Blue Pitta

The blue pitta is a compact forest-floor bird about 23 cm long. Males combine a yellowish forehead and crown, orange nape, bold black eye-stripe, blue back and tail and pale blue underparts densely spotted black. Females are duller and browner, with less extensive blue and a more buff-toned underside. Strong legs, a very short tail and an upright stance suit its terrestrial life, while the intricate spotted plumage breaks up its outline in leaf litter (Wikipedia, general species account).

It occurs from the northeastern Indian subcontinent and southern China through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The species inhabits moist evergreen lowland and montane forest, bamboo, ravines and shaded areas near streams, and may also use somewhat drier woodland. Usually solitary, it walks and hops over the forest floor, turning leaves while searching for insects and other small invertebrates. Its clear, repeated whistle is often a better clue to its presence than a direct view (Wikipedia, general species account).