Pitta moluccensis

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Tyranni
Infraordo: Eurylaimides
Superfamilia: Pittoidea

Familia: Pittidae
Genus: Pitta
Species: Pitta moluccensis
Name

Pitta moluccensis (Statius Müller, 1776)
Synonymy

Turdus moluccensis (protonym)

References

Vollstandiges Natursystem, Supplement: 144.
Vernacular names
العربية: بيتا أزرق الأجنحة
български: Синьокрила пита
Cymraeg: Pita Molwcaidd
Deutsch: Blauflügelpitta
English: Blue-winged Pitta
español: Pita aliazul
فارسی: پیتای بال‌آبی
suomi: Sateenkaaripitta
français: Brève à ailes bleues
magyar: Kékszárnyú pitta
Bahasa Indonesia: Paok-bersayap Biru
italiano: Pitta delle Molucche
한국어: 푸른날개팔색조
кырык мары: Малуку питта
Bahasa Melayu: Burung Pacat Sayap Biru
Nederlands: Blauwvleugelpitta
polski: Kurtaczek modroskrzydły
پنجابی: نیلپرا نورنگا
русский: Молуккская питта
саха тыла: Молуку питтата
svenska: Blåvingad juveltrast
Tiếng Việt: Đuôi cụt cánh xanh
中文: 马来八色鸫

The blue-winged pitta (Pitta moluccensis) is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas, the Indian pitta (P. brachyura), the fairy pitta (P. nympha) and the mangrove pitta (P. megarhyncha). A colourful bird, it has a black head with a buff stripe above the eye, a white collar, greenish upper parts, blue wings, buff underparts and a reddish vent area. Its range extends from India to Malaysia, Indonesia, southern China and the Philippines. Its habitat is moist woodland, parks and gardens and it avoids dense forest. It feeds mainly on insects and worms. It breeds in the spring, building an untidy spherical nest on the ground, often near water and between tree roots. A clutch of about five eggs is laid and incubated by both parents, hatching after about sixteen days.
Taxonomy

The blue-winged pitta was described by the German naturalist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller in 1776 and given the binomial name Turdus moluccensis.[2] Statius Müller's description was based on a plate showing the "Merle des Moluques" published by Comte de Buffon in his Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle.[3][4] The French name and the specific epithet moluccensis refer to the Moluccas (the Maluku Islands). This was an error as the range of the species does not extend as far east. The type locality was amended in 1963 to Malacca on the Malay Peninsula.[5][4] The species is now placed in the genus Pitta that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816.[6] The species is monotypic.[7]

The blue-winged pitta forms a superspecies with the Indian pitta (P. brachyura), fairy pitta (P. nympha) and mangrove pitta (P. megarhyncha). Alternate common names include: lesser blue-winged pitta, the little blue-winged pitta, the Moluccan pitta, the brève à ailes bleues (French), the Kleine Blauflügelpitta (German) and the pita aliazul (Spanish).[8]
Description
Sunning with spread wings

Measuring 180 to 205 mm (7.1–8.1 in) in length, the blue-winged pitta has a black head with a buff-coloured supercilium, white chin and buff underparts. The shoulders and mantle are greenish, the wings are bright blue, and the vent is reddish.[9] The bill is black, eyes are brown and the legs pale pink.[10] It has a very short tail.[11][12] Juveniles have similar patterned plumage but are duller. It resembles the mangrove pitta but can be distinguished by its shorter bill. The loud call has been transcribed as taew-laew taew-laew.[9]
Distribution and habitat

The blue-winged pitta is regularly found in Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and has been found to be vagrant in Australia, Christmas Island, Taiwan and Hong Kong.[1] Habitat is lowland subtropical and tropical forests.[13]

P. moluccensis is found in a variety of habitats, up to an altitude of 800 m (2,600 ft), including broadleaved forests, parks and gardens, and mangroves,[9] though avoids dense rainforest.[11]

The range is much of southeast Asia and Indochina, from central Myanmar east through Thailand and into peninsular Malaysia.[11] P. moluccensis is a winter visitor to Borneo and Sumatra, and a vagrant to the Philippines and Java.[14] It is a rare vagrant to the northwestern coast of Australia.[10]
Diet

The blue-winged pitta mostly feeds on worms and insects, hunting them on the ground or from a low branch or perch.[11][15] They also eat hard-shelled snails.[15][16][17]
Breeding

At breeding time, the blue-winged pitta builds a large nest, usually on the ground, made of twigs, roots, grasses, leaves and mosses. The spherical and untidy nest has a side entrance and is often found between tree roots near water.[12] In its breeding range in peninsular Malaysia, the blue-winged pitta lays eggs between early May and late July each year.[18] The female lays 4-6 white or cream-coloured eggs with purple markings, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs for 15–17 days.[12]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Pitta moluccensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22698688A93697612. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22698688A93697612.en. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
Statius Müller, Philipp Ludwig (1776). Des Ritters Carl von Linné Königlich Schwedischen Lelbarztes uc. uc. vollständigen Natursystems Supplements und Register-Band über alle sechs Theile oder Classen des Thierreichs mit einer ausführlichen Erklärung ausgefertiget. Nuremberg: Gabriel Nicolaus Raspe. p. 144.
Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas (1765–1783). Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 3. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 257, "Merle des Moluques".
Traylor, Melvin A. Jr, ed. (1979). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 326.
Deignan, Herbert G. (1963). "Checklist of the birds of Thailand". Bulletin of the United States National Museum (226): 1–263 [98]. doi:10.5479/si.03629236.226.1.
Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 42, Num. 137.
Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "NZ wrens, broadbills & pittas". World Bird List Version 8.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
"Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis)". Internet Bird Collection. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Robson, Craig (2005). New Holland field guide to the birds of South-East Asia. Kenthurst, New South Wales: New Holland Publishers. p. 76. ISBN 1-84330-746-4. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Slater, Peter (1978) [1974]. A field guide to Australian birds: passerines. Adelaide: Rigby. p. 86. ISBN 0-85179-813-6.
Strange, Morten (2000). Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia including the Philippines & Borneo. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 220. ISBN 0-691-11494-3. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Blue-Winged Pitta Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, Animal Database at KidsBiology.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
"Blue-winged Pitta, Pitta moluccensis". BirdLife International. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Strange, Morten (2003). Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 221. ISBN 0-691-11495-1. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Khor, Nelson. "Blue Winged Pitta Success Nesting". slideshow by Nelson Khor at pbase.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
DSC_8612 Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis). Flickr photo. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
DSC_8671Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis). Flickr photo. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Hutchinson, Robert and Mears, Andy. "Extension of the breeding range of Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis) in peninsular Malaysia" Forktail 22: 119–120 (2006). Article hosted at orientalbirdclub.org. Retrieved 27 August 2015.