Blue-winged Pitta

Pitta moluccensis (Müller, PLS, 1776)

≈21 cmLength76 gWeight

It has a green back, bright blue wings and a yellowish-brown supercilium on a black head.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Black head with yellowish-brown supercilium
Scapulars and back green, wings bright blue
Chin white, underparts yellowish-brown
Reddish around the vent, tail very short

Male, female and young

Juveniles have markings similar to adults but duller colors.

Voice

A loud “taew-laew taew-laew”.

Where and when it's recorded

Blue-winged Pitta has been recorded at 242 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 12 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Man Nai IslandThailand438 records
Mahidol University [Kanchanaburi Campus]Thailand353 records
Pulau UbinSingapore320 records

More places

Kaeng Krachan NP – Baan Maka Nature LodgeThailand288 records
Taman Botani Negara Shah AlamMalaysia237 records
Cat Tien NPVietnam155 records
Kranji MarshSingapore135 records
Air Hitam Dalam Educational ForestMalaysia123 records
Jurong Lake GardensSingapore117 records
Singapore Botanic GardensSingapore117 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Thailand Singapore Malaysia Vietnam Cambodia China Myanmar (Burma)Laos

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The blue-winged pitta (Pitta moluccensis) is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. It forms a superspecies with three other pittas, the Indian pitta (P. brachyura), the fairy pitta (P. nympha) and the mangrove pitta (P. megarhyncha). Its range extends from India to Malaysia, Indonesia, southern China and the Philippines.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blue-winged Pitta?

The Blue-winged Pitta is about ≈21 cm long and weighs around 76 g.

Where does the Blue-winged Pitta live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: northeastern Myanmar and far southern Yunnan (southern China) to northern, southern Vietnam and northern Malay Peninsula including Langkawi (west of central Malay Peninsula). It is most often recorded in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

When is the best time to see the Blue-winged Pitta?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Blue-winged Pitta endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-winged Pitta as Least Concern.

What does the Blue-winged Pitta eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Blue-winged Pitta in?

It belongs to the family Pittas (Pittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈21 cm
Weight: 76 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 122 mm
Tail: 41 mm
Bill: 28 mm
Tarsus: 41 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: northeastern Myanmar and far southern Yunnan (southern China) to northern, southern Vietnam and northern Malay Peninsula including Langkawi (west of central Malay Peninsula)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2