Elegant Pitta

Overview

The elegant pitta (Pitta elegans) is a passerine bird endemic to Indonesia, specifically found in the Lesser Sunda Islands and Moluccas. The species is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• 19 cm long with a mass of 47–77 g.
• Black head, throat, and neck featuring a buff crown stripe.
• Dark green upperparts with a bright turquoise patch on the lesser wing coverts.
• Warm buff underparts with a black centre containing a red patch.
• Turquoise-blue rump and a black tail with a green tip.

Habitat

The species inhabits tropical dry forests and tropical moist lowland forests. It is endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands and Moluccas in Indonesia, with records also noted in the western half of Timor.

Did you know?

The elegant pitta was described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1836, who coined its binomial name based on a specimen collected on Timor.