Erythropitta
Erythropitta is a genus of pitta. The members of the genus are found mostly in South-east Asia, with one species, the Papuan pitta, ranging into northeast Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2006 study split the family into three genera.
Taxonomy
The pittas were at one time all usually placed in the genus Pitta, the only genus in the family Pittidae, but when a 2006 molecular phylogenetic study found that the pittas formed three separate groups, the genus was split and some species were moved into two resurrected genera, Erythropitta and Hydrornis. The genus Erythropitta had been introduced in 1854 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The type species was subsequently designated as the Papuan pitta. The name Erythropitta combines the Ancient Greek word eruthros "red" with the genus name Pitta.Pittas in this genus have red or crimson coloured underparts, greenish or blueish backs and short tails. They are mostly small in size.
Species
The genus contains the following 15-17 species:| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
| Erythropitta kochi | Whiskered pitta | Luzon in the Philippines. | - |
| Erythropitta erythrogaster | Philippine pitta | Philippines. | |
| Erythropitta dohertyi | Sula pitta | Sula and Banggai Islands | |
| Erythropitta celebensis | Sulawesi pitta | Sulawesi, Manterawu, and Togian Islands | |
| Erythropitta palliceps | Siau pitta | Siau, and Tagulandang | |
| Erythropitta caeruleitorques | Sangihe pitta | Indonesia in the Sangihe Islands | |
| Erythropitta rubrinucha | South Moluccan pitta | Indonesia on Buru and Seram. | |
| Erythropitta rufiventris | North Moluccan pitta | northern Moluccas | |
| Erythropitta meeki | Louisiade pitta | Louisiade Archipelago in Papua New Guinea | |
| Erythropitta novaehibernicae | Bismarck pitta | New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea | |
| Erythropitta splendida | Tabar pitta | Tabar Group in Papua New Guinea, some authorities still consider it as a subspecies of the Bismarck pitta | |
| Erythropitta gazellae | New Britain pitta | New Britain in Papua New Guinea, some authorities still consider it as a subspecies of the Bismarck pitta | |
| Erythropitta macklotii | Papuan pitta | Aru Islands, New Guinea | |
| Erythropitta arcuata | Blue-banded pitta | Borneo | - |
| Erythropitta granatina | Garnet pitta | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. | |
| Erythropitta venusta | Graceful pitta | Sumatra, Indonesia | |
| Erythropitta ussheri | Black-crowned pitta | Sabah in northern Borneo |