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Pitta (bird)
Encyclopedia
Pittas are a family
, Pittidae, of passerine
bird
s mainly found in tropical Asia
and Australasia
, although a couple of species live in Africa
. Pittas are all similar in general structure and habits, and have often been placed in a single genus, although as of 2009 they are now split into three genera, Pitta, Erythropitta
and Hydrornis
. The name is derived from the word pitta in the Telugu language
of Andhra Pradesh
in India
and is a generic local name used for all small birds. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, at 15 to 25 cm (5.9 to 9.8 in) in length, and stocky, with longish strong legs and long feet. They have very short tail
s and stout, slightly decurved bill
s. Many, but not all, have brightly coloured plumage
.
These are fairly terrestrial birds of wet forest
floors. They eat snail
s, insect
s and similar invertebrate prey. Pittas are mostly solitary and lay up to six eggs
in a large spherical nest
in a tree or shrub
, or sometimes on the ground. Both parents care for the young. Many species of pittas are migratory
, and they often end up in unexpected places like house-gardens during migration.
A number of species of pitta are threatened with extinction
. One of these, the Gurney's Pitta
, is listed as endangered by the IUCN, a further eight species are listed as vulnerable. The main threat to pittas is habitat loss in the form of rapid deforestation.
of the Systema Naturae
. He placed the Indian Pitta
in the crow family
and genus Corvus. Ten years later it was placed in the thrush
family, due to similarities of morphology and behaviour, before being placed in its own genus, Pitta in 1816 by Louis Vieillot
. Vieillot was also the first to consider the genus a family in its own right. The family's closest relatives have for a long time assumed to be the other suboscine birds, and particularly the Old World broadbill
s and asities
(formerly treated as two families, now either lumped into one or split into four). A 2006 study confirmed that these were the closest relatives of the pittas.
The number of pitta genera
has varied considerably, ranging from one to as many as nine. In his 1863 work A Monograph of the Pittidae Daniel Elliot
split the pittas into two genera, Pitta for the species with comparatively long tails and Brachyurus for the shorter tailed species. Barely two decades later, in 1880/81, John Gould
split the family into nine genera, to which he also included the Lesser Melampitta
(Melampitta
), a species which despite uncertain affinities is now at least no longer considered related to the pittas. Soon afterwards Philip Sclater
's Catalogue of the Birds of the British Museum brought the number back down to three. Modern treatments vary as well. A 1975 checklist included six genera, whereas the 2003 volume of the Handbook of the Birds of the World
, which covered the family, placed all the pittas in a single genus. The family was not well studied using modern anatomical or phylogenetic techniques; two studies, in 1987 and 1990, each used only four species, and comparisons amongst the family as a whole have relied mostly on external features and appearances.
A 2009 study of the nuclear DNA
of the pittas, using study skin
s from museums, was the first to examine most representatives of the family, and found evidence of three major clades of pitta. Based on the study it proposed splitting the pittas into three genera. The first clade, using the genus name Erythropitta, includes six species that had previously been considered closely related on external features. They are all generally small species with small tails, extensive amounts of crimson or red on the underparts, and greenish or blueish backs. The second genus, Hydrornis, includes a number of variable Oriental species. These species are unified morphologically in exhibiting sexual dimorphism
in their plumage, as well as in possessing cryptic juvenile plumage (in all the species thus far studied). Into this second clade is included the Eared Pitta
, which had often been placed into its own genus, Anthocincla, on account of its apparent primitive characteristics. The final genus, Pitta, is the most widespread clade. Most species in this genus have green upperparts with a blue wing-patch, dark upperparts and cinnamon-buff underparts. This clade contains all the migratory species of pitta, and it is thought that many of the pitta species from islands are derived from migratory species. This division of the pittas into three genera has been adopted by the International Ornithological Congress
' Birds of the World: Recommended English Names
.
As with genera, there has been considerable variation in the number of recorded pitta species. The checklists of Sclater and Elliot at the end of the 19th century contained 48 and 47 species each. More recent checklists have had fewer than this, one listing just 24 species. Since the 1990s the figure has been between 30 and 32 species; the Handbook of the Birds of the World recognises 30. Two potential species not recognised by the Handbook include the Black-crowned Pitta, which is treated as a subspecies of either the Garnet Pitta
or the Graceful Pitta
, and the Sula Pitta
, which can be treated as a subspecies of the Red-bellied Pitta
. More recently the Banded Pitta
has been split into three new species, one endemic to Java and Bali, one endemic to Borneo and one found in Sumatra and the Thai-Malay Peninsula
.
at 15 cm (5.9 in) to the Giant Pitta, which can be up to 29 cm (11.4 in) in length. In weight they range from 42 to 210 g (1.5 to 7.4 oz). Pittas are stout bodied birds with long, strong tarsi
(lower leg bones) and long feet. There is considerable variation in the colour of the legs and feet, this may be used by females in judging the quality of males. The wings have ten primaries
are generally rounded and short Those of the four migratory species, however, are more pointed. Although pittas are behaviourally reluctant to fly
, they are capable and even strong fliers. The tails range from being short to very short, and is composed of twelve feathers.
