“Blue-tailed Eight-colored Salamander” Endemic to Borneo
BORNEAN BANDED PITTA Pitta guajana
The Banded Pitta has been split into three new species, one endemic to Borneo, one endemic to Java and Bali, and one found in Sumatra and the Thai-Malay Peninsula.
BORNEAN BANDED PITTA endemic to Borneo.
The Banded Pitta, Pitta guajana, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family. It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas(except Sulawesi).
It includes four subspecies, which can be divided into three main groups: The nominate subspecies from Java and Bali has a yellow eyebrow, underparts that are densely barred in yellowish and blackish-blue and a narrow blue band on the upper chest, irena and ripleyi from the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Sumatra have a more orange eyebrow, a blue belly and a chest that is barred orange and dark bluish (more orange towards the sides; blue towards the center), and schwaneri from Borneo has a blue mid-belly and yellow flanks and chest densely barred with blackish. Females of all subspecies are significantly duller than the males. There are also vocal differences between these, and it has been suggeted they are better treated as three separate species. www.birds.my
“Crimson and Black-crowned Eight-colored Blackbird” Endemic to Sabah, Borneo
BLACK-CROWNED PITTA (BLACK-AND-CRIMSON PITTA) Pitta ussheri
endemic to Borneo, Sabah only.
BLACK-CROWNED PITTA ( Black-and-Crimson Pitta ) endemic birds of Borneo, Sabah Malaysia. www.birds.my
Black-crowned Pitta ( formally known as Black-and-Crimson Pitta ). An endemic strictly to Sabah. If we say that Blue-banded Pitta is “The Jewel Of Borneo” , then Black-and-crimson Pitta should be “The Jewel Of Sabah”.
“Big blue and eight-colored salamander” a rare species of Borneo
GIANT PITTA Pitta caerulea
GIANT PITTA bird of Borneo www.birds.my
GIANT PITTA birds of Borneo www.birds.my
Justification
This species is scarce and patchily distributed within its range, and is likely to have a moderately small global population, which is suspected to be declining moderately rapidly as a result of deforestation throughout much of its range. It is therefore considered Near Threatened.
Taxonomic source(s)
Sibley, C. G.; Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA.
Distribution and population
Pitta caerulea occurs in the Sundaic lowlands, from south Tenasserim, Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Kalimantan and Sumatra (not recorded this century), Indonesia and Brunei (BirdLife International 2001). It is scarce or rare throughout its range, although it may be overlooked due to its shy nature. It occurs at low densities, even in optimal habitat (BirdLife International 2001, Yong Ding Li in litt. 2011).
Population justification
The population size of this species has not been quantified, but it is described as scarce to rare.
Trend justification
This species is likely to be declining in line with rates of forest clearance throughout its range.
Ecology
This species occurs mainly in primary and tall secondary forests in lowlands and hills, up to 1,200 m. It is most often found in dense, swampy areas, although there are records from overgrown rubber estates, scrub and secondary thickets. Little is known of its precise habitat requirements.
Threats
Rates of forest loss in the Sundaic lowlands have been extremely rapid, owing partly to the escalation of illegal logging and land conversion, with deliberate targeting of all remaining stands of valuable timber including those inside protected areas. Forest fires have also had a damaging effect (particularly in 1997-1998). The expansion of oil-palm cultivation is an increasing threat (Yong Ding Li in litt. 2011). The magnitude of these threats may be allayed by this species’s tolerance of hill forest, which is under less pressure from logging and agricultural conversion. Poaching is said to be a potential threat in parts of peninsular Thailand (Yong Ding Li in litt. 2011).
Conservation actions underway
No targeted conservation actions are known for this species, although it occurs in a number of protected areas.
Conservation actions proposed
Conduct repeated surveys across the species’s range to determine the magnitude of declines and rates of range contraction. Conduct ecological studies to improve understanding of its precise habitat requirements, tolerance of secondary habitats and response to fragmentation. Effectively protect significant areas of suitable forest at key sites, in both strictly protected areas and community-led multiple use areas.
References
BirdLife International. 2001. Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.
del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D. 2003. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
Further web sources of information
Detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001).
View photos and videos, and hear sounds of this species from the Internet Bird Collection
IUCN Red List evaluators
Butchart, S., Symes, A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Pitta caerulea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/07/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/07/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife’s Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
