Pitta megarhyncha
The Mangrove Pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) is a strikingly beautiful, yet notoriously shy, medium-sized passerine bird belonging to the family Pittidae. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length and weighing between 70-120 grams, its most distinctive feature is its unusually large, stout bill, adapted for its specialized diet. Plumage is a vibrant mosaic: a black head adorned with a rufous-brown stripe extending from the eye to the nape, a clean white throat, and a brilliant olive-g...
Exclusively found in coastal mangrove forests, often along tidal rivers, estuaries, and mudflats, at very low elevations from sea level.
Feeds primarily on crustaceans, particularly small crabs (such as fiddler crabs and mud crabs), and mollusks, supplemented by insects and worms. It forages by probing soft mud and leaf litter with its strong bill.
The Mangrove Pitta is primarily diurnal, though it can be crepuscular, and is exceptionally secretive, spending most of its time hopping on the forest floor among dense mangrove roots and leaf litter. It forages by meticulously probing the soft mud and detritus with its large, powerful bill, sear...
The Mangrove Pitta is found across a fragmented but wide distribution in coastal Southeast Asia. Its primary breeding and resident range extends from the southeastern coast of Bangladesh, south through coastal Myanmar (Tanintharyi region), the Malay Peninsula (including peninsular Thailand, Malay...
Least Concern
- The scientific name 'Pitta megarhyncha' directly translates to 'large-billed pitta,' a nod to its most distinctive physical feature. - It is one of the few bird species worldwide that is an obligate specialist of mangrove ecosystems, rarely found outside this unique habitat. - Despite its vivid...