Western Hooded Pitta
Pitta sordida
Widespread and beautiful, this jewel of a bird bounces about on the shaded forest floor like a luminous ball, where it can be surprisingly difficult to spot. If seen, note emerald-green body, black head, ruby-red lower belly, and powder-blue wing patch. Birds from the Himalayas east to much of mainland Southeast Asia have a warm brown crown stripe; these birds are migratory, and may turn up in unexpected places, such as city parks. Listen for loud, barking song in a range of wooded habitats, from deep forest to plantations. Formerly grouped together with several other closely related species as “Hooded Pitta.”
Taxonomy
The western hooded pitta was described by the German zoologist Philipp Statius Müller in 1776 and given the binomial name Turdus sordidus. Statius Müller's description was based on a plate showing the "Merle des Philippines" published by Comte de Buffon in his Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. The species is now placed in the genus Pitta that was erected by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816. The specific epithet sordida is Latin for "shabby" or "dirty".<p>Six subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Pitta sordida
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittidae
- Genus
- Pitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Western hooded pittas can reach a length of 16 to 19 cm (6.3 to 7.5 in) and a weight of 42 to 70 g (1.5 to 2.5 oz). It has a black head, chestnut crown and green body and wings. Its diet consists of various insects (including their larvae), which they hunt on the ground, and berries. In the breeding period, which lasts from February to August, they build nests on the ground; both parent take care of the eggs and the fledglings. They are highly territorial and their fluty double-noted whistle calls ("qweeek-qweeek") can be constantly heard from their territories, sometimes throughout the nights.<p>The International Union for Conservation of Nature is concerned in particular about the ongoing loss of habitat that this bird suffers, which is reducing its numbers, but has rated it as being a "least concern species" because the rate of population decline is insufficient to warrant a threatened category.<p>In captivity, western hooded pittas mix well with other species although they may be aggressive toward other pittas when breeding. In London Zoo they are kept in a large walk-through aviary in the restored Blackburn Pavilion bird house, while at the Durrell Wildlife Park they are in a large walk-through exhibit with birds such as Palawan peacock-pheasants and white-rumped shamas.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Yellow Longbill
Macrosphenus flavicans
An unusual warbler with a long bill and yellow eyes. Brownish above and dull yellow below with a gray head and whitish throat. Found in rainforest, mainly in dense tangles at middle levels, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar in appearance to other longbills, but with a good view, separated by the coloration of the underparts. Most often detected by the distinctive song: a long series of clear whistled notes in which each note is slightly lower in pitch. The pattern is similar to that of Sabine’s Puffback, and the individual notes sound very batis-like.
Crimson-backed Sunbird
Leptocoma minima
Stumpy, short-tailed sunbird of the Western Ghats’ foothill forests. Male has a glossy dark green cap, a red back and chest, a dark purplish throat, and an off-white belly. As in most sunbirds, the female is comparatively drab, with brown upperparts, yellow-washed underparts, and a bright red rump. Listen for this species’ high tinkling song and sharp “chik” notes, often given while foraging.
Sinai Rosefinch
Carpodacus synoicus
A small and long-tailed, small-billed finch. Virtually unstreaked. Male has a pink face and breast with a whitish forehead and crown. Female is pale gray-brown overall with a whitish belly. Lives in deep desert canyons. Resident or locally nomadic. Often flies long distances to water sources. Its rarely-heard song is a quick series of 6–7 metallic “Tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi-tzi” notes. Flight call a metallic “Tziup.”
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