Giant pitta

The giant pitta (Hydrornis caeruleus) is a species of bird in the family Pittidae.

Giant pitta
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pittidae
Genus:	Hydrornis
Species:	H. caeruleus
Binomial name
Hydrornis caeruleus (Raffles, 1822)
Synonyms
Pitta caerulea

Distribution and habitat

Illustration by Gould & Richter

The giant pitta is native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. It inhabits primary and tall secondary forests at elevations of up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft). It appears to prefer densely vegetated, swampy areas, but has infrequently been reported from drier and secondary vegetation.^[1]

Conservation

The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Total population size is unknown, but it is believed to be scarce to rare, and thought to be under pressure from rapid forest loss in its native habitat.^[1]