Banded pitta

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Banded pittas
Naturalis Biodiversity Center - MMNAT01 AF NNM001000100 001 - Natuurkundige Commissie voor Nederlandsch-Indie - Bird species - Art, crop.jpg
Head of a banded pitta
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The banded pittas, Hydrornis (guajana) spp., are a group of birds in the family Pittidae that were formerly lumped as a single species, the banded pitta. They are found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas.

Contents

Description

The group includes four birds, which can be divided into three main groups: The species from Java and Bali has a yellow eyebrow, underparts that are densely barred in yellowish and blackish-blue and a narrow blue band on the upper chest; irena and ripleyi from the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Sumatra have a more orange eyebrow, a blue belly and a chest that is barred orange and dark bluish (more orange towards the sides, blue towards the center); and schwaneri from Borneo has a blue mid-belly and yellow flanks and chest densely barred with blackish. Females of all birds are significantly duller than the males. There are also vocal differences between these, and since 1993 they have been considered by several taxonomists to be better treated as three separate species:

Related Research Articles

Pitta Family of passerine birds

Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds found in Asia, Australasia and Africa. There are thought to be 40 to 42 species of pittas, all similar in general appearance and habits. The pittas are Old World suboscines, and their closest relatives among other birds are in the genera Smithornis and Calyptomena. Initially placed in a single genus, as of 2009 they have been split into three genera: Pitta, Erythropitta and Hydrornis. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, at 15 to 25 cm (5.9–9.8 in) in length, and stocky, with strong, longish legs and long feet. They have very short tails and stout, slightly decurved bills. Many have brightly coloured plumage.

Gurneys pitta Species of bird

Gurney's pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations mainly in Myanmar. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819-1890). Its diet consists of slugs, insects, and earthworms.

Chestnut-necklaced partridge Species of bird

The chestnut-necklaced partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in forests in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as vulnerable.

Barred eagle-owl Species of owl

The barred eagle-owl, also called the Malay eagle-owl, is a species of eagle owl in the family Strigidae. It is a member of the large genus Bubo which is distributed on most of the world's continents. This relatively little-known species is found from the southern Malay Peninsula down a string of several of the larger southeast Asian islands to as far as Borneo. It forms a superspecies with the physically similar but larger spot-bellied eagle-owl, although the two species appear to be allopatric in distribution.

Blue-headed pitta Species of bird

The blue-headed pitta is a species of bird in the pitta family Pittidae. It is endemic to Borneo.

Blue pitta Species of bird

The blue pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae found in the northeastern Indian subcontinent, southern China, and Indochina. It typically lives in moist forests but can also inhabit dry forest. It is an unobtrusive, solitary bird which feeds by foraging on the ground for insects and other small invertebrates.

Rusty-naped pitta Species of bird

The rusty-naped pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae.

Eared pitta Species of bird

The eared pitta is a species of bird in the pitta family, Pittidae, and is found in Southeast Asia.

Blue nuthatch Species of bird

The blue nuthatch is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in length. The species, which lacks sexual dimorphism, has dramatic coloration unlike any other member of its genus. Its head is black or blackish-blue dark blue upper parts close to purple with azure feathers. The wings are edged with black. The throat and chest are white or a washed buff color, contrasting with the upper and the belly of a very dark blue; the feathers are generally clear, blue-gray or purplish.

Banded woodpecker Species of bird

The banded woodpecker or the banded red woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

Red-headed trogon Species of bird

The red-headed trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae.

Bornean banded pitta Species of bird

The Bornean banded pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is found only in Borneo. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Javan and Malayan banded pittas. Together, they were referenced as the banded pitta.

Malayan banded pitta Species of bird

The Malayan banded pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. Other common names include the blue-tailed pitta, the Irene's pitta, the banded pitta and the Van den Bosch's pitta. It is found in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Bornean and Javan banded pittas, together they were referred to as the banded pitta, but now they are considered to be separate species.

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