Pitta (genus)
Pitta is a genus of birds in the Pittidae, or pitta family. They are secretive, brightly coloured birds that forage on the forest floor. They are long-legged and short-tailed with rounded wings. They all have green on their upperparts with blue wing-patches. Many have dark heads. Nest construction, incubation and rearing of nestlings is performed by both parents. Incubation is completed in some 17 days, and the nestlings are altricial and nidicolous. Some species are migratory.
The antpittas, a Neotropical bird family of some 50 species, resemble the pittas in their hopping gait, furtive behaviour, long legs and short tails.
Taxonomy
The genus Pitta was erected by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1816. In 1855 the English ornithologist George Robert Gray designated the type species as Corvus triostegus Sparrman. This is a junior synonym of Corvus brachyura Linnaeus, the Indian pitta. The word Pitta is from the Telugu language and means "pretty", "bauble" or "pet".The genus contains 14 species, distributed from Africa, through southern, eastern and south-eastern Asia, to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia. It was formerly the sole genus in the family and contained 31 species. However, following a 2006 study, some of the species were split off into two resurrected genera, Erythropitta and Hydrornis, though all members of the family continue to be known as "pittas".
Species
The 14 species in the genus are:| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
| Pitta sordida | Hooded pitta | mainland and maritime Southeast Asia | |
| Pitta maxima | Ivory-breasted pitta | North Maluku | |
| Pitta superba | Superb pitta | Manus Island | |
| Pitta steerii | Azure-breasted pitta | Philippines | |
| Pitta angolensis | African pitta | tropical and subtropical Africa | |
| Pitta reichenowi | Green-breasted pitta | tropical Africa | |
| Pitta brachyura | Indian pitta | Indian subcontinent | |
| Pitta nympha | Fairy pitta | East Asia | |
| Pitta moluccensis | Blue-winged pitta | Australia and Southeast Asia | |
| Pitta megarhyncha | Mangrove pitta | eastern India to western Southeast Asia | |
| Pitta elegans | Elegant pitta | Lesser Sunda Islands | |
| Pitta versicolor | Noisy pitta | eastern Australia and southern New Guinea | |
| Pitta anerythra | Black-faced pitta | western Melanesia | |
| Pitta iris | Rainbow pitta | northern Australia |