The banded pittas, Hydrornis spp., are a group of in the family Pittidae that were formerly lumped as a single species, Hydrornis guajana. They are found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands.
Description
The group includes four birds, which can be divided into three main groups: The
species from
Java and
Bali has a yellow eyebrow, underparts that are densely barred in yellowish and blackish-blue and a narrow blue band on the upper chest;
irena and
ripleyi from the Thai-Malay Peninsula and
Sumatra have a more orange eyebrow, a blue belly and a chest that is barred orange and dark bluish (more orange towards the sides, blue towards the center); and
schwaneri from
Borneo has a blue mid-belly and yellow flanks and chest densely barred with blackish. Females of all birds are significantly duller than the males. There are also vocal differences between these, and since 1993 they have been considered by several taxonomists to be better treated as three separate species:
-
Bornean banded pitta ( Hydrornis schwaneri)
-
Javan banded pitta ( Hydrornis guajana)
-
Malayan banded pitta ( Hydrornis irena)
Gallery
BirdsAsiaJohnGoVGoul 0320, crop.jpg|
BirdsAsiaJohnGoVGoul 0316, crop.jpg|
File:Banded Pitta female - Si Phangnga - Thailand S4E4041 (14071787140) (2).jpg|
Hydrornis irena male by Jason Thompson, crop.jpg|
