Fairy Pitta

Overview

The fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) is a small, brightly colored passerine bird belonging to the family Pittidae. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the species faces population declines due to habitat loss and human disturbance.

Identification

• Body length of 16–19.5 cm with plumage displaying seven distinct colors.
• Chestnut crown and cream-colored underparts, with a red lower belly and undertail coverts.
• White throat, black beak, and yellowish-brown tarsi.
• Clear, whistled song described as kwah-he kwa-wu, which is longer and slower than that of the blue-winged pitta.

Habitat

This migratory species breeds in northeast Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and winters in South and Southeast Asia. It favors dense, moist deciduous forests, coastal areas, and regions with thick undergrowth, often at altitudes below 1,500 m.

Diet

The fairy pitta forages on the ground, wandering solitarily for food. Its diet consists mainly of earthworms, which can make up 73% to 82% of nestling food, as well as insects, spiders, snails, and occasionally small vertebrates like lizards, frogs, and shrews.

Did you know?

The species was formerly considered conspecific with the Indian pitta but was split into its own species due to distinct differences in plumage, morphology, and vocalisation.