The whiskered pitta (''Erythropitta kochi'') is a rare species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family Pittidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Along with the

Azure-breasted pitta The azure-breasted pitta (''Pitta steerii'') is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is a striking and colorful bird having colors of red, azure, green, black and white, It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Bohol, Leyte and Samar in ...

, it is one of two endemic pittas in the country. This bird is the largest pitta in the country reaching 23 cm long and 116 grams in mass. It has a brownish head, blue breast, and red belly. It has broad ash malar or "whiskers". Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

is tropical moist lowland forest and tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and trapping.BirdLife Species Factsheet.
/ref> It is one of the most sought after birds by

birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

in the

Description and taxonomy

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...

describes the bird as "A medium-sized bird of lower-elevation montane forest floor and undergrowth on Luzon. Prefers thick undergrowth with moss, ferns, and a steep slope. Brown on the back and sides with a red belly, a blue chest, tail, and edge of the wing, rufous on the back of the head, a dark face with a pale moustache, and a pale line behind the eye. Very similar to Blue-breasted Pitta, but Whiskered usually occurs at higher elevations, has an obvious whisker on the face, and has a brown rather than green back. Song is a long, mournful downslurred note followed by several shorter ones, “doooo doo-doo-doo-doo!”." This species is monotypic.

Ecology and behavior

Has been recorded feeding on small beetles and earth worms. There is a feeding station for this species in

Mount Banahaw Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an active complex volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano is located at the boundary of Laguna and Quezon provinces. It is the highest mountain in both provinces ...

which is fed earthworms and mealworms. It forages on the ground, and seemingly shows a preference of moist ground. It often seen in areas where wild boar have disturbed the soil. It has been recorded on the migration funnel in

Dalton Pass Dalton Pass, also called Balete Pass, is a zigzag road and mountain pass that joins the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, in central Luzon island of the Philippines. It is part of Cagayan Valley Road segment of Pan-Philippine Highway ( ...

which possibly suggests intra-island migration or post-breeding dispersal. Barely anything is known about its breeding habits. It is most vocal from February to June but immature birds have been seen as early as January. Nests seen around 1 meter above ground made of dead twigs, recorded nest contained 2 chicks.

Habitat and conservation status

It chiefly inhabits montane forest, tolerating degraded and selectively logged areas. Records span a wide altitudinal range of 360 to 2,200 m. However, the highest densities found at 900-1,500 m where it typically breeds. It appears to prefer closed-canopy, primary montane, oak dominated forest, frequently on steep slopes. Its movements are poorly understood. Records from south Luzon (which may refer to wintering individuals) suggest that there is some intra-island migration.. IUCN has assessed this bird as

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

with estimates being at 10,000 to 19,999 mature individuals but was assessed as vulnerable prior to its discovery in more sites. This species' main threat is

with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of logging, agricultural conversion and mining activities occurring within the range. It is also threatened by hunting in snare traps. It occurs in a number of protected areas, including the

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan ...

, Mount Pulag Natural Park, Mt. Isarog,

Mount Data Mount Data is a mountain located in the Cordillera Central mountain range rising to a height of in the north of Luzon Island, Philippines. It is about north of Baguio on the borders of the provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province along the ...

Mounts Banahaw–San Cristobal Protected Landscape Mounts Banahaw–San Cristobal Protected Landscape is a protected landscape park in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines, south of Manila. It is the second largest protected area in Calabarzon, after the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected ...

Angat Watershed Forest Reserve The Angat Watershed Forest Reserve is a List of protected areas of the Philippines, conservation area that protects the drainage basin in the southern Sierra Madre (Philippines), Sierra Madre range north of Metro Manila in the Philippines where ...

and

Aurora Memorial National Park Aurora Memorial National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located within the Sierra Madre mountain range between the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora in Central Luzon. History Established in 1937 by virtue of ''Proclamation No. 2 ...

however enforcement against loggers and hunters is lax. It is also listed as

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Appendix I.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q788836

whiskered pitta The whiskered pitta (''Erythropitta kochi'') is a rare species of bird in the family Pittidae. It is Endemism, endemic to Luzon in the Philippines. Along with the Azure-breasted pitta, it is one of two endemic pittas in the country. This bird is ...

Endemic birds of the Philippines Birds of Luzon

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot