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  Profile

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  In flight

Pittas

Hooded Pitta

Pitta sordida

• rare
• 38 km/h
• Least Concern

Six subspecies across Asia-Pacific, all wearing the same jewel-bright kit: green body, black hood, red belly.

Habitat

Multiple types of lowland and hill forest (primary and secondary), bamboo stands, mangroves, plantations, and cultivated/scrub areas near forest edge, generally below ~1,600 m elevation

Fun fact

The Hooded Pitta builds a domed, ground-level nest and is famously secretive despite its bright plumage, most often revealed by its loud, far-carrying two-note whistle used to defend its forest-floor territory.

Range

South and Southeast Asia: north India through south China, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, and the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Java, Borneo), the Philippines, and the Sangihe Islands

Diet

Mainly ground-foraging on invertebrates — insects, larvae, earthworms, and snails picked from leaf litter — supplemented with berries and seeds

Size

0.175 m