Rusty-naped Pitta

The rusty-naped pitta is a large, short-tailed ground bird with a heavy bill and powerful legs. Males have a deep brown head and underparts, dull green wings, a rich rusty patch across the nape and a strong black stripe running behind the eye. Females are generally duller, with browner wings and faint dark scaling on the lower throat. The combination of a rusty hindneck, dark mask and otherwise subdued forest colours is distinctive (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is native to parts of northeastern India, Myanmar, southern China, Laos and Vietnam. Across this range it inhabits moist lowland and montane forest, including dense bamboo, spending most of its time on or close to the ground. Birds move quietly through leaf litter and take small invertebrates uncovered there. Their secretive habits and shaded habitat can make them difficult to see; persistent calls from within dense undergrowth are often the first indication that one is present (Wikipedia, general species account; BirdsAndMe species synopsis).