Azure-breasted pitta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Azure-breasted pitta |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pitta
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| Species: |
steerii
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The azure-breasted pitta (Pitta steerii) is a super colorful bird from the Pittidae family. It's known for its bright red, blue, green, black, and white feathers! This amazing bird lives only on a few islands in the Philippines, like Mindanao, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. It loves to live in warm, wet lowland forests, but sadly, its home is shrinking because of habitat loss.
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What is an Azure-breasted Pitta?
The azure-breasted pitta is a medium-sized bird with long legs. It lives on the forest floor and in the undergrowth of lowland and foothill forests in the southern Philippines.
How to Spot One
This pitta has a green back and a black head and neck. Its wings are a pale blue with black edges. Its belly is pale blue with a black patch, and the area under its tail is red.
It looks a bit like the Hooded pitta, especially from behind. But you can tell the azure-breasted pitta apart by its pale blue chest and white throat.
What Does It Sound Like?
The azure-breasted pitta has a unique song. It's a short series of medium-pitched barks. It sounds like "rak-rak-rak-rak-rak!"
Different Kinds of Azure-breasted Pittas
There are two main types, or subspecies, of the azure-breasted pitta:
- P. s. steeri: This type lives on Mindanao island. It tends to be darker and has a stronger green color.
- P. s. coelestis: This type is found on Bohol, Leyte, and Samar islands. It is usually paler in color.
Where Do Azure-breasted Pittas Live?
These birds live in tropical moist lowland forests. They prefer areas with lots of dense plants growing close to the ground. They can be found up to 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) above sea level. However, they are more common below 600 meters (about 2,000 feet). They especially like forests that have limestone rocks sticking out of the ground.
Why Are Azure-breasted Pittas in Danger?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says this bird is a Vulnerable species. This means it's at high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
How Many Are Left?
Experts believe there are only about 2,500 to 9,999 adult azure-breasted pittas left.
What Threatens Them?
The biggest danger to these birds is habitat loss. Their forest homes are being cleared away for several reasons:
- Logging: Trees are cut down for wood.
- Farming: Forests are turned into land for growing crops.
- Mining: Land is dug up to find valuable minerals.
The island of Bohol is a good example of this problem. It now has only about 4% of its original forest cover left.
Protecting Their Homes
Some areas are protected to help these birds. These include the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape in Bohol and the Samar Island Natural Park. However, even in these protected places, there are still challenges. Things like illegal logging and hunting sometimes happen, making it harder to keep the birds safe.
Gallery
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An illustration.
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Azure-breasted Pitta
