Malayan banded pitta

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Malayan banded pitta
Hydrornis irena - Sri Phang Nga.jpg
In Si Phang Nga National Park, Thailand
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pittidae
Genus: Hydrornis
Species:
H. irena
Binomial name
Hydrornis irena
(Temminck, 1836)
Synonyms
  • Pitta irena

The Malayan banded pitta (Hydrornis irena) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

At one time the Malayan banded pitta, the Bornean banded pitta, and the Javan banded pitta were all considered to be variants of a single species. However, they were divided into three separate species by Rheindt and Eaton in 2010, based on analysis of morphological, behavioural, and vocal differences. [2]

Description

This colourful bird has a black head with a yellow/orange streak above the eye, an orange-red nape, a lemon-yellow throat, a chest barred with orange and dark blue (more orange towards the sides and more blue towards the centre), and a blue belly. The back is brown and the tail is blue. [3]

Distribution and habitat

The Malayan banded pitta is native to tropical south-eastern Asia where its range includes Malaysia, Thailand and Sumatra. It typically inhabits primary lowland evergreen forests, including swamp forests, but can occur at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft). It also occurs in secondary forest, but may not persist well in this environment. Its diet is mainly insects and fruits. [1]

Status

The Malayan banded pitta is common in some places but scarce in others where its forest habitat is degraded by logging and conversion into agricultural land. [1] With much of the primary forest lost in Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, it is uncommon in these locations. It is also targeted for the illegal cage-bird trade and populations are declining; for these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "near threatened". [1]

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

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.

Malayan peacock-pheasant Species of bird

The Malayan peacock-pheasant also known as crested peacock-pheasant or Malaysian peacock-pheasant, is a medium-sized pheasant of the galliform family Phasianidae. The closely related Bornean peacock-pheasant was formerly included here as a subspecies, but as understood today, P. malacense is monotypic.

Crested fireback Species of bird

The crested fireback is a medium-sized, up to 70 cm long, forest pheasant with a peacock-like dark crest, bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris and bare blue facial skin. The female is a brown bird with short crest, blue facial skin and spotted black-and-white below.

The Malayan field rat, Malaysian field rat or Malaysian wood rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is nocturnal and mainly arboreal and is found in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".

Blue-headed pitta

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.

Banded pitta

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.

Blue-naped pitta

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

Malayan weasel Species of weasel from Malay Peninsula (Mustela nudipes)

The Malayan weasel or Malay weasel is a weasel species native to the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Temmincks sunbird

Temminck's sunbird is a species of sunbird. It is found in up to 1800 m altitude in Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, and south west Thailand in tropical moist montane forests.

Bornean banded pitta

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.

Javan banded pitta

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2016). "Hydrornis irena". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22736523A95136749. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. Rheindt, F. E.; Eaton, J. A. (August 2010). "Biological species limits in the Banded Pitta Pitta guajana" (PDF). Forktail (26): 86–91.
  3. Grrlscientist (15 January 2015). "Mystery bird: Malayan banded pitta, Pitta irena". Grrlscientist (blog). The Guardian . London. Retrieved 13 December 2019.