Schneider's Pitta Hydrornis schneideri Scientific name definitions

21–23 cm. Male has top of head and nape bright chestnut-orange, black eyestripe, buffish side of head with many feathers edged black, giving spotted appearance; upperparts and tail shining ultramarine-blue; wings brown; chin and throat white, broken black breastband, rest of underparts orangey-buff; iris red-brown to brown; bill dark brown, tip and base paler; feet light brown with purplish tinge. Female has brown upperparts with blue rump and tail, and is otherwise generally duller than male. A few dusky stripes on blue upperparts of only two of 17 adult males and females examined. Juvenile has dark brown crown and nape spotted pale buffish, warm brown upperparts, dark grey-blue tail, whitish throat, rest of underparts mottled orange-brown mixed with brown; female duller than male.

Highlands of Sumatra.

Feeds on large cockroaches (Blattodea) and large snails, and also seen with a prey item which looked like a large grey millipede (Diplopoda); vegetable food also reported. A pair observed foraging by vigorously turning over dead leaves on the forest floor.

A soft  , protracted, double whistle  , first note rising, second falling, repeated up to 11 times at intervals of 5–6 seconds; calls just after dawn.

VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia EBA. Has been found so far at fewer than ten localities. In 1914, it was found to be common in Kerinci Valley and on Mt Kerinci, in Kerinci-Seblat National Park, at up to 2200 m but mostly below 1400 m; following the collection of a specimen in 1936, however, there were no reported sightings for over 50 years and the species was feared extinct. Then, in 1988, a male and a pair were discovered on Mt Kerinci, at 2375 m, with subsequent reports from Mt Tujuh (1900 m) and Mt Dempo (c. 1750 m) in the Bukit Dingin/Gunung Dempo Protection Forest, and it has been heard at Berestagi in the Batak Highlands. Recent reports from Dolok Sibual Bual Nature Reserve remain unconfirmed. Greatest threats are slash-and-burn agriculture, timber concessions and a growing human population, which have forced it to retreat to still higher altitudes, where habitat likely to be suboptimal. The species’ presence within the Kerinci-Seblat National Park is, sadly, no guarantee for its survival; hunting with air-guns and ground snares is commonly observed in the park. More data are required in order for an accurate assessment of its present conservation status to be made and, moreover, for any comprehensive conservation programme to be formulated. Not known to be kept in captivity.