Rainbow Pitta
A species of Typical Pittas Scientific name : Pitta iris Genus : Typical Pittas
Rainbow Pitta, A species of Typical Pittas
Botanical name: Pitta iris
Genus: Typical Pittas
Content
Description General Info
Description
The rainbow pitta is 16 to 18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) in length, and weighs 52–88 g (1.8–3.1 oz). Females weigh 67 g (2.4 oz), slightly more on average than males, which weigh 62 g (2.2 oz). It typically stands upright while looking for food or resting, with the legs slightly bent, and the body held at a 60–70° angle. It moves around by hopping. Its head, neck, breast, flanks and upper belly are velvet black, its upper parts are olive-green, and its lower belly and undertail coverts are scarlet red. The wings are green with a golden sheen and have a shining blue patch on the lesser wing coverts, and the flight feathers and underwing are black. The tail is olive-green with a black base and the uppertail coverts sometimes have a silvery-blue band across them. It has a black bill, pink legs, brown eyes and a chestnut stripe along each side of its crown. Many individuals display the pitta family's characteristic dark streaks, which can be arrow-shaped or stripes, through the middle of the feathers of the upper part of the body; examination of study skins have found around 60% of rainbow pittas have them. This varies somewhat regionally, as birds from Darwin were found to have none. Uniquely in the pitta family the streaks are not dusky or blackish but are instead bronze-coloured in this species. The plumage is essentially the same for both sexes; females may have slightly more buff-yellow in their flanks and a slightly different shade of red on the lower belly, but these differences do not make the sexes distinguishable by plumage. The subspecies P. i. johnstoneiana is very similar to the nominate race, except the chestnut eyebrow is larger, as is the wing-spot, but the bird overall is slightly smaller. 
Size
18 cm
Feeding Habits
Rainbow Pitta primarily consumes earthworms, insects, arthropods, snails, and Carpentaria fruits. During the rainy season, it predominantly eats earthworms, while other prey is targeted in the dry season. It employs ground foraging, using roots as anvils to break snail shells and shaking large prey before consumption.
Habitat
The rainbow Pitta inhabits environments such as monsoon rainforests, gallery forests, and vine scrubs, showing a preference for the dense understory of these areas. Additionally, it can be found within eucalypt forests and occasionally ventures into bamboo thickets, mangrove edges, and even adapts to anthropogenic landscapes like pine plantations.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The rainbow pitta is endemic to the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and is found from sea-level to 380 m (1,250 ft). It is the only species of pitta endemic to Australia. In the Northern Territory it is found in the Top End, from Darwin east to the edge of the Arnhem Escarpment. Further east it is found on Groote Eylandt and the Wessel Islands. In Western Australia it is restricted to the coastal Kimberley, from Walcott Inlet to Middle Osborn Island. It is also found on some of the islands of the Bonaparte Archipelago. It is found most commonly in monsoon forest and in adjacent vine-scrub and gallery forest, and also occurs in eucalypt forest, bamboo forests, paperbark forest and scrub, Lophostemon forests and the edges of mangrove forests (but never in mangrove forests themselves). It is mostly found in closed forests, but is also found in more open forests. It has sometimes been found in plantations of introduced pines, and has even bred in that habitat. This species is one of only two pittas that have been recorded feeding on open lawns in towns. The species is sedentary, most pairs occupying their territories year-round. Some local movements to more marginal habitats have been recorded during the dry season. Its movements can be difficult to trace during the post-breeding season, as it is silent during the annual moult, and generally shy throughout the year. Young birds disperse from their parents' territories, seeking territories of their own. One banded juvenile was discovered 6.5 km (4.0 mi) from its natural territory.
Species Status
The rainbow pitta is not thought to be in danger of extinction. It has a limited global distribution but is generally common throughout its range. In Kakadu National Park it is found in densities of one bird per 10,000 m (110,000 sq ft). The Western Australian subspecies P. i. johnstoneiana may not be doing as well, as feral cattle destroy its habitat and seem to be causing some declines, although this subspecies is poorly known. Overall the rainbow pitta is evaluated as being of least concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Pittas Genus
Typical Pittas Species
Rainbow Pitta 
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