Hooded Pitta
Encyclopedia
The Hooded Pitta, Pitta sordida, is a passerine
bird
. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia
and the Maritime Southeast Asia
, where it lives in different types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas.
Hooded Pittas can reach a length of 16 to 19 cm and a weight of 42 to 70 g. Their diet consists of various insect
s (including their larva
e), which they hunt on the ground, and berries
. In the breeding period, which lasts from February to August, they build nests on the ground; both parent take care of the eggs and the fledglings. They are highly territorial and their fluty double-noted whistle calls ("qweeek-qweeek") can be constantly heard from their territories, sometimes throughout the nights.
In captivity, Hooded Pittas mix well with other species although may be aggressive toward other Pittas when breeding. In the London Zoo
, they are kept in a large walk through aviary in the restored Blackburn Pavilion bird house, while at the Jersey Zoo they are in a large walk-through exhibit with birds such as Palawan Peacock-pheasants and White-rumped Shama
s.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the maritime region of Southeast Asia as opposed to mainland Southeast Asia and includes the modern countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and Singapore....
, where it lives in different types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas.
Hooded Pittas can reach a length of 16 to 19 cm and a weight of 42 to 70 g. Their diet consists of various insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s (including their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e), which they hunt on the ground, and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. In the breeding period, which lasts from February to August, they build nests on the ground; both parent take care of the eggs and the fledglings. They are highly territorial and their fluty double-noted whistle calls ("qweeek-qweeek") can be constantly heard from their territories, sometimes throughout the nights.
In captivity, Hooded Pittas mix well with other species although may be aggressive toward other Pittas when breeding. In the London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
, they are kept in a large walk through aviary in the restored Blackburn Pavilion bird house, while at the Jersey Zoo they are in a large walk-through exhibit with birds such as Palawan Peacock-pheasants and White-rumped Shama
White-rumped Shama
The White-rumped Shama is a small passerine bird of the family Muscicapidae. It was formerly classified as a member of the Thrush family, Turdidae, causing it to be commonly known as the White-rumped Shama Thrush or simply Shama Thrush.-Distribution:They are native to South and Southeast Asia, but...
s.