Indian Pitta
| Indian Pitta | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pittidae |
| Genus: | Pitta |
| Species: | P. brachyura |
| Binomial name | |
| Pitta brachyura (Linnaeus, 1766) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Corvus brachyurus[2] |
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The Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura) is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls. They however often crash into houses during the migratory season and their brilliant colouration makes them an object of curiosity and are often covered in newspaper stories.[3]
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[edit] Description
The Indian Pitta is a small stubby-tailed bird that is mostly seen on the floor of forests or under dense undergrowth, foraging on insects in leaf litter. It has long, strong legs, a very short tail and stout bill, with a buff coloured crown stripe, black coronal stripes, a thick black eye stripe and white throat and neck. The upperparts are green, with a blue tail, the underparts buff, with bright red on the lower belly and vent. The bird normally hops on the ground to forage and has been known to get trapped in ground traps meant for small mammals.[4] They roost in trees.[5] It has been suggested that the width of the coronal stripe may differ in the sexes.[6]
It is more often heard than seen and has a distinctive loud two-note whistle wheeet-tieu or wieet-pyou or sometimes, a triple note hh-wit-wiyu. They have a habit of calling once or twice, often with neighbouring individuals joining in, at dawn or dusk leading to their common name of "Six-O-Clock" bird in Tamil.[7] When calling the head is thrown back and the bill is pointed upwards.[8]
Pittas are among the few Old World suboscine birds. The Indian Pitta is the basal member of a distinct clade that includes many of the Oriental species.[9] It forms a superspecies with the Fairy Pitta (P. nympha), Mangrove Pitta (P. megarhyncha) and Blue-winged Pitta (P. moluccensis).
[edit] Etymology
The name Pitta comes from the Telugu word meaning "small bird".[8] Local names in India are based on the colours and their behaviours such as the time of calling and these include Hindi: Naorang, Punjabi: Nauranga (=Nine colours), Bengali: Shumcha, Cachar: Dao bui yegashi, Gujarati: Navaranga or Hariyo; Tamil: Arumani kuruvi (=6-OClock bird), Kathu-alechi (=Wind blown), Thotta kalla; Telugu: Polanki pitta, Ponnangi pitta; Malayalam: Kavi; Kannada: Navaranga and Sinhalese: Avichchiya.[10] The Sinhalese interpretation of its call is that the bird is complaining about the theft of its dress by a peacock: “Evith giya, evith giya, ayith kiyannam, methe budun buduwana vita ayith kiyannam,” which translates as: “Came and went! Came and went! I’ll still be complaining when the next Buddha comes! I’ll still be complaining!”[11]
[edit] Distribution
Indian Pittas breed mainly in the Himalayan foothills from northern Pakistan in the west (Margalla hills[12]) to at least Nepal and possibly up to Sikkim in the east. They also breed in the hills of central India and in the Western Ghats south until Belgaum and Goa.[5][13] They migrate to all parts of peninsular India and Sri Lanka in winter. Exhausted birds may turn up inside homes.[8] They are rare in the dry parts of the country.[14]
[edit] Behaviour and ecology
These birds make seasonal movements associated with the rains and these have not been well studied.[15] The breeding season is during the South-west Monsoon from June to August, with peaks in June in central India and July in northern India[16]). The nest is a globular structure with a circular opening on one side built on the ground or on low branches. It is made up of dry leaves and grasses. The clutch is four to five eggs which are very glossy white and spherical with spots and speckles of deep maroon or purple.[5][8]
They feed on insects and other small invertebrates that are usually picked up from the ground or leaf litter. They have also been noted to take kitchen food scraps from the ground.[17]
Avian malaria parasites have been noted in the species.[18] Five out of thirteen birds in an ectoparasite survey were found to have the tick, Haemaphysalis spinigera.[19]
[edit] References
- ^ BirdLife International (2008). Pitta brachyura. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 12 September 2009.
- ^ Dickinson, E.C., R.W.R.J. Dekker, S. Eck & S. Somadikarta (2000). "Systematic notes on Asian birds. 5. Types of the Pittidae" (PDF). Zool. Verh. Leiden 331: 101–119. http://www.naturalis.nl/sites/naturalis.en/contents/i000308/snab004.pdf.
- ^ "Increased noise scares away birds". Chennai, India: The Hindu, 4 October 2006. 4 October 2006. http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100408310300.htm.
- ^ Prabhakar,A (1998). "An Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura) trapped in a standard Sherman live trap". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (1): 114–115.
- ^ a b c Rasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide.. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. pp. 295–296.
- ^ Harper, EW (1902). "The sex of the bengal pitta Pitta brachyura". Avicultural Magazine 1 (1): 29. http://www.archive.org/stream/aviculturalmagaz01avic#page/29/mode/1up/.
- ^ Lambert,F (1996). "Identification of pittas in the brachyura complex in Asia". OBC Bull. 23: 31–37. http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/bullfeats/pittas.html.
- ^ a b c d Whistler, Hugh (1949). Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (4th ed.). Gurney and Jackson. pp. 275–277.
- ^ Irestedt, M., Ohlson, J. I., Zuccon, D., Källersjö, M. & Ericson, P. G. P. (2006). "Nuclear DNA from old collections of avian study skins reveals the evolutionary history of the Old World suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes)". Zoologica Scripta 35 (6): 567–580. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00249.x. http://www.nrm.se/download/18.72ab64ef10e51a5c8f4800047/Irestedt+et+al+OW+suboscines.pdf.
- ^ Anonymous (1998). "Vernacular Names of the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent" (PDF). Buceros 3 (1): 53–109. http://www.bnhsenvis.nic.in/pdf/vol%203%20(1).pdf.
- ^ Bandara, C. M. Madduma (2009). "Exploring the link between culture and biodiversity in Sri Lanka". SANSAI : an Environmental Journal for the Global Community 4: 1–23. hdl:2433/110021.
- ^ Islam, Kamal (1978). "Sighting of the Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura) in Pakistan". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 75 (3): 924–925.
- ^ Pande, S A (2001). "The Nesting of Pitta brachyura in the Konkan Maharashtra". Newsletter for Birdwatchers 41 (4): 48–49.
- ^ Singh, Himmat (2004). "Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura in the Thar Desert". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 101 (2): 319–320.
- ^ Ali, S & S D Ripley (1983). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. 4 (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 252–253.
- ^ Bentham,RM (1922). "Breeding of the Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura and the Streaked Wren-Warbler Prinia lepida". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 28 (4): 1135.
- ^ Devasahayam,S; Devasahayam,A (1989). "A note on the food habits of the Indian Pitta". Newsletter for Birdwatchers 29 (5&6): 8. http://www.archive.org/stream/NLBW29_56#page/n9/mode/1up/.
- ^ Valkiunas G & MA Pierce (2000). "The status of Plasmodium corradettii Laird, 1998 (Haemosporida:Plasmodiidae): a malarial parasite of birds". Systematic Parasitology 45 (2): 141–143. doi:10.1023/A:1006271710771. PMID 10743858.
- ^ Rajagopalan,PK (1972). "Ixodid Ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) parasitizing wild birds in the Kyasanur forest disease area of Shimoga District, Mysore State, India". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 69 (1): 55–78.
[edit] Other sources
- Donald,CH (1918). "The occurrence of the Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura in the Kangra District, Punjab". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 25 (3): 497–499.
- Ingalhalikar,S (1977) Indian Pitta in captivity. Newsletter for Birdwatchers . 17(7):8-9.
- Bolster,RC (1921) Breeding of the Indian Pitta. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 28(1):284.
