Ivory-breasted Pitta
Pitta maxima
A distinctive large, plump, short-tailed, long-legged forest bird with a black upperside and white underside, a striking red area on the lower belly, and a conspicuous silvery-blue shoulder patch. Juvenile duller, with buff on underparts. Shy, more often heard than seen. Usually found singly or in pairs in humid lowland and hill forest. Forages on the ground, but while calling often perches high in the understory or canopy. Very vocal; frequently given song is a mournful wolf whistle.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pitta maxima
- Authority
- Müller, S & Schlegel, 1845
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittidae
- Genus
- Pitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Stubble Quail
Coturnix pectoralis
Large, strongly marked quail with pale breast/belly with heavy dark streaks. Note bold pale eyebrow. Male has orange throat contrasting with blackish breast. Typically found in drier grasslands. As a flushed bird descends to land, it often slows down in flight before dropping into cover; look carefully for a pale patch on the leading-edge of the wing as it drops.
Double-spurred Spurfowl
Pternistis bicalcaratus
Partridge-sized gamebird of Western Africa with a disjunct population in western Morocco. Heavily streaked on breast and back. Note thin and bold white eyebrow, and rusty cap and neck. As the name suggests, males have two spurs on each leg, though this can be hard to see in the field. Favors vegetated habitats including woodland, wadis, and cultivated areas. Very shy. Song is a loud, harsh, repeating double noted, "Ku-kwah, ku-kwah…"
Black-headed Saltator
Saltator atriceps
Fairly common in humid tropical lowlands. Favors forest edge, plantations, adjacent semi-open areas with trees and hedges. Usually in noisy small groups moving at mid-upper levels. Black head and bib surrounds white throat patch (throat patch buffy in Los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz), upperparts bright golden green. Larger and noisier than the rather similar Buff-throated Saltator, which has a less contrasting black head.
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