North Moluccan Pitta
Erythropitta rufiventris
A distinctive plump, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial forest bird with a conspicuous red belly and a broad band of electric blue above that. Head brown and body green. Forages on the ground in humid lowland and hill forest and also in neighboring secondary growth. Calls both from the forest floor and from low perches in the understory. Gives a soft two-note whistle with a quivering, longer first note: “whoooyoop-woo.”
Identification
The North Moluccan pitta (Erythropitta rufiventris) is a species of pitta. It was long considered a subspecies of the red-bellied pitta, but was split on the basis of genetic and morphological studies. It is endemic to Indonesia where it occurs on the northern Moluccas. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. While it has suffered some habitat loss, it is not considered threatened with extinction.
Taxonomy
Genus: Erythropitta; Family: Pittidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Erythropitta rufiventris
- Authority
- (Heine, 1860)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittidae
- Genus
- Erythropitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Drab and unremarkable flycatcher found in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru. Note grayish-olive upperparts, dingy white underparts, yellow tinge to the belly, and pale wingbars. Yellow crown stripe is usually concealed. Habitat is a good ID clue: it perches low in grassy clearings with scattered bushes and small trees, and never ventures inside forest. Call is an inflected whistle repeated every few seconds, and song is a short, rising trill.
Maroon-chested Ground Dove
Paraclaravis mondetoura
Very scarce and rarely seen small dove of foothill and mountain forest and edge, usually with patches of seeding bamboo. Most often seen in fast direct flight; rarely seen perched or feeding in low vegetation or on the ground. Male deep blue-gray with purple bands on the wings and a maroon breast; white outer tail feathers striking when tail is spread. Female with dark bill, and brown overall with dark reddish-brown bands on the wings; rump and tail less rusty than similar female Blue Ground Dove of humid tropical lowlands.
Spotted Greenbul
Ixonotus guttatus
A distinctive rainforest greenbul with olive-brown upperparts, pale underparts, white spots on the wings, and white outer tail feathers. Found in the canopy of humid forest at low and middle elevations, usually in restless flocks of 5-15 individuals, but occasionally gathers by the dozens. Often flicks out one wing, an odd and distinctive behavior. Somewhat similar to nicators, but found in the canopy, and easily separated by the unhooked bill, the white tail edges, and the white rather than yellow spots on the back. Very vocal, constantly giving a penetrating “stick” call.
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