Bar-bellied Pitta Hydrornis elliotii Scientific name definitions

19–21 cm; 85–97 g. Male has top of head and nape blue-green, bluer on sides, broad black band from lores to nape; upperparts dark green, faintly tinged blue, tail bright blue-violet; chin and upper throat white, lower throat and upper breast blue-green, rest of underparts barred yellow and black, dark blue belly centre; iris brown to dark brown; bill dark red-brown to black; feet fleshy-coloured. Female has top of head and nape buffish-brown with central crown greenish, throat and upper breast dirty buffish, rest of underparts less yellow than male, no blue on belly. Dusky stripes found on upperparts of 37% of 27 adults examined (both sexes). Juvenile is dark brown, darker on head side, spotted buff above and on breast, pale throat, mostly orange bill.

Extreme E & SE Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Evergreen and semi-evergreen forest with rich understorey, often on limestone; also secondary forest and logged areas. Also moist riverine primary forest in S Laos. Often in bamboo-dominated understorey in flat forest, but also in dry sloping forest where understorey dominated by fan palms. Occurs from sea-level to 800 m.

Only termites (Isoptera), a 2-cm-long caterpillar and earthworms reported. Pecks at ground, turns over leaves; once seen repeatedly digging in soil and leaf litter.

Common call a cheerful trisyllabic whistle , “tu-wi-whil”, “per-ur,wu”, “hwt-whit-too” or “chawee-wu”, repeated every c. 9 seconds; occasionally a mellow “hhwee-bwba”; loud, exclamatory “skew”, “jeeow” or “jow” as alarm; soft “coo” by adults approaching nest, chicks answering with soft “chip” and tweets.

Season probably Apr–Jun, but very few records. Domed nest 18 × 24 × 20 cm, with side entrance and a “doormat” 13 × 12 cm, built of twigs, leaves of palm, bamboo and rattan, some leaves skeletonized, lined with finer leaf veins, and placed low down in palm or to 5 m in tree. Clutch 2–4 eggs, creamy white and unmarked, or spotted brown at broad end, 29 × 22 mm; incubation and nestling periods undescribed; both parents feed fledglings.