Superb Pitta

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.

References

• Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• IUCN Red List