The azure-breasted pitta (''Pitta steerii'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family Pittidae. It is a striking and colorful bird having colors of red, azure, green, black and white, It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the islands of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

and

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description and taxonomy

EBird describes the bird as "A medium-sized, long-legged bird of lowland and foothill forest floor and undergrowth in the southern Philippines. Green on the back, with a black head and back of the neck, a pale blue wing with a black edge, pale blue underparts with a black patch on the belly, and red under the base of the tail. Similar to Hooded pitta especially if viewed from the back, but has a pale blue chest and a white throat. Song is a short series of medium-pitched barks, 'rak-rak-rak-rak-rak!

Subspecies

Two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized: * ''P. s. steeri'' – Found on

; Darker and has a stronger green tinge * ''P. s. coelestis'' – Found on

and

; Paler in colour

Habitat and conservation status

It is found in tropical moist lowland forest with dense understory up to 1,000 meters above sea level but more common below 600 meters. It prefers forests with

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

outcrops IUCN has assessed this bird as Vulnerable with the population being estimated at 2,500 to 9,999 mature individuals remaining. This species' main threat is

with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of logging, agricultural conversion and mining activities occurring within the range. The most effected part of its range is

which only has 4% forest cover remaining. Only a few areas are protected in

Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area of forested limestone hills, grasslands and natural springs in the island province of Bohol in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the largest remaining tract of ...

in Bohol and

Samar Island Natural Park The Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area, with an area of . The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three ...

but actual protection and enforcement from illegal logging and hunting are lax.

Gallery

File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoVGoul 0304, b.jpg, An illustration. File:Azure-breasted Pitta-6 by Jainy Maria.tif, Azure-breasted Pitta

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet
Pitta (genus) Endemic birds of the Philippines Birds of Mindanao Fauna of Bohol Fauna of Leyte Fauna of Samar Birds described in 1876 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Pittidae-stub