Meet the new Pitta in the garden!

We were just commenting to each other that the Blue-winged Pitta hadn’t been seen for several days, and thought that this migrant had finally moved on to its next stop. Then today I heard some hopping in the underbrush, followed by a flash of blue. It was a Pitta! So I rushed for my camera and tried to take some photos.

As usual, the bird was wary of me and hopped behind plants to hide. While I was observing it, I realised that there was something different about this Pitta. The colouring was different from normal, and I thought it might be a different gender or maybe a juvenile bird as is the case with other birds. However, when I later looked to the Internet for some answers, I discovered that it was not a Blue-winged Pitta, but a Hooded Pitta. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Pitta in our garden! It may not be for long, since this is apparently also a migrant like its Blue-winged cousin, but I’m glad to have seen and identified it.

More information on the Hooded Pitta: Hooded Pitta (Pitta Sordida)

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