Elegant pitta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elegant pitta |
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Pitta
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| Species: |
elegans
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The elegant pitta (Pitta elegans) is a beautiful bird found only in Indonesia. It belongs to the pitta family, known for their bright colors. This small bird lives in tropical forests on islands like the Lesser Sunda Islands and the Moluccas.
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Meet the Elegant Pitta
The elegant pitta is a special type of passerine bird. Passerine birds are often called "perching birds." They have feet designed to hold onto branches. This bird is part of the Pittidae family, which includes all the pittas.
Where Does the Elegant Pitta Live?
The elegant pitta is an endemic bird. This means it is found only in a specific area. For the elegant pitta, that area is the Lesser Sunda Islands and the Moluccas in Indonesia. Some people thought it might also live in East Timor. However, it has only been seen in the western part of the island of Timor.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
This bird loves living in tropical forests. It can be found in both dry forests and moist lowland forests. These are warm, humid places with lots of trees and plants.
Different Types of Elegant Pittas
Scientists have found four main types, or subspecies, of the elegant pitta. They are all slightly different depending on which island they live on:
- P. e. virginalis: This type lives on small islands like Tanahjampea, Kalaotoa, and Kalao. These islands are located between Sulawesi and Flores.
- P. e. hutzi: You can find this subspecies on the island of Nusa Penida. This island is southeast of Bali.
- P. e. maria: This type lives on the island of Sumba. Sumba is in the southern part of the Lesser Sundas.
- P. e. elegans: This is the original type of elegant pitta. It lives on the island of Timor and nearby islands like Semau and Kisar.
What Does the Elegant Pitta Look Like?
The elegant pitta is about 19 cm (7.5 in) long. That's about the length of a regular pencil! It weighs between 47–77 g (1.7–2.7 oz). That's like weighing a few small chocolate bars.
This bird has a very colorful look:
- Its head, throat, chin, and neck are black.
- It has a light brown or yellowish stripe on top of its head, called a crown stripe.
- The upper part of its body is dark green.
- Most of its wings are also dark green.
- It has a bright turquoise patch on its wings. This patch is on the smaller feathers called coverts.
- Its rump (the lower part of its back) is turquoise-blue.
- The tail is black with a green tip.
- Its belly is mostly warm, light brown.
- The center of its belly is black with a bright red patch below it.
Both male and female elegant pittas look very similar. This means it can be hard to tell them apart just by looking at their feathers!
