Whilst Fishing,

we occasionally see a kingfisher at the lake,

but here is one that we definitely will never see, it is the moustached kingfisher, (Actenoides bougainvillei), it is endemic to Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea, and it is estimated that there are only 250–1,000 mature individuals left, its entry on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reads: “This spectacular species is judged to be endangered on the basis of a very small estimated population, which is suspected to be declining, at least in part of its range. However, further research may reveal it to be more common.” it appears the last sentence was taken to heart by Paul Sweet, collection manager for the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Ornithology, so they killed it, he told Audubon that he and his colleagues assessed the state of the bird’s population and habitat, and concluded it was substantial and healthy enough to withstand the loss, even though this one was the only male ever observed by science, so I guess the entry should read there are only 249–999 mature individuals left, it must be me but it seems to be a thing that science does, find something rare and unusual then kill it.