Giant pitta

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Giant pitta
Pitta caerulea qtl1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pittidae
Genus: Hydrornis
Species:
H. caeruleus
Binomial name
Hydrornis caeruleus
(Raffles, 1822)
Synonyms
  • Pitta caerulea

The giant pitta (Hydrornis caeruleus) is a species of bird in the family Pittidae.

Contents

Distribution and habitat

Illustration by Gould & Richter BirdsAsiaJohnGoVGoul 0332, crop.jpg
Illustration by Gould & Richter

The giant pitta is native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. It inhabits primary and tall secondary forests at elevations of up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). It appears to prefer densely vegetated, swampy areas, but has infrequently been reported from drier and secondary vegetation. [1]

Conservation

The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Total population size is unknown, but it is believed to be scarce to rare, and thought to be under pressure from rapid forest loss in its native habitat. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitta</span> Family of passerine birds

Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds found in Asia, Australasia and Africa. There are 44 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurney's pitta</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superb pitta</span> Species of bird

The superb pitta is a large pitta that is endemic to Manus Island which lies to the north of Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow pitta</span> A small passerine bird endemic to northern Australia

The rainbow pitta is a small passerine bird in the pitta family, Pittidae, endemic to northern Australia, most closely related to the superb pitta of Manus Island. It has a velvet black head with chestnut stripes above the eyes, olive green upper parts, black underparts, a bright red belly and an olive green tail. An Australian endemic, it lives in the monsoon forests and in some drier eucalypt forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-headed pitta</span> Species of bird

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue pitta</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar-bellied pitta</span> Species of bird

The bar-bellied pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is seasonal tropical forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banded pitta</span> Group of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivory-breasted pitta</span> Species of bird

The ivory-breasted pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is endemic to North Maluku in Indonesia, known as Paok halmahera. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove pitta</span> Species of bird

The mangrove pitta is a species of passerine bird in the family Pittidae native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent and western Southeast Asia. It is part of a superspecies where it is placed with the Indian pitta, the fairy pitta and the blue-winged pitta but has no recognized subspecies. A colourful bird, it has a black head with brown crown, white throat, greenish upper parts, buff underparts and reddish vent area. Its range extends from India to Malaysia and Indonesia. It is found in mangrove and nipa palm forests where it feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and insects. Its call, sometimes rendered as wieuw-wieuw, is sung from a high perch on a mangrove tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-naped pitta</span> Species of bird

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-naped pitta</span> Species of bird

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schneider's pitta</span> Species of bird

Schneider's pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is endemic to Sumatra in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. It was rediscovered in 1988 after last being seen in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-rumped pitta</span> Species of bird

The blue-rumped pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graceful pitta</span> Species of bird

The graceful pitta, sometimes alternatively known as the black-crowned pitta, is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It occurs in Sumatra in Indonesia, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noisy pitta</span> Species of bird

The noisy pitta is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. The noisy pitta is found in eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It eats earthworms, insects and snails. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<i>Hydrornis</i> Genus of birds

Hydrornis is a genus of pitta in the family Pittidae. The genus contains thirteen species, found in South-east Asia. The genus was formerly merged with the genus Pitta, but a 2006 study split the family into three genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean banded pitta</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javan banded pitta</span> Species of bird

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan banded pitta</span> 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2017). "Hydrornis caeruleus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22698614A118541382. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22698614A118541382.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.