Rainbow Pitta
Pitta iris· 八色鸫科(2 photos)
Locations:
Rainbow Pitta
16-19 cm. Sole resident pitta in nw. Aust. and our only pitta with black head and breast. Habits, flight, etc., like Noisy Pitta, incl. electric-blue shoulder-patches and white wing spot.
- Other name
- Black-breasted Pitta.
- Voice
- like quicker, shriller Noisy Pitta: brisk, high-pitched 'we-wik-to-wik'; single, high-pitched 'kiew'.
- Habitat
- monsoon rainforest, vine scrubs on watercourses, bamboo thickets, mangroves.
- Breeding
- Nov.-March.
- Nest
- large, domed, with side-entrance; of dead bamboo leaves and other plant material loosely put together; in mangroves or clumps of bamboo 2 m high, sometimes on ground or tussock; lightly roofed over in open situations.
- Eggs
- 4; creamy white with sepia blotches, underlying markings of dull purplish grey.
- Range & Status
- pockets of suitable habitat from coastal nw. Kimberley and islands (WA) to Top End (NT) e. to Groote Eylandt. Fairly common. Sedentary.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Pitta iris iris 2. Pitta iris johnstoneiana
