ familiarity with his home province and the input of local community members. These connections will prove invaluable for future efforts to study and protect the Bismarck Kingfisher — and for tracking down other lost birds in the region.
Lamaris plans to look for more lost species as he continues his fieldwork in New Ireland. Next on the list are the New Ireland Friarbird, White-naped Lory, Mayr’s Swiftlet, and Bismarck Island-Thrush. And local knowledge will remain central to his research. “I’m interested in using an integrated approach of modern science and Indigenous practices to better protect rare and endemic species,” he explains. “I come from a matrilineal society on the island of Lovongai (New Hanover), consisting of 12 clans that have birds as totems. This work gives me the opportunity to learn more about that aspect of my culture and traditions, and to work more closely with communities in New Ireland to further knowledge on seabirds.”
Nina Foster is a science communication specialist with interests in ornithology, forest ecology, and sustainable agriculture. She holds a BA in English literature with a minor in integrative biology from Harvard University and is currently an environmental educator at Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park.