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Pittidae:
Pittas are passerine birds mainly found in tropical Asia and Australasia, although a couple of species live in Africa. They are all similar in general structure and habits, and are placed in single genus. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, and stocky, with longish strong legs, very short tails and stout bills. Many, but not all, are brightly coloured. The name is derived from the word pitta in the Telugu language of Andhra Pradesh in India and is a generic local name used for all small birds.
These are fairly terrestrial birds of wet forest floors, which eat snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey. They are mostly solitary and lay up to six eggs in a large spherical nest in a tree or shrub, or sometimes on the ground.
Many species of pittas are migratory, and they often end up at odd places like house-gardens during passage migration. |
