Hints of crimson, chestnut, turquoise and bright blue combine to produce a stunning display on a very shy forest-feeding bird.
Meet the Hooded Pitta
The hooded pitta (Pitta sordida), is a passerine bird of the Pittidae family. The head of this bird is topped with a chestnut crown on a body covered in emerald green with pale blue spots on the shoulders. The belly has a vivid crimson stripe and a rump that ends near the short tail of this bird. They have fairly long legs with equally long feet.
Females are also bright green, although they tend to be a little duller than males.
They also have the same slightly downward curved bill as the male with less white on the wing.
Photo courtesy of cuatrok77 / CC BY-SA 2.0
This Asian species is found from southern China and northern India to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
They are a shy bird that tends to search for food in forest trash and feed on adult insects and larvae such as beetles, termites, ants, cockroaches, worms, snails and berries.
Hooded Pittas breed between February and August, building a nest in the ground that consists of a dome-shaped structure, made primarily of roots, bamboo leaves, rootlets, moss and twigs, which they cover with a softer material. The female will lay 3 to 4 eggs that both sexes incubate for about 15 to 16 days. Both parents then feed the chicks until they are fully grown at 16 days of age.
Due to its large breeding range, this species is not currently considered threatened. However, please note that there has been rapid population decline due to habitat destruction and collection for the caged bird trade.
Photo courtesy of fveronesi1 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Watch this bird right here in the video below:
