African Pitta
Pitta angolensis
An unusual and beautiful bird that is rarely seen, even by those expressly looking for it. Note the buffy underparts, green back, red undertail, and bold facial pattern. Found on the floor of forest and dense thicket. Very shy, remaining motionless for long periods. At least some populations are migratory within Africa. The call is an explosive, liquid “phwit.” Can only be confused with Green-breasted Pitta, but separated by the lack of a dark-green breast.
Identification
The sexes are alike. The crown, face, and ear coverts are solid black, and the throat is pale salmon pink. The broad eyebrow is buff to brownish buff. The flanks, breast, and side of the neck are a mustard yellow, washed olive on the upper breast. Some western birds have the breast very greenish. The wing coverts are deep green and tipped turquoise blue, or black and tipped turquoise and royal blue. The mantle and back are green, and the rump and upper tail coverts pale turquoise blue. The wings are rounded, and the primaries are black with pale and white tips. The bases of the central primaries form a white square, conspicuous in flight or display. The belly and undertail coverts are crimson red, and the legs are pink. Immature birds have a duller plumage with a buffy-pink vent and fawn-coloured throat.
Taxonomy
The African pitta was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 and given the binomial name Pitta angolensis. Vieillot had introduced the genus Pitta in another book published in the same year.<p>Three subspecies are recognised:<p>The closely related green-breasted pitta (Pitta reichenowi) replaces the African pitta in the interior of Africa's tropical rainforests. Together the two species form part of a wide-ranging Old World superspecies, which in relatively recent times colonised Africa from the east.<p>It has been suggested that the races pulih and angolensis may be conspecific with the green-breasted pitta. The migratory race longipennis may also be a separate species.
- Scientific name
- Pitta angolensis
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1816
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittidae
- Genus
- Pitta
Range and habitat
The African pitta is a migratory species to southeastern Africa and the Congo Basin. Its breeding habitat in southeastern Africa is deciduous, lowland riparian forest or thicket with intermittent dense understorey and small sub-canopy glades. On migration however, they may sojourn at any areas of bush or woodland. Fallen dead trees and open branches are favoured perches when performing their peculiar bouncing display. They are more numerous in undisturbed vegetation, and the opening up of the riparian woodland by elephants may reduce their habitat.<p>The race P. a. longipennis spends the austral winter in the western Ugandan forests as far north as Budongo, and coastal Kenya as far north as Gedi ruins. A bird found at Minziro Forest in northwestern Tanzania was in heavy moult, suggestive that the area is on the southeastern fringe of the non-breeding range.<p>They arrive in southern Africa from late October, though mainly in November and early December. They seldom breed north of the Rukwa Valley and Rufiji River in Tanzania, and no further south than central Mozambique. They depart again in February, though occasionally as late as April. Ringing studies in the Pugu hills and Mufindi have confirmed the timing of northwestward migration. Exhausted and perished birds are regularly found during migration, especially November to December and April to June. Southward migrating birds sometimes overshoot when they follow moist tropical fronts (at night), which may account for their vagrancy in the north-eastern Transvaal and the Zimbabwean plateau. Some reverse migration has been noted after the breeding season.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tinamus osgoodi
Large, rare tinamou found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes. It is uniformly sooty gray, much darker and plainer than Gray Tinamou. Rusty lower underparts are hard to see in the field. Like other forest tinamous, it is far more likely to be heard than seen. Vocalizations include a low, drawn out coo, like a dove’s but longer, and a series of low, modulated whistles.
Rufescent Prinia
Prinia rufescens
Small prinia with gray head, warm brown upperparts, and white underparts. Also shows white eyebrow and graduated tail with pale tips to the outer tail feathers. Note warmer brown tones and lack of strongly “vested” appearance when compared with Gray-breasted Prinia. Favors brushy or grassy edges as well as more open areas, including agricultural fields and gardens. Forages low in the vegetation, sometimes in mixed-species groups. Song is a loud, resonating “chewchewchewchewchew.”
White-cheeked Antbird
Gymnopithys leucaspis
Distinctive antbird with pale blue eyering and snowy white underparts and rusty upperparts. Black eyebrow and cheek extends through neck sides and down flanks. Occurs in lowland rainforest east of the Andes; no range overlap with similar Bicolored Antbird. Most often seen in the vicinity of army ant swarms, perched on vertical branches or vines close to the ground. Several individuals may gather at a large ant swarm. Listen for harsh descending “churr” calls that might be a clue that there’s an ant swarm nearby.
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