Family Pittas (Pittidae)
Vulnerable
Azure-breasted Pitta (Pitta steerii)
Taxonomy
French: Brève de Steere German: Azurbrustpitta Spanish: Pita de Mindanao
Other common names:
Steere’s Pitta
Taxonomy:
Brachyurus Steerii
Sharpe
, 1876,Dumalon, Mindanao, Philippines
.
Subspecies and Distribution
P. s. coelestis
Parkes, 1971 – C Philippines (Samar, Leyte, Bohol).
P. s. steerii
(Sharpe, 1876) – S Philippines (Mindanao).
Descriptive notes
19 cm; male 86–100 g, female 69–113 g. Adult has black head, dark green upperparts, green-blue uppertail-coverts, black tail; wings black, secondaries broadly... read more
Voice
Five or more loud, explosive short “whirp”, “kwo” or “kva”... read more
Habitat
Forest with thick undergrowth, preferring limestone areas; also degraded forest on Mindanao. To... read more
Food and feeding
Insects and worms recorded. Forages on ground, fallen logs and boulders; flicks over dead leaves with bill.
Breeding
Almost unknown. Male with enlarged gonads in May and fully fledged juveniles in Jun on Samar, juvenile in Jul on Bohol, and immatures in... read more
Movements
Sedentary.
Status and conservation
VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas EBA. Rare; recorded from only three localities since 1980. Rare and local on Mindanao, where... read more
Race coelestis poorly differentiated, may not merit taxonomic recognition. Two subspecies currently recognized.