Pitta (bird)
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Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds mainly found in tropical Asia and Australasia, although a couple of species live in Africa.
They are all similar in general structure and habits, and are placed in a single genus, Pitta. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, and stocky, with longish strong legs, very short tails and stout bills. Many, but not all, are brightly coloured. The name is derived from the word pitta in the Telugu language of Andhra Pradesh in India and is a generic local name used for all small birds.
These are fairly terrestrial birds of wet forest floors. They eat snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey. Pittas are mostly solitary and lay up to six eggs in a large spherical nest in a tree or shrub, or sometimes on the ground.
Many species of pittas are migratory, and they often end up in unexpected places like house-gardens during migration.
[edit] Species
- Eared Pitta, Pitta phayrei
- Blue-naped Pitta, Pitta nipalensis
- Blue-rumped Pitta, Pitta soror
- Rusty-naped Pitta, Pitta oatesi
- Schneider's Pitta, Pitta schneideri
- Giant Pitta, Pitta caerulea
- Blue Pitta, Pitta cyanea
- Banded Pitta, Pitta guajana
- Bar-bellied Pitta, Pitta elliotii
- Gurney's Pitta, Pitta gurneyi
- Blue-headed Pitta, Pitta baudii
- Hooded Pitta, Pitta sordida
- Ivory-breasted Pitta, Pitta maxima
- Superb Pitta, Pitta superba
- Azure-breasted Pitta, Pitta steerii
- Whiskered Pitta, Pitta kochi
- Red-bellied Pitta, Pitta erythrogaster
- Sula Pitta, Pitta dohertyi
- Blue-banded Pitta, Pitta arcuata
- Garnet Pitta, Pitta granatina
- Black-headed Pitta, Pitta ussheri
- Black-crowned Pitta, Pitta venusta
- African Pitta, Pitta angolensis
- Green-breasted Pitta, Pitta reichenowi
- Indian Pitta, Pitta brachyura
- Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha
- Blue-winged Pitta, Pitta moluccensis
- Mangrove Pitta, Pitta megarhyncha
- Elegant Pitta, Pitta elegans
- Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor
- Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra
- Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris
[edit] External links
- Pitta videos on the Internet Bird Collection