Atypically for forest floor species, the plumage
of pittas is often bright and colourful. Only one species, the Eared Pitta
, has entirely cryptic colours in the adults of both sexes. In the same genus, Hydrornis, as the Eared Pitta are three further species with quite drabber than average plumage, the Blue-naped Pitta
, Blue-rumped Pitta
and Rusty-naped Pitta
. Like the other Hydrornis pittas they are sexually dimorphic
in their plumage, with the females tending towards being drabber and more cryptic than the males. Across most of the family the brighter colours tend to be on the undersides, with the bright colours on the rump, wings and uppertail coverts being concealable. Being able to conceal bright colours from above is important as most predators approach from above.
, as its name suggests, is a mangrove
specialist. A number of species are lowland forest specialists, for example the Rainbow Pitta is not found above 400 m (1,312.3 ft), whereas other species may occur at much higher elevations, for example Rusty-naped Pitta
s have been found up to 2600 m (8,530.2 ft). This varies in the Fairy Pitta
across its range, reaching up to 1300 m (4,265.1 ft) in Taiwan
but at much lower levels in Japan
. In addition to natural habitats pittas may use human altered habitats, for example migrating Blue-winged Pitta
s and Hooded Pitta
s use parks and urban gardens in Singapore
.
The greatest diversity of pittas are found in South-east Asia. Of the three recently proposed genera, the large genus Pitta is the most widespread. The two species found in Africa are from this clade, as are the most northerly species (the Fairy Pitta) and the most southerly (the Noisy Pitta
). The most remote insular endemics are in this group as well, including the Black-faced Pitta
, which is endemic to the Solomon Islands
. The pittas of the clade Erythropitta are mostly found in Asia with one widespread species, the Red-bellied Pitta, reaching the north of Australia. The Hydrornis pittas are exclusively Asian. Some pittas have large distributions, like the Hooded Pitta, which ranges from Nepal to New Guinea, others have much smaller ones, like the Superb Pitta
, which is endemic to the tiny island of Manus
in the Admiralty Islands
.
The movements of pittas are poorly known and notoriously difficult to study. Bird ringing
studies have not shed much light on this, one study in the Philippines
ringed 2000 Red-bellied Pittas but only recaptured ten birds, and only one of these recaptures was more than two months after the initial capture. Only four species of pitta are fully or mostly migratory
, all in the genus Pitta, the Indian Pitta
, African Pitta
, Fairy Pitta
and Blue-winged Pitta
. In addition to these four the northern subspecies of the Hooded Pitta
(cucullata) is a full migrant. Other species make smaller or more local, and poorly understood, movements across small parts of their range.
The pittas are strongly territorial
, with territories varying in size from 3000 m² in the African Pitta
to 10,000m² in the Rainbow Pitta
. Pittas will perform territory defence displays on the edges of their territories, although fights between rivals have only been recorded once. Migratory
species will defend non-breeding feeding territories in addition to their breeding ones.
Earthworm
s form the major part of the diet of pittas, followed by snails in order of importance. Earthworms may however become seasonally unavailable in dry conditions when the worms move deeper into the soil. In addition a wide range of invertebrate prey is eaten, including many insects groups such as termite
s, ant
s, beetle
s, true bug
s, and lepidopterans
; as well as freshwater crab
s, centipede
s, millipede
s, and spider
s. In addition to invertebrates some species, such as the Fairy Pitta and Rainbow Pitta, have been recorded feeding on vertebrate prey. These include skinks, frogs, snakes and, in the case of the Fairy Pitta, shrews.
Pittas feed in a thrush-like
fashion, moving aside leaves with a sweeping motion of the bill
. They have also been observed to probe the moist soil with their bills in order to locate earthworms. It has been suggested that they are able to locate earthworms by smell; a suggestion supported by a study which found that they have the largest olfactory bulb
of 25 passerines examined. Some species will also use tree roots and rocks as anvils on which to smash open snails in order to eat.
breeders, and defend breeding territories. Most species are seasonal breeders, timing their breeding to occur at the onset of the rainy season. An exception to this is the Superb Pitta
, which breeds almost year round, as the island of Manus
which it breeds on remains wet all year. The courtship behaviours of the family are poorly known, but the elaborate dance of the African Pitta
includes jumping into the air with a puffed out breast and parachuting down back down to the perch.
The pittas build a rudimentary nest
that is a dome with a side entrance. The structure of the nest is consistent across the whole family. The nest is as large as a rugby
ball, and is usually well camouflaged amongst vines or vegetation of some kind. The nest's appearance is also difficult to distinguish from a heap of leaves pushed together by the wind, although a few species created a "doormat" of sticks (sometimes decorated with mammal dung) by the entrance. The nests can either be placed on the ground or in trees. Some species always nest in trees, like both African species, others nest only on the ground, and others show considerable variation. Both sexes help to build the nest, but the male does most of the work. It takes around two to eight days to build a new nest; this probably varies depending on the experience of the birds involved. A new nest is constructed for each nesting attempt.
