Superb Pitta
Encyclopedia
The Superb Pitta, Pitta superba, is a large pitta
, approximately 22cm long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and green-tipped secondaries. Both sexes are almost similar. The female is a slightly smaller and duller than the male.
The Superb Pitta is distributed and endemic
to primary and secondary forests of the Manus Island
of Papua New Guinea
. As with other pittas, it is a secretive and rarely seen terrestrial
bird. The diet consists mainly of snails.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and small population size, the Superb Pitta is evaluated as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Pitta (bird)
Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds mainly found in tropical Asia and Australasia, although a couple of species live in Africa. Pittas are all similar in general structure and habits, and have often been placed in a single genus, although as of 2009 they are now split into three...
, approximately 22cm long. It has black plumage with turquoise blue wings, a scarlet belly and green-tipped secondaries. Both sexes are almost similar. The female is a slightly smaller and duller than the male.
The Superb Pitta is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to primary and secondary forests of the Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. As with other pittas, it is a secretive and rarely seen terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
bird. The diet consists mainly of snails.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and small population size, the Superb Pitta is evaluated as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.