Pitta vigorsii
The Banda Sea Pitta (Pitta vigorsii) is a strikingly vibrant, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 18-20 cm in length and weighing between 60-80 grams. Its plumage is a kaleidoscope of colors, featuring a deep black head with a prominent electric-blue supercilium and a rufous-chestnut crown stripe, contrasting sharply with a brilliant emerald-green back and a dazzling sky-blue patch on its wings. The underparts are often a vivid crimson or deep red, fading to black on the vent, making ...
Primarily inhabits dense, moist tropical lowland and hill forests, preferring areas with abundant leaf litter, tangled undergrowth, and dense thickets, typically from sea level up to 800 meters elevation.
Feeds predominantly on a variety of invertebrates, including insects, insect larvae, snails, earthworms, and spiders, supplemented occasionally with small frogs, lizards, or berries. Forages primarily by ground-gleaning and digging through leaf litter.
This elusive pitta is largely diurnal, spending most of its time foraging silently on the forest floor, though it becomes more vocal and visible during the breeding season. It employs a distinctive 'pitta hop' while meticulously sifting through leaf litter with its bill, flipping leaves and twigs...
The Banda Sea Pitta is strictly endemic to a cluster of islands within the Banda Sea archipelago of eastern Indonesia, part of the Wallacea biogeographical region. Its primary distribution includes the larger islands of Seram, Ambon, Buru, Kai Besar, and the Tanimbar Islands, with localized popul...
Near Threatened
- The Banda Sea Pitta is one of the most vividly colored birds in its range, a true 'jewel of the forest floor'. - Despite its brilliant plumage, its shy and secretive nature makes it incredibly difficult to spot in the dense undergrowth. - Its robust legs and feet are perfectly adapted for a gro...