The clutch size varies by species. Typically three to five eggs are laid, but two is typical for the Garnet Pitta
, whereas six is more common for the Blue-winged Pitta
and the Indian Pitta
. It is thought that species with higher levels of predation tend to have smaller clutches, as smaller clutches involve fewer provisioning trips that might alert a predator to the presence of a nest, and the loss of a smaller clutch is less costly to replace. Clutch size may vary within a species depending on latitude. A study of Noisy Pitta
found that birds in the tropics had smaller clutch sizes than those in more temperate environments. The eggs of pittas are ovoid, with one end slightly pointed, and generally smooth (the deeply pitted eggs of the Superb Pitta being the exception to this). The size of eggs varies by species, with smaller species laying smaller eggs. There is also some variation in egg size within a species in species with large ranges. For example the eggs of Noisy Pittas are smaller closer to the tropics.
Both parents incubate
the clutch, the period between laying and hatching being between 14 to 18 days (14 to 16 being more typical). The chicks usually hatch asynchronously, over a number of days, but in some species the hatching is synchronous. On hatching the parents of at least two species are reported to consume the eggshells. The behaviour ensures that the calcium used to create the eggs is not lost. It is not known if other species do this, but it is a common behaviour in the bird world. As with the incubation period both parents participate in rearing the chicks. The chicks of pittas are entirely altricial
, hatching both naked and blind, and dependent upon their parents for warmth, food and nest sanitation. Young chicks are brooded continuously, with the female brooding during the night and the duties being shared during the day. The males and females make regular feeding trips to the chicks; one study of Gurney's Pittas found a pair made 2399 feeding visits to the nest, traveling an estimated 460 km (285.8 mi) over the nestling stage. Earthworm
s are important food items for many species, and the dominant item in the nestling diet of some. 73% of the parental visits of Fairy Pitta
s, 63% in Rainbow Pittas, up to 79% in Gurney's Pittas are with earthworms. Parents can and do carry more than one item in their bills during visits; in a study of breeding Fairy Pittas as many as six items could be brought in a single visit, although less than four was typical. When the chicks are small prey may be broken up prior to being fed to the chicks, and larger prey items like skins and snakes are only fed to the older chicks able to manage them.
and birdwatchers. Pittas are popular cagebirds in Asia, although due to their diet they are difficult to keep. Such is their attractiveness that in Borneo even the body of a dead pitta can be a favoured toy for local children. They have proven difficult to maintain and breed in captivity, requiring large amounts of space, humidity and sufficient vegetation of the right kind. they are a very popular group of birds with birdwatchers, due to their dazzling plumage and the relative difficulty of seeing them in dark forests.
and a further eight are listed as vulnerable. The Gurney's Pitta
was not seen for 34 years between 1952 and 1986, before a small population was discovered in southern Thailand
. This small population continued to decline since its rediscovery, and by 2000 it had reached a low of 10 pairs, and was listed as critically endangered. In 2003 the species was found in Burma for the first time since 1914, and in large numbers, between nine and thirty five thousand pairs. Although the species was considerably less threatened than thought, it is still of considerable conservation concern as deforestation of the habitat in Burma continues. The rapid rate of deforestation in Borneo has pushed the Blue-headed Pitta
, previously considered common and secure as recently as 1996, into the list of species considered vulnerable.
:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Pittidae, of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s mainly found in tropical Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, although a couple of species live in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Pittas are all similar in general structure and habits, and have often been placed in a single genus, although as of 2009 they are now split into three genera, Pitta, Erythropitta
Erythropitta
Erythropitta is a genus of pitta. The genus contains six species, found mostly in South-east Asia, with one species ranging into Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2009 study split the family into three genera....
and Hydrornis
Hydrornis
Hydrornis is a genus of pitta. The genus contains eleven to thirteen species, found in South-east Asia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2009 study split the family into three genera.-Species:*Genus: Hydrornis...
. The name is derived from the word pitta in the Telugu language
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and is a generic local name used for all small birds. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, at 15 to 25 cm (5.9 to 9.8 in) in length, and stocky, with longish strong legs and long feet. They have very short tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
s and stout, slightly decurved bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
s. Many, but not all, have brightly coloured plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
.
These are fairly terrestrial birds of wet forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
floors. They eat snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and similar invertebrate prey. Pittas are mostly solitary and lay up to six eggs
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
in a large spherical nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
in a tree or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
, or sometimes on the ground. Both parents care for the young. Many species of pittas are migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, and they often end up in unexpected places like house-gardens during migration.
A number of species of pitta are threatened with extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. One of these, the Gurney's Pitta
Gurney's Pitta
The Gurney's Pitta, Pitta gurneyi, is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations in Thailand and, especially, Burma....
, is listed as endangered by the IUCN, a further eight species are listed as vulnerable. The main threat to pittas is habitat loss in the form of rapid deforestation.
