Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.

Similar to some other Todiramphus kingfishers, it has blue-green upper-parts, with a yellow-orange collar and head-band, and a blue-green cap.

It is threatened by habitat loss and by disturbance by introduced common mynas at its nesting hollows.

The Taporoporo'anga Ipukarea Society, BirdLife International's partner organisation in the Cook Islands, has proposed a program to eradicate the mynas from Mangaia.

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