The Tinkling Shieldbill lives in the mountain forests of New Guinea. Its glossy blue-black body has striking white markings and a red rump, and it catches insects from high perches.
Adults are glossy bluish black, with a fan-shaped white patch on the side of the head, a large white patch on the back, and red on the rump and belly. The sexes are similar, though females are slightly smaller; juveniles are duller grey-black with some white on the throat.
It feeds mainly on insects, including beetles, bugs, and large moths. Near openings in the forest, it sallies from a prominent perch to catch prey and returns to the same or a nearby perch.
It has a large head, a stout body, and a shallowly forked tail.
The underwing is white, and the eyes range from orange-red to dark red-brown.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.