Taxonomy and systematics
Pittas were first described scientifically by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in his revised 12th edition12th edition of Systema Naturae
The 12th edition of was the last edition of to be overseen by its author, Carl Linnaeus. It was published in three volumes, with parts appearing from 1766 to 1768...
of the Systema Naturae
Systema Naturae
The book was one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carolus Linnaeus. The first edition was published in 1735...
. He placed the Indian Pitta
Indian Pitta
The Indian Pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls...
in the crow family
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
and genus Corvus. Ten years later it was placed in the thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
family, due to similarities of morphology and behaviour, before being placed in its own genus, Pitta in 1816 by Louis Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
. Vieillot was also the first to consider the genus a family in its own right. The family's closest relatives have for a long time assumed to be the other suboscine birds, and particularly the Old World broadbill
Broadbill
The broadbills are a family of small passerine birds, Eurylaimidae. The Smithornis and Pseudocalyptomena species occur in sub-Saharan Africa; the rest extend from the eastern Himalayas to Sumatra and Borneo. The family possibly also includes the Sapayoa from the Neotropics and the asities from...
s and asities
Asity
The asities, are a family, the Philepittidae, of small suboscine passerine birds. The family consists of four species in two genera endemic to Madagascar. They were thought to have been related to the pittas, hence the scientific name of the family, but a 1993 study suggested that they are actually...
(formerly treated as two families, now either lumped into one or split into four). A 2006 study confirmed that these were the closest relatives of the pittas.
The number of pitta genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
has varied considerably, ranging from one to as many as nine. In his 1863 work A Monograph of the Pittidae Daniel Elliot
Daniel Giraud Elliot
Daniel Giraud Elliot was an American zoologist.Elliot was one of the founders of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the American Ornithologists' Union. He was also curator of zoology at the Field Museum in Chicago.Elliot used his wealth to publish a series of sumptuous...
split the pittas into two genera, Pitta for the species with comparatively long tails and Brachyurus for the shorter tailed species. Barely two decades later, in 1880/81, John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
split the family into nine genera, to which he also included the Lesser Melampitta
Lesser Melampitta
The Lesser Melampitta, Melampitta lugubris, is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is now classify as a member of the family Orthonychidae by Birdlife International, but in some other sources it is variously considered close to or in the...
(Melampitta
Melampitta
Melampitta is a genus of New Guinean bird containing two enigmatic species. These are birds with black plumage that live in remote rainforests. They are little studied and even their taxonomic relationships with other birds are uncertain.-Taxonomy:...
), a species which despite uncertain affinities is now at least no longer considered related to the pittas. Soon afterwards Philip Sclater
Philip Sclater
Philip Lutley Sclater was an English lawyer and zoologist. In zoology, he was an expert ornithologist, and identified the main zoogeographic regions of the world...
's Catalogue of the Birds of the British Museum brought the number back down to three. Modern treatments vary as well. A 1975 checklist included six genera, whereas the 2003 volume of the Handbook of the Birds of the World
Handbook of the Birds of the World
The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15...
, which covered the family, placed all the pittas in a single genus. The family was not well studied using modern anatomical or phylogenetic techniques; two studies, in 1987 and 1990, each used only four species, and comparisons amongst the family as a whole have relied mostly on external features and appearances.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
of the pittas, using study skin
Bird collections
Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is useful...
s from museums, was the first to examine most representatives of the family, and found evidence of three major clades of pitta. Based on the study it proposed splitting the pittas into three genera. The first clade, using the genus name Erythropitta, includes six species that had previously been considered closely related on external features. They are all generally small species with small tails, extensive amounts of crimson or red on the underparts, and greenish or blueish backs. The second genus, Hydrornis, includes a number of variable Oriental species. These species are unified morphologically in exhibiting sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in their plumage, as well as in possessing cryptic juvenile plumage (in all the species thus far studied). Into this second clade is included the Eared Pitta
Eared Pitta
The Eared Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, which had often been placed into its own genus, Anthocincla, on account of its apparent primitive characteristics. The final genus, Pitta, is the most widespread clade. Most species in this genus have green upperparts with a blue wing-patch, dark upperparts and cinnamon-buff underparts. This clade contains all the migratory species of pitta, and it is thought that many of the pitta species from islands are derived from migratory species. This division of the pittas into three genera has been adopted by the International Ornithological Congress
International Ornithological Congress
The International Ornithological Congress series forms the oldest and largest international series of meetings of ornithologists. It is organised by the International Ornithological Committee, a group of about 200 ornithologists...
' Birds of the World: Recommended English Names
Birds of the World: Recommended English Names
Birds of the World: Recommended English Names is a paperback book, written by Frank Gill and Minturn Wright on behalf of the International Ornithological Congress. The book is an attempt to produce a standardised set of English names for all bird species, and it is the product of a project set in...
.
As with genera, there has been considerable variation in the number of recorded pitta species. The checklists of Sclater and Elliot at the end of the 19th century contained 48 and 47 species each. More recent checklists have had fewer than this, one listing just 24 species. Since the 1990s the figure has been between 30 and 32 species; the Handbook of the Birds of the World recognises 30. Two potential species not recognised by the Handbook include the Black-crowned Pitta, which is treated as a subspecies of either the Garnet Pitta
Garnet Pitta
The Garnet Pitta, Pitta granatina, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
or the Graceful Pitta
Graceful Pitta
The Graceful Pitta, Pitta venusta, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family which occurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. The Malaysian form is sometimes split as the Black-headed Pitta, Pitta ussheri , in which case the Graceful Pitta is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or...
