Garnet Pitta - BirdForum Opus

ssp coccinea
Photo by Ayuwat J
Merapoh, Pahang, Malaysia

Alternative name: Red-headed Scarlet Pitta

Erythropitta granatina

Identification

A small pitta (15 - 16cm).

• Black head with dark red hindcrown and nape
• Bright sky-blue postocular stripe
• Glossy black upperparts with purple wash
• Bluer rump, dark blue tail, shining blue upperwing-coverts
• Purple-black throat and upper breast
• Red rest of underparts
• Brown to blue eye
• Black bill

Sexes similar. Juveniles are mostly plain brown, paler below with some blue in wings and tail.

Distribution

From extreme southern Burma to extreme southern peninsular Thailand to Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Uncommon to locally common.

Taxonomy

• E. g. granatina:

• Borneo (except the north)

• E. g. coccinea:

• Malay Peninsula, southern peninsular of Thailand, southern Myanmar and Sumatra

Formerly placed in genus Pitta.
Black-crowned Pitta was formerly included in this species as subspecies.

Habitat

Dense primary forest but also secondary and heavily logged forest. Often in swampy places. Found in the lowlands up to 300m, in Borneo locally higher.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects, takes also small snails and fruits. Probes leaf litter and damp soil, foreages also occasionally on logs.

Breeding

Breeding season from March to August. The domed nest has a side entrance and is made of twigs, fibres and dead leaves. It's placed on the ground. Lays 2 eggs.

Movements

A sedentary species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Dickinson, EC, ed. 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed., with updates to October 2008 (Corrigenda 8). Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691117010
3. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2010. IOC World Bird Names (version 2.7). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
4. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2003. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334504

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Garnet Pitta. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Garnet_Pitta

External Links

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