Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida Scientific name definitions

With a distribution spanning more than 8,000 km, Hooded Pitta is one of Asia’s most frequently observed and familiar pittas. Comprising 12 subspecies (as recognized herein), it exhibits considerable phenotypic variation, with deep genetic divergence between populations either side of Wallace’s Line, and further divergence among populations on the Nicobar Islands, Sulawesi, and the New Guinea island of Biak. Further research is needed to fully elucidate species limits, but multiple species are probably involved, with one recent global checklist dividing the species into three. While most subspecies are sedentary, one (cucullata), undertakes a considerable migration from the Indian Subcontinent to the Sundas, where it joins resident populations in the undergrowth of forest, in addition to well-vegetated gardens, plantations, and mature scrub. Principally a lowland species, it is readily identified throughout its range: the green body plumage, dark head, and bright blue wing-coverts easily distinguish it from all other sympatric pittas.