It is a common species, but the forests where it lives are being affected by logging and the IUCN has rated its conservation status as "near-threatened".

The sexes look alike and have purplish-blue upper parts and similarly coloured underparts, with the lower back, rump, vent region and tail being white.

The juvenile has duller purple-blue plumage with rufous and buff underparts, a white rump and blackish tail.

[2] Its behaviour and ecology have been little studied and are presumed to be similar to those of the common paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea) which is found on the mainland of New Guinea.

The bird is described as common, but the extent to which it can adapt to secondary habitat is unclear, and it is suspected that its population is in slow decline, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it to be a "near-threatened species".