, and the Sula Pitta
Sula Pitta
The Sula Pitta, Pitta dohertyi, is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, which can be treated as a subspecies of the Red-bellied Pitta
Red-bellied Pitta
The Red-bellied Pitta, Pitta erythrogaster, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
. More recently the Banded Pitta
Banded Pitta
The Banded Pitta, Pitta guajana, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas ....
has been split into three new species, one endemic to Java and Bali, one endemic to Borneo and one found in Sumatra and the Thai-Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Description
The pittas are small to medium sized passerines, ranging in size from the Blue-banded PittaBlue-banded Pitta
The Blue-banded Pitta, Pitta arquata, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
at 15 cm (5.9 in) to the Giant Pitta, which can be up to 29 cm (11.4 in) in length. In weight they range from 42 to 210 g (1.5 to 7.4 oz). Pittas are stout bodied birds with long, strong tarsi
Tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae...
(lower leg bones) and long feet. There is considerable variation in the colour of the legs and feet, this may be used by females in judging the quality of males. The wings have ten primaries
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
are generally rounded and short Those of the four migratory species, however, are more pointed. Although pittas are behaviourally reluctant to fly
Bird flight
Flight is the main mode of locomotion used by most of the world's bird species. Flight assists birds while feeding, breeding and avoiding predators....
, they are capable and even strong fliers. The tails range from being short to very short, and is composed of twelve feathers.
Atypically for forest floor species, the plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of pittas is often bright and colourful. Only one species, the Eared Pitta
Eared Pitta
The Eared Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, has entirely cryptic colours in the adults of both sexes. In the same genus, Hydrornis, as the Eared Pitta are three further species with quite drabber than average plumage, the Blue-naped Pitta
Blue-naped Pitta
The Blue-naped Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife...
, Blue-rumped Pitta
Blue-rumped Pitta
The Blue-rumped Pitta, Pitta soror, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam....
and Rusty-naped Pitta
Rusty-naped Pitta
The Rusty-naped Pitta, Pitta oatesi, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
. Like the other Hydrornis pittas they are sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in their plumage, with the females tending towards being drabber and more cryptic than the males. Across most of the family the brighter colours tend to be on the undersides, with the bright colours on the rump, wings and uppertail coverts being concealable. Being able to conceal bright colours from above is important as most predators approach from above.
Distribution, habitat and movements
The pittas are generally birds of tropical forests, semi-forests and scrub. Of particular importance to most species are forests with lots of cover, a rich understory, and leaf litter for feeding. Pittas often frequent areas near waterways as well. Some species inhabit swamps and bamboos forests, and the Mangrove PittaMangrove Pitta
The Mangrove Pitta is a species of passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Southeast Asia. It is part of a superspecies but has no recognized subspecies.- Taxonomy :...
, as its name suggests, is a mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
specialist. A number of species are lowland forest specialists, for example the Rainbow Pitta is not found above 400 m (1,312.3 ft), whereas other species may occur at much higher elevations, for example Rusty-naped Pitta
Rusty-naped Pitta
The Rusty-naped Pitta, Pitta oatesi, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
s have been found up to 2600 m (8,530.2 ft). This varies in the Fairy Pitta
Fairy Pitta
The Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, migrant in Thailand and winters mainly on the island of Borneo in east Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan in Indonesia....
across its range, reaching up to 1300 m (4,265.1 ft) in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
but at much lower levels in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In addition to natural habitats pittas may use human altered habitats, for example migrating Blue-winged Pitta
Blue-winged Pitta
The Blue-winged Pitta is a passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Australia and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas and has no subspecies.-Taxonomy:...
s and Hooded Pitta
Hooded Pitta
The Hooded Pitta, Pitta sordida, is a passerine bird. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia and the Maritime Southeast Asia, where it lives in different types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas....
s use parks and urban gardens in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
The greatest diversity of pittas are found in South-east Asia. Of the three recently proposed genera, the large genus Pitta is the most widespread. The two species found in Africa are from this clade, as are the most northerly species (the Fairy Pitta) and the most southerly (the Noisy Pitta
Noisy Pitta
The Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.It eats earthworms, insects and snails....
). The most remote insular endemics are in this group as well, including the Black-faced Pitta
Black-faced Pitta
The Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, which is endemic to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The pittas of the clade Erythropitta are mostly found in Asia with one widespread species, the Red-bellied Pitta, reaching the north of Australia. The Hydrornis pittas are exclusively Asian. Some pittas have large distributions, like the Hooded Pitta, which ranges from Nepal to New Guinea, others have much smaller ones, like the Superb Pitta
Superb Pitta
The Superb Pitta, Pitta superba, is a large pitta, approximately 22cm long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and green-tipped secondaries. Both sexes are almost similar. The female is a slightly smaller and duller than the male.The Superb Pitta is distributed and...
