Pitta (genus)
| Pitta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fairy pitta in Taiwan | |
| Call of blue-winged pitta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pittidae |
| Genus: | Pitta Vieillot, 1816 |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
Pitta is a genus of birds in the Pittidae, or pitta family. They are secretive, brightly coloured birds that forage on the forest floor. They are long-legged and short-tailed with rounded wings.[1] Nest construction, incubation and rearing of nestlings is performed by both parents.[2] Incubation is completed in some 17 days, and the nestlings are altricial and nidicolous.[2]
The antpittas, a Neotropical bird family of some 50 species, resemble the pittas in their hopping gait, furtive behaviour, long legs and short tails.
Taxonomy
The genus contains 14 species, distributed from Africa, through southern, eastern and south-eastern Asia, to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.[3] It was formerly the sole genus in the family, containing 31 species.[1] However, following a 2006 study, two other genera, Erythropitta and Hydrornis, were split off, though all members of the family continue to be known as “pittas”.[4]
Species
- Hooded pitta, Pitta sordida – mainland and maritime Souteast Asia
- Ivory-breasted pitta, Pitta maxima – North Maluku
- Superb pitta, Pitta superba – Manus Island
- Azure-breasted pitta, Pitta steerii – Philippines
- African pitta, Pitta angolensis – tropical and subtropical Africa
- Green-breasted pitta, Pitta reichenowi – tropical Africa
- Indian pitta, Pitta brachyura – Indian subcontinent
- Fairy pitta, Pitta nympha – East Asia
- Blue-winged pitta, Pitta moluccensis – Australia and Southeast Asia
- Mangrove pitta, Pitta megarhyncha – eastern India to western Southeast Asia
- Elegant pitta, Pitta elegans – Lesser Sunda Islands
- Noisy pitta, Pitta versicolor – eastern Australia and southern New Guinea
- Black-faced pitta, Pitta anerythra – western Melanesia
- Rainbow pitta, Pitta iris – northern Australia
Gallery
Video of mangrove pitta 
Incubating green-breasted pitta 
Hooded pitta nest with egg in Borneo 
Egg of a noisy pitta 
Snail shells beside a noisy pitta's "anvil"
References
- 1 2 Zimmerman, Dale A.; et al. (1999). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press. p. 495. ISBN 0691010226.
- 1 2 Tarboton, Warwick (2001). A Guide to the Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Cape Town: Struik. p. 141. ISBN 1-86872-616-9.
- ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "NZ wrens, broadbills & pittas". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ↑ Irestedt, M.; Ohlson, J. I.; Zuccon, D.; Källersjö, M. & Ericson, P. G. P. (2006). "Nuclear DNA from old collections of avian study skins reveals the evolutionary history of the Old World suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes)" (PDF). Zoologica Scripta. 35: 567–580. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00249.x.