Pitta elegans
The Elegant Pitta (Pitta elegans) is a stunningly vibrant, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 18-20 cm in length and weighing around 47-77 grams, adorned with a spectacular array of colors. Its most striking features include a black head sharply contrasted by a broad, buffy-orange supercilium, a white throat, and an olive-brown to greenish upper breast. The back and wings are a brilliant green, highlighted by a distinctive turquoise-blue shoulder patch, while the tail is dark blue an...
Found primarily in lowland primary and secondary rainforests, monsoon forests, and dense bamboo thickets, often near water sources. It inhabits elevations typically up to 1,000 meters.
Their diet consists mainly of invertebrates, including earthworms, snails, beetles, ants, and other insects and their larvae, occasionally supplemented with small fruits.
Elegant Pittas are diurnal birds, though their secretive nature makes observations challenging, with most activity occurring during early morning and late afternoon. They are primarily terrestrial, foraging on the forest floor by vigorously flicking leaf litter aside with their sturdy bills to un...
The Elegant Pitta is endemic to the Indonesian archipelago, with its distribution centered across the Lesser Sunda Islands and several islands in Wallacea. Its primary range includes islands such as Timor, Flores, Sumba, Rote, Semau, and Alor. Additionally, populations are found on Sulawesi and i...
Least Concern
- The Elegant Pitta is one of the most vividly colored members of the Pitta family, often earning it the moniker 'jewel of the forest'. - Despite its brilliant plumage, it is notoriously shy and elusive, often heard long before it is seen, thanks to its excellent camouflage in dappled forest ligh...