, which is endemic to the tiny island of Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
in the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
.
The movements of pittas are poorly known and notoriously difficult to study. Bird ringing
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
studies have not shed much light on this, one study in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
ringed 2000 Red-bellied Pittas but only recaptured ten birds, and only one of these recaptures was more than two months after the initial capture. Only four species of pitta are fully or mostly migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, all in the genus Pitta, the Indian Pitta
Indian Pitta
The Indian Pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls...
, African Pitta
African Pitta
The African Pitta, Pitta angolensis, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique,...
, Fairy Pitta
Fairy Pitta
The Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, migrant in Thailand and winters mainly on the island of Borneo in east Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan in Indonesia....
and Blue-winged Pitta
Blue-winged Pitta
The Blue-winged Pitta is a passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Australia and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas and has no subspecies.-Taxonomy:...
. In addition to these four the northern subspecies of the Hooded Pitta
Hooded Pitta
The Hooded Pitta, Pitta sordida, is a passerine bird. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia and the Maritime Southeast Asia, where it lives in different types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas....
(cucullata) is a full migrant. Other species make smaller or more local, and poorly understood, movements across small parts of their range.
Behaviour
Pittas are diurnal, requiring light in order to find their often cryptic prey. They are nevertheless often found in darker areas and are highly secretive, though they will respond to imitations of their calls. They are generally found as single birds, with even young birds not associating with their parents unless they are being fed. Small groups have been observed during migration.The pittas are strongly territorial
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
, with territories varying in size from 3000 m² in the African Pitta
African Pitta
The African Pitta, Pitta angolensis, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique,...
to 10,000m² in the Rainbow Pitta
Rainbow Pitta
The Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris, is a bird with a velvet black head and underparts, green upperparts, pale blue shoulder and olive green tail. It has a black bill, pink legs, brown eye and reddish brown streak along each side of its crown...
. Pittas will perform territory defence displays on the edges of their territories, although fights between rivals have only been recorded once. Migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
species will defend non-breeding feeding territories in addition to their breeding ones.
Diet and feeding
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s form the major part of the diet of pittas, followed by snails in order of importance. Earthworms may however become seasonally unavailable in dry conditions when the worms move deeper into the soil. In addition a wide range of invertebrate prey is eaten, including many insects groups such as termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s, ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s, beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s, true bug
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
s, and lepidopterans
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
; as well as freshwater crab
Freshwater crab
There are around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs which release thousands of planktonic larvae. This limits...
s, centipede
Centipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
s, millipede
Millipede
Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
s, and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s. In addition to invertebrates some species, such as the Fairy Pitta and Rainbow Pitta, have been recorded feeding on vertebrate prey. These include skinks, frogs, snakes and, in the case of the Fairy Pitta, shrews.
Pittas feed in a thrush-like
True thrush
The true thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Turdus of the thrush family Turdidae.The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Several species have also colonised some oceanic islands, and...
fashion, moving aside leaves with a sweeping motion of the bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
. They have also been observed to probe the moist soil with their bills in order to locate earthworms. It has been suggested that they are able to locate earthworms by smell; a suggestion supported by a study which found that they have the largest olfactory bulb
Olfactory bulb
The olfactory bulb is a structure of the vertebrate forebrain involved in olfaction, the perception of odors.-Anatomy:In most vertebrates, the olfactory bulb is the most rostral part of the brain. In humans, however, the olfactory bulb is on the inferior side of the brain...
of 25 passerines examined. Some species will also use tree roots and rocks as anvils on which to smash open snails in order to eat.
Breeding
Like most birds the pittas are monogamousMonogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
breeders, and defend breeding territories. Most species are seasonal breeders, timing their breeding to occur at the onset of the rainy season. An exception to this is the Superb Pitta
Superb Pitta
The Superb Pitta, Pitta superba, is a large pitta, approximately 22cm long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and green-tipped secondaries. Both sexes are almost similar. The female is a slightly smaller and duller than the male.The Superb Pitta is distributed and...
, which breeds almost year round, as the island of Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
which it breeds on remains wet all year. The courtship behaviours of the family are poorly known, but the elaborate dance of the African Pitta
African Pitta
The African Pitta, Pitta angolensis, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique,...
includes jumping into the air with a puffed out breast and parachuting down back down to the perch.
The pittas build a rudimentary nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
that is a dome with a side entrance. The structure of the nest is consistent across the whole family. The nest is as large as a rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
ball, and is usually well camouflaged amongst vines or vegetation of some kind. The nest's appearance is also difficult to distinguish from a heap of leaves pushed together by the wind, although a few species created a "doormat" of sticks (sometimes decorated with mammal dung) by the entrance. The nests can either be placed on the ground or in trees. Some species always nest in trees, like both African species, others nest only on the ground, and others show considerable variation. Both sexes help to build the nest, but the male does most of the work. It takes around two to eight days to build a new nest; this probably varies depending on the experience of the birds involved. A new nest is constructed for each nesting attempt.
