Black head and brown crown make Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida easy to recognize. Rare in China; cucullata breeds southern Yunnan, to 2000 m (6,560 ft.). Hops on forest floor like a thrush, foraging for insects and earthworms. Upperparts dark green, underparts light green, with a sky-blue shoulder patch and rump. Crimson belly patch reaches to undertail coverts, and has black patch (sometimes difficult to see) above the red on belly. Black flight feathers with large, rounded, white patch on primaries. Very short, black tail. Juvenile duller. Bill short, black; feet dull pink. Fluty, whistled song follows pattern similar to Fairy Pitta P. nympha, but two-part song consists of two single and faster notes, not doubled notes. Song usually repeated at long intervals. — Craig Brelsford
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
