- Erythropitta erythrogaster
Includes: Sulu Pitta: Talaud Pitta
Identification
16 - 18cm. Wide geographical variation in plumage.
Nominate subspecies:
- Red-brown head with dark brown lores and supercilium and cinnamon cheeks
- Blue upper mantle
- Dark green lower mantle and back
- Blue rump and tail
- Deep blue upperwing-coverts, black flight-feathers, variable small white spots on primaries
- Black lower throat and upper breast (sometimes with white throatband)
- Broad glossy blue band across breast (variably becoming green at sides)
- Scarlet rest of underparts
- Black bill
Females are duller and more green and less blue on breast. Juveniles are dull brown above and have a dull blue rump and tail. They are paler below, have a whitish throat and a dark brown breast with white spots.
Distribution
Found on the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Moluccas, New Guinea (including Bismarck Archipelago) and northeast Australia (Cape York Peninsula).
Locally common in parts of its range.
Taxonomy
A large number of subspecies are recognized which have been split in no less than 16 species by Clements. Other worldlists have not yet followed that split and the Opus awaits further clarification.
- Blue-breasted Pitta (Erythropitta erythrogaster)
- E. e. erythrogaster on the Philippines (except Palawan)
- E. e. propinqua on Palawan and Balbac
- Brighter and slighty smaller than nominate
- Sulu Pitta (Erythropitta yairocho)
- E. e. yairocho on Sulu Island
- Sangihe Pitta (Erythropitta caeruleitorques)
- E. e. caeruleitorques on Sangihe Island
- With a black band between blue breast and belly, brighter on nape, head more uniformely brown
- Talaud Pitta (Erythropitta inspeculata)
- E. e. inspeculata on Talaud Islands
- With a dark chestnut-brown head, all blue upperparts and a smaller all blue breastband
- Siao Pitta (Erythropitta palliceps)
- E. e. palliceps on Siao and Tahulandang, north of Sulawesi
- Similar to celebensis but paler, crown with less blue and no or little black on breast
- Sulawesi Pitta (Erythropitta celebensis)
- E. e. celebensis on Sulawesi (including Manterawu and Togian Islands)
- With blue stripe from midcrown to nape, more blue on breastband and broad black band below
- Moluccan Pitta (Erythropitta rufiventris)
- E. e. rufiventris on the northern Moluccas (Morotai, Halmahera, Moti, Bacan, Mandioli, Damar, Obi and possibly also Kasiruta)
- Reddish nape, dull dark green to dull blue rump, pale throat, no blue on mantle, thin black and greenish band below blue breast
- E. e. cyanonota on Ternate
- Bright rufous nape, dull blue upperpart, entire breast pale blue
- E. e. bernsteini on Gebe Island
- Similar to cyanonota but slightly bigger, paler above and blue on breast silvery
- Buru Pitta (Erythropitta rubrinucha)
- E. e. rubrinucha on Buru
- With pale blue on crown and behind eye, small contrasting red patch on nape, no blue on mantle
- Seram Pitta (Erythropitta piroensis)
- E. e. piroensis on Seram
- Similar to rubrinucha but red patch larger and darker green above
- Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta macklotii)
- E. e. macklotii on Aru Islands, Raja Ampat Islands, and western and southern New Guinea
- Dark forecrown, face and throat, bright orange-rufous nape, tinged blue ear-coverts and stripe over eye, no blue on mantle, dark breastband extremely variable
- E. e. loriae in southeastern New Guinea
- Darker head and mantle, larger bill, sometimes narrow blue line on upper mantle
- E. e. digglesi breeds northeastern Cape York Peninsula, Australia; winters in New Guinea
- Habenicht's Pitta (Erythropitta habenichti)
- E. e. habenichti in northern New Guinea
- Similar to mackloti but brighter red or orange-red nape
- New Ireland Pitta (Erythropitta novaehibernicae)
- E. e. extima on New Hanover (Bismark Archipelago)
- Larger than oblita, some blue feathers on midcrown, more bluish-green back
- E. e. novaehibernicae on New Ireland
- With walnut-brown crown, contrasting reddish-orange nape, bluish ear-coverts and no black on throat or breast
- Tabar Pitta (Erythropitta splendida)
- E. e. splendida on Tabar Island
- With scarlet nape, narrow blackish hindcollar, deep blue upperparts, blue breast side
- New Britain Pitta (Erythropitta gazellae)
- E. e. gazellae in the southern Bismark Archipelago (Umboi, New Britain, Lolobau, Tolokiwa, Watum, Duke of York)
- Stronger blue line on midcrown than extima and redder crown side
- D'Entrecasteaux Pitta (Erythropitta finschii)
- E. e. finschii on D'Entrecasteaux Archpelago (Goodenough Island, Fergusson Island)
- Uniform dull dark chestnut crown to nape, deep blue upperparts
- Louisiade Pitta (Erythropitta meeki)
- E. e. meeki on Louisiade Archipelago
- Duller than other subspecies, more greyish throat, broad black lower breastband finely tipped red
- Sula Pitta (Erythropitta dohertyi)
- E. e. dohertyi on Banggai Archipelago and Sula Islands, east of Sulawesi
- Black head, neck and throat with chestnut crown, glossy green upperparts, narrow light blue breastband with broad blackish band below, female with white iris
Sula Pitta is recognised as a separate species (P. dohertyi) by Clements (2010), but is included as a subspecies of Red-bellied Pitta by Dickinson (2003) and Gill and Donsker (2010).
Formerly placed in genus Pitta.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats: Dense primary rainforest, logged or heavily degraded forest, scrub, plantations, remnant forest patches with cultivation, bamboo groves and thickets near rivers. Usually in lowlands below 1200m but recorded up to 2100m in some places.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects and their larvae, earthworms and some plant material.
Forages mainly on the ground.
Breeding recorded in all monts over wide range. The domed nest is made of twigs and leaves, grass and ferns. It's mostly placed on the ground or low in scrub or a tree. Some nests were placed 10m above the ground. Lays 2 eggs (usually 3 in Australia).
A sedentary species in most of its range.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.3). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Philippine Pitta. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Philippine_Pitta