The clutch size varies by species. Typically three to five eggs are laid, but two is typical for the Garnet Pitta
Garnet Pitta
The Garnet Pitta, Pitta granatina, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, whereas six is more common for the Blue-winged Pitta
Blue-winged Pitta
The Blue-winged Pitta is a passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Australia and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas and has no subspecies.-Taxonomy:...
and the Indian Pitta
Indian Pitta
The Indian Pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls...
. It is thought that species with higher levels of predation tend to have smaller clutches, as smaller clutches involve fewer provisioning trips that might alert a predator to the presence of a nest, and the loss of a smaller clutch is less costly to replace. Clutch size may vary within a species depending on latitude. A study of Noisy Pitta
Noisy Pitta
The Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.It eats earthworms, insects and snails....
found that birds in the tropics had smaller clutch sizes than those in more temperate environments. The eggs of pittas are ovoid, with one end slightly pointed, and generally smooth (the deeply pitted eggs of the Superb Pitta being the exception to this). The size of eggs varies by species, with smaller species laying smaller eggs. There is also some variation in egg size within a species in species with large ranges. For example the eggs of Noisy Pittas are smaller closer to the tropics.
Both parents incubate
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
the clutch, the period between laying and hatching being between 14 to 18 days (14 to 16 being more typical). The chicks usually hatch asynchronously, over a number of days, but in some species the hatching is synchronous. On hatching the parents of at least two species are reported to consume the eggshells. The behaviour ensures that the calcium used to create the eggs is not lost. It is not known if other species do this, but it is a common behaviour in the bird world. As with the incubation period both parents participate in rearing the chicks. The chicks of pittas are entirely altricial
Altricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
, hatching both naked and blind, and dependent upon their parents for warmth, food and nest sanitation. Young chicks are brooded continuously, with the female brooding during the night and the duties being shared during the day. The males and females make regular feeding trips to the chicks; one study of Gurney's Pittas found a pair made 2399 feeding visits to the nest, traveling an estimated 460 km (285.8 mi) over the nestling stage. Earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s are important food items for many species, and the dominant item in the nestling diet of some. 73% of the parental visits of Fairy Pitta
Fairy Pitta
The Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, migrant in Thailand and winters mainly on the island of Borneo in east Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan in Indonesia....
s, 63% in Rainbow Pittas, up to 79% in Gurney's Pittas are with earthworms. Parents can and do carry more than one item in their bills during visits; in a study of breeding Fairy Pittas as many as six items could be brought in a single visit, although less than four was typical. When the chicks are small prey may be broken up prior to being fed to the chicks, and larger prey items like skins and snakes are only fed to the older chicks able to manage them.
Relationship with humans
The brilliant plumage of many pittas has resulted in considerable interest in pittas from people living within their range, scientists, aviculturistsAviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
and birdwatchers. Pittas are popular cagebirds in Asia, although due to their diet they are difficult to keep. Such is their attractiveness that in Borneo even the body of a dead pitta can be a favoured toy for local children. They have proven difficult to maintain and breed in captivity, requiring large amounts of space, humidity and sufficient vegetation of the right kind. they are a very popular group of birds with birdwatchers, due to their dazzling plumage and the relative difficulty of seeing them in dark forests.
Status and conservation
Pittas are generally forest birds and as such are vulnerable to habitat loss caused by rapid deforestation. One species is considered to be endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
and a further eight are listed as vulnerable. The Gurney's Pitta
Gurney's Pitta
The Gurney's Pitta, Pitta gurneyi, is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations in Thailand and, especially, Burma....
was not seen for 34 years between 1952 and 1986, before a small population was discovered in southern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. This small population continued to decline since its rediscovery, and by 2000 it had reached a low of 10 pairs, and was listed as critically endangered. In 2003 the species was found in Burma for the first time since 1914, and in large numbers, between nine and thirty five thousand pairs. Although the species was considerably less threatened than thought, it is still of considerable conservation concern as deforestation of the habitat in Burma continues. The rapid rate of deforestation in Borneo has pushed the Blue-headed Pitta
Blue-headed Pitta
The Blue-headed Pitta, Pitta baudii, is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae. The species is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it occurs in Brunei, Kalimantan , Sarawak and Sabah . Its natural habitat is tropical lowland evergreen forests. While it does occur in disturbed of...
, previously considered common and secure as recently as 1996, into the list of species considered vulnerable.
Species
Species in taxonomic orderTaxonomic sequence
Taxonomic sequence is a sequence followed in listing of taxa which aids ease of use and roughly reflects the evolutionary relationships among the taxa...
:
- Genus: HydrornisHydrornisHydrornis is a genus of pitta. The genus contains eleven to thirteen species, found in South-east Asia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2009 study split the family into three genera.-Species:*Genus: Hydrornis...
- Eared PittaEared PittaThe Eared Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Hydrornis phayrei - Blue-naped PittaBlue-naped PittaThe Blue-naped Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife...
