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Rainbow Pitta (Pitta iris) Alternate name(s): "Black-breasted Pitta" Size: 16-19 cm Body mass: 52-88 g

Australia: Family Group 15 Family Group 15 Table Noisy Pitta Rainbow Pitta Superb Lyrebird Albert's Lyrebird Noisy Scrub-bird Rufous Scrub-bird Rufous Bristlebird Western Bristlebird Black-tailed Treecreeper Red-browed Treecreeper White-browed Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Rufous Treecreeper White-throated Treecreeper Eurasian Hoopoe Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Rainbow Pittas small pittas. Their head is black, with an inverted brown "V" on the crown. The front (throat, chest and belly) is black, as is the neck. The vent is red. The back is green to olive-green, with light-blue wing patches. The tail is very short. The irises are black, the bill is black and the legs and feet are greyish-pink. Juveniles have an orange gape and duller colours. Twitcher's tip Rainbow Pittas have a black front and neck, while Noisy Pittas have a buff-yellow neck and front with a black central stripe.

Taxonomy, classification See Rainbow Pitta at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Rainbow Pitta is available HERE . There are two races of Rainbow Pittas, both of which are endemic to Australia. The range of nominate race "iris" is restrcited to a wide (near-)coastal strip along the Top End of the NT, from about the WA/NT border in the West to East Arnhemland in the East. Race "johnstoneiana" populates the coastal regions of the Kimberley in WA. Rainbow Pittas can be found in closed forest, mangrove and other types of thickets.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "iris" B. Hensen reports spotting Rainbow Pittas, race "iris", semi-regularly at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT. P. Brown reports finding them at the same location in August 2018. We first spotted a Rainbow Pitta, race "iris", in monsoonal forest at Fogg Dam CR, NT, in August 2014. H. Mouritsen reports spotting Rainbow Pittas, race "iris", in two different locations near Darwin, NT, in October 2015. P. Brown reports spotting a Rainbow Pitta, race "iris", at Howard Springs Nature Park, near Darwin, NT, in February 2018, and another at Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, in September 2019. Two were found at Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, in June 2020. M. Eaton found a Rainbow Pitta, race "iris", at Fogg Dam CR, NT, in July 2020.

Photos

Race "iris"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Frontal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, July 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

Lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

Lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2013]

Dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta hiding in shrubbery (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2018]

Dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, July 2020]

Close-up dorsal/ventral view of a Rainbow Pitta (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tumbling Waters, near Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Feb

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 15 - 17 days

Fledging age: 14 - 20 days

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Domed basket

Material: Thick sticks, dead leaves, grass, bark

Height above ground: 0 - 2? m

Rainbow Pitta nest with two chicks inside; this nest was found in a major fork, 2.5 m off the ground, in a Douglas River flood zone (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Oolloo Road, Douglas-Daly, NT, January 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta carrying a thick stick for its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Howard Springs Nature Reserve, near Darwin, NT, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Rainbow Pitta ignoring a snake while collecting nest material (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Howard Springs Nature Reserve, near Darwin, NT, October 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 30 x 24 mm

Colour: White, with sparse light-grey to light-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary

Rainbow Pittas spend a lot of time on the ground, but to mark their territory they use elevated perches
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Food, Diet

Rainbow Pittas feed, amongst other things, on worms.

Lateral view of a Rainbow Pitta that has caught a worm (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Rainbow Pittas usually call only during the breeding season.

rainpit_pb_20191219.m4a	iris (Darwin, NT)	Contact calls?	© PB
rainpit_pb_20200614.m4a	iris (Darwin, NT)	Contact calls? (Q&A) (+ Grey Whistler)	© PB

More Rainbow Pitta sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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