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Red-bellied Pitta (1 Viewer)

For comparison, the latest Clements checklist has 17 species, arranged similarly. Differences:

- Philippine is split into Sulu (yairocho) and Blue-breasted (erythrogaster and propinqua)

- South Moluccan is split into Buru (rubrinucha) and Seram (piroensis)

- Papuan is split into Papuan (macklotii, loriae, digglesi), D'Entrecasteaux (finschii), and Habenicht's (habenichti)

H&M 4 has 1 species, divided into 8 subspecies groups. Differences:

- Group 1 lumps Philippine and Talaud

- Group 2 lumps Sangihe, Siao, Sulawesi, and Sula

- Papuan is split into group 6 (habenichti) and group 5 (kuehni, aruensis, macklotii, loriae, finschii)

- Group 7 lumps New Britain, New Ireland, and Tabar
 
Richard Klim said:
Suggested arranmgement:
  1. Phillipine Pitta E erythrogaster (erythrogaster/'thompsoni'/'propinqua'/'yairocho')
  2. Talaud Pitta E inspeculata
  3. Sangihe Pitta E caeruleitorques
  4. Siao Pitta E palliceps
  5. Sulawesi Pitta E celebensis
  6. Sula Pitta E dohertyi
  7. North Moluccas Pitta E rufiventris (rufiventris/'obiensis'/'inornata', cyanonota, bernsteini)
  8. South Moluccas Pitta E rubrinucha (rubrinucha, piroensis)
  9. Papuan Pitta E macklotii (macklotii/'kuehni'/'aruensis'/'strenua', digglesi/'yorki', habenichti, oblita, loriae, finschii)
  10. Louisiade Pitta E meeki
  11. New Britain Pitta E gazellae
  12. Tabar Pitta E splendida
  13. New Ireland Pitta E novaehibernicae (novaehibernicae, extima)
Click to expand...

I think it's interesting to note that they choose to treat Sula Pitta (E dohertyi) as an distinct species in this paper whilst recent voice recordings have suggested that it may not be distinct enough from birds on Sulawesi to be treated as such.

Also does anyone know if there is any recent records at all of Siao Pitta E. palliceps? I know that some people have searched for the scops owl there in recent years but apart from that very few ornithologists have visited this island in recent decades.
 
Sula Pitta

Papuan birder said:
I think it's interesting to note that they choose to treat Sula Pitta (E dohertyi) as an distinct species in this paper whilst recent voice recordings have suggested that it may not be distinct enough from birds on Sulawesi to be treated as such.
Click to expand...
Collar et al 2015 (Tobias score = 8, without considering voice)...
Differs from all other taxa in complex (male plumage characters unless otherwise stated) by its broad black hind-collar (3), pale iris in female (3), paler blue breast, with notably broad lower black band (2), and slightly scaled pattern on upperparts (ns[1]) [8].
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Papuan birder said:
Also does anyone know if there is any recent records at all of Siao Pitta E. palliceps? I know that some people have searched for the scops owl there in recent years but apart from that very few ornithologists have visited this island in recent decades.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's still present, and sound recordings have been made of it.

James
 
Last edited:
Papuan birder said:
Not to stray off topic but do you know if any progress have been made in the search of the Siau Scops-owl? There have been a number of surveys in recent years but they have all been inconclusive as far as aim aware.
Click to expand...

So far, no sightings, or confirmed sound recordings of it, unfortunately. I haven't been yet, but do plan to at some point in the next 12 months - just need to find a week when I've got nothing better to do than go there!

James
 
James Eaton said:
So far, no sightings, or confirmed sound recordings of it, unfortunately. I haven't been yet, but do plan to at some point in the next 12 months - just need to find a week when I've got nothing better to do than go there!

James
Click to expand...

Hi James/Pb,
Unfortunately I failed to get recordings while I was there (due to having been awake for 36 hours following departing Sangihe then wandering around a pretty poor piece of secondary/nutmeg plantation all night searching for that daft owl). Two Erythropitta were heard and I managed a brief view of one. I found it difficult to distinguish the song from the Sangihe birds in the field though. Panji Fauzen of Burung Indonesia managed to get some kind of recording, but that seems to have disappeared.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if a very similar looking and sounding Erythropitta occurs on Tagulandang. There isn't much habitat there (but that's just an impression from studying it from the boat and looking at sat images) but this 'Sulawesi group' mostly just love a bit of secondary as long as it's on volcanic soils. I'm fairly happy that this taxa isn't about to suddenly vanish: it's not like you can argue that there's continuing habitat destruction because all 'original' vegetation was destroyed decades ago.