, Hydrornis nipalensis - Blue-rumped PittaBlue-rumped PittaThe Blue-rumped Pitta, Pitta soror, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Hydrornis soror - Rusty-naped PittaRusty-naped PittaThe Rusty-naped Pitta, Pitta oatesi, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Hydrornis oatesi - Schneider's PittaSchneider's PittaThe Schneider's Pitta, Pitta schneideri, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Hydrornis schneideri - Giant PittaGiant PittaThe Giant Pitta, Pitta caerulea, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand....
, Hydrornis caerulea - Blue-headed PittaBlue-headed PittaThe Blue-headed Pitta, Pitta baudii, is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae. The species is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it occurs in Brunei, Kalimantan , Sarawak and Sabah . Its natural habitat is tropical lowland evergreen forests. While it does occur in disturbed of...
, Hydrornis baudii - Blue PittaBlue PittaThe Blue Pitta, Pitta cyanea, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Hydrornis cyanea - Bar-bellied PittaBar-bellied PittaThe Bar-bellied Pitta, Pitta elliotii, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Hydrornis elliotii - Banded PittaBanded PittaThe Banded Pitta, Pitta guajana, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas ....
, Hydrornis guajana- Javan Banded Pitta, Hydrornis (guajana) guajana
- Malayan Banded Pitta, Hydrornis (guajana) irena
- Bornean Banded Pitta, Hydrornis (guajana) schwaneri
- Gurney's PittaGurney's PittaThe Gurney's Pitta, Pitta gurneyi, is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations in Thailand and, especially, Burma....
, Hydrornis gurneyi
- Eared Pitta
- Genus: ErythropittaErythropittaErythropitta is a genus of pitta. The genus contains six species, found mostly in South-east Asia, with one species ranging into Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2009 study split the family into three genera....
- Whiskered PittaWhiskered PittaThe Whiskered Pitta, Pitta kochi, is a rare species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is endemic to Luzon in the Philippines.This bird is 21 centimeters long. It has a brownish head, blue breast, and red belly....
, Erythropitta kochi - Red-bellied PittaRed-bellied PittaThe Red-bellied Pitta, Pitta erythrogaster, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Erythropitta erythrogaster - Blue-banded PittaBlue-banded PittaThe Blue-banded Pitta, Pitta arquata, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Erythropitta arcuata - Garnet PittaGarnet PittaThe Garnet Pitta, Pitta granatina, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Erythropitta granatina - Graceful PittaGraceful PittaThe Graceful Pitta, Pitta venusta, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family which occurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. The Malaysian form is sometimes split as the Black-headed Pitta, Pitta ussheri , in which case the Graceful Pitta is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or...
, Erythropitta venusta - Black-headed Pitta, Erythropitta ussheri
- Whiskered Pitta
- Genus: Pitta
- Hooded PittaHooded PittaThe Hooded Pitta, Pitta sordida, is a passerine bird. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia and the Maritime Southeast Asia, where it lives in different types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas....
, Pitta sordida - Ivory-breasted PittaIvory-breasted PittaThe Ivory-breasted Pitta, Pitta maxima, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Pitta maxima - Superb PittaSuperb PittaThe Superb Pitta, Pitta superba, is a large pitta, approximately 22cm long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and green-tipped secondaries. Both sexes are almost similar. The female is a slightly smaller and duller than the male.The Superb Pitta is distributed and...
, Pitta superba - Azure-breasted PittaAzure-breasted PittaThe Azure-breasted Pitta, Pitta steerii, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Pitta steerii - Sula PittaSula PittaThe Sula Pitta, Pitta dohertyi, is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Pitta dohertyi - African PittaAfrican PittaThe African Pitta, Pitta angolensis, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique,...
, Pitta angolensis - Green-breasted PittaGreen-breasted PittaThe Green-breasted Pitta, Pitta reichenowi, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Uganda....
, Pitta reichenowi - Indian PittaIndian PittaThe Indian Pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls...
, Pitta brachyura - Fairy PittaFairy PittaThe Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, migrant in Thailand and winters mainly on the island of Borneo in east Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan in Indonesia....
, Pitta nympha - Blue-winged PittaBlue-winged PittaThe Blue-winged Pitta is a passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Australia and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas and has no subspecies.-Taxonomy:...
, Pitta moluccensis - Mangrove PittaMangrove PittaThe Mangrove Pitta is a species of passerine bird in the Pittidae family native to Southeast Asia. It is part of a superspecies but has no recognized subspecies.- Taxonomy :...
, Pitta megarhyncha - Elegant PittaElegant PittaThe Elegant Pitta is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Pitta elegans - Noisy PittaNoisy PittaThe Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.It eats earthworms, insects and snails....
, Pitta versicolor - Black-faced PittaBlack-faced PittaThe Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Pitta anerythra - Rainbow PittaRainbow PittaThe Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris, is a bird with a velvet black head and underparts, green upperparts, pale blue shoulder and olive green tail. It has a black bill, pink legs, brown eye and reddish brown streak along each side of its crown...
, Pitta iris
- Hooded Pitta
External links
- Pitta videos on the Internet Bird Collection