Bird Album
Blue-naped Pitta
Hydrornis nipalensis (Hodgson, 1837)
≈24 cmLength124 gWeight
This ground-dwelling bird has a short tail, blue-green back, red-yellow underparts and bright blue nape.
Busiest months: February and April · Most records: India, China, Bangladesh
How to identify
Field marks
- Nape and occiput bright blue
- Male has tea-green wings
- Underparts red-yellow
- Tail short, brown with a slight green tinge
Male, female and young
Sexes similar, but the female has a reddish-brown rear crown rather than blue, and a green nape.
Voice
A two-note whistle, heard from the ground or trees at dawn and dusk.
Where and when it's recorded
Blue-naped Pitta has been recorded at 37 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Dihing Patkai NP – SoraipungIndia83 records
- Satchari NPBangladesh76 records
- Kaziranga NP & SurroundingsIndia40 records
More places
- Tam Dao NPVietnam32 records
- Manas NP – BanasbariIndia32 records
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChina32 records
- Kaziranga NP & Surroundings – Eastern RangeIndia31 records
- Dihing Patkai NP – SoraipungIndia27 records
- HongbengheChina27 records
- Shiti VillageChina22 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
Questions
How big is the Blue-naped Pitta?
The Blue-naped Pitta is about ≈24 cm long and weighs around 124 g.
Where does the Blue-naped Pitta live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Nepal to Myanmar, southern China and northern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in India, China and Bangladesh.
When is the best time to see the Blue-naped Pitta?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Blue-naped Pitta endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-naped Pitta as Least Concern.
What does the Blue-naped Pitta eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Blue-naped Pitta in?
It belongs to the family Pittas (Pittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈24 cm
- Weight
- 124 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 116 mm
- Tail
- 58 mm
- Bill
- 27 mm
- Tarsus
- 48 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Nepal to Myanmar, southern China and northern Vietnam
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Hydrornis nipalensis nipalensis c Nepal, se Tibet and ne India to Bangladesh and Myanmar
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittas Pittidae
- Genus
- Hydrornis
Other birds in the genus Hydrornis
Eared PittaHydrornis phayrei
Giant PittaHydrornis caeruleus
Rusty-naped PittaHydrornis oatesi
Schneider's PittaHydrornis schneideri
Blue-rumped PittaHydrornis soror
Malayan Banded PittaHydrornis irena
Javan Banded PittaHydrornis guajanus
Bornean Banded PittaHydrornis schwaneri
Blue-headed PittaHydrornis baudii
Blue PittaHydrornis cyaneus
Gurney's PittaHydrornis gurneyi
Bar-bellied PittaHydrornis elliotii
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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