The locals that put us up and enthusiastically took us into the "best forest on the island" (around Lake Kapeta in the S) claimed the owl was around: but we just heard a series of crazy noises from a Sulawesi Masked Owl and a stack o' megapode.

Good luck sticking it out on that island for a week James!

All the best,

Rob
 
dnsallen said:
I can't find this as a thread yet...
The spatio-temporal colonization and diversification across the
Indo-Pacific by a ‘great speciator’ (Aves, *Erythropitta erythrogaster*)
Martin Irestedt, Pierre-Henri Fabre, Henrique Batalha-Filho, Knud A.
Jønsson, Cees S. Roselaar, George Sangster, and Per G. P. Ericson
Proc. R. Soc. B May 22, 2013 280 20130309; doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.0309
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1759/20130309.abstract.html<http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1759/20130309.abstract.html?etoc>

(courtesy of Avian References)
Click to expand...

Richard Klim said:
Well caught, Des. :t: I usually check Proc R Soc B for relevant new papers (posted each Wednesday morning), but after the long holiday weekend I'd lost track of the fact that today is Wednesday! (Another) senior moment...

There's currently free access to the pdf.

"We propose that the E. erythrogaster complex is composed of 17 species..."

  1. Philippine Pitta - E erythrogaster (erythrogaster, propinqua/'thompsoni')
  2. Talaud Pitta - E inspeculata
  3. Sulu Pitta - E yairocho [where/when was this taxon described?]

  4. Sula Pitta - E dohertyi
  5. Siao Pitta - E palliceps
  6. Sangihe Pitta - E caeruleitorques
  7. Sulawesi Pitta - E celebensis

  8. Buru Pitta - E rubrinucha
  9. Seram Pitta - E piroensis

  10. Louisiade Pitta - E meeki

  11. Moluccan Pitta - E rufiventris (rufiventris/'obiensis', cyanonota, bernsteini)

  12. New Ireland Pitta - E novaehibernicae (novaehibernicae, extima)
  13. New Britain Pitta - E gazellae
  14. Tabar Pitta - E splendida

  15. Habenicht's Pitta - E habenichti

  16. D’Entrecasteaux Pitta - E. finschii
  17. Papuan Pitta - E. macklotii (macklotii/'aruensis'/'kuehni', loriae/'oblita', digglesi)
[Erritzoe 2003 (HBW 8) mentioned six possible splits.]
Click to expand...

IOC Update Diary June 15 Draft revisions of Red-bellied Pitta complex

IOC Species Update Version 6.3 (Draft)
 
Richard Klim said:
Collar, del Hoyo & Jutglar 2015. The numer of species in the Red-bellied Pitta Erythropitta erythrogaster complex: a quantitive analysis of morphological characters. Forktail 31: 13–23.
Click to expand...

TiF Update December 9, 2016:

Pittas: Based on Irestedt et al. (2013) and Collar et al. (2015), I've further split Northern Red-bellied Pitta, Erythropitta erythrogaster, into

Philippine Pitta, Erythropitta erythrogaster (including yairocho), inspeculata, thompsoni, and propinqua),
Sula Pitta, Erythropitta dohertyi,
Sulawesi Pitta, Erythropitta celebensis,
Sangihe Pitta, Erythropitta caeruleitorques,
and Siao Pitta, Erythropitta palliceps.

Moreover, Southern Red-bellied Pitta, Erythropitta macklotii, has been split into

South Moluccan Pitta, Erythropitta rubrinucha (including piroensis),
North Moluccan Pitta, Erythropitta rufiventris (including cyanonota, bernsteini, and obiensis),
Louisiade Pitta, Erythropitta meeki,
Papuan Pitta, Erythropitta macklotii (including finschii, aruensis, kuehni, loriae, digglesi, and oblita),
and Bismarck Pitta, Erythropitta novaehibernicae (including extima, splendida, and gazellae).
 
Good day! Can I request for a pdf copy of the Collar, del Hoyo & Jutglar 2015. The numer of species in the Red-bellied Pitta Erythropitta erythrogaster complex: a quantitive analysis of morphological characters. Forktail 31: 13–23. Thank you.
 
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