| Erythropitta | |
|---|---|
_Pitta_(14204964493).jpg) | |
| Black-crowned pitta,Erythropitta ussheri | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pittidae |
| Genus: | Erythropitta Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Species | |
See text. | |
Erythropitta is agenus of birds in the pitta familyPittidae. The members of the genus are found mostly inSoutheast Asia, with one species, thePapuan pitta, ranging into northeast Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genusPitta, but based on the results of amolecular phylogenetic study published in 2006, the family Pittidae has been split into three genera.
The pittas were at one time all usually placed in the genusPitta, the only genus in the familyPittidae, but when a 2006molecular phylogenetic study found that the pittas formed three separate groups, the genus was split and some species were moved into two resurrected genera,Erythropitta andHydrornis.[1] The genusErythropitta had been introduced in 1854 by the French naturalistCharles Lucien Bonaparte.[2] Thetype species was subsequently designated as thePapuan pitta (Erythropitta macklotii).[3] The nameErythropitta combines theAncient Greek worderuthros "red" with the genus namePitta.[4]
Pittas in this genus have red or crimson coloured underparts, greenish or blueish backs and short tails. They are mostly small in size.[1]
The genus contains the following 13 species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erythropitta kochi | Whiskered pitta | Luzon in the Philippines. | |
.jpg) | Erythropitta erythrogaster | Philippine pitta | Philippines. |
| Erythropitta dohertyi | Sula pitta | Sula and Banggai Islands | |
 | Erythropitta celebensis | Sulawesi pitta | Sulawesi, Manterawu, and Togian Islands |
| Erythropitta rubrinucha | South Moluccan pitta | Indonesia on Buru and Seram. | |
_0A2A7090.jpg) | Erythropitta rufiventris | North Moluccan pitta | northern Moluccas |
| Erythropitta meeki | Louisiade pitta | Louisiade Archipelago in Papua New Guinea | |
| Erythropitta novaehibernicae | Bismarck pitta | New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea | |
 | Erythropitta macklotii | Papuan pitta | Aru Islands, New Guinea |
.jpg) | Erythropitta arquata | Blue-banded pitta | Borneo |
 | Erythropitta granatina | Garnet pitta | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. |
 | Erythropitta venusta | Graceful pitta | Sumatra, Indonesia |
.jpg) | Erythropitta ussheri | Black-crowned pitta | Sabah in northern Borneo |
