THE LAEOER BLTTE-WINaED PITTA 
Fitta megarhyncha, SchUg 
Malay name: — Burong Pachat. 
Description: — Broadly speaking this :s a thrush-like bird 
with a short tail, longish legs and very brilliant plumage the 
general scheme pf which is green above, creamy brown b«low 
and with a bright red patch under the tail. 
Top of tbe head brown ^ sides of the head blacfcj chin and 
thj-oat white. The back green, the rump bright blue and the 
tail mostly black. The wings ha%'e the upper coverts bright 
blue and the quills black with large white patches. The under- 
parts are very pale brown or very dark creamy colour with the 
centre of the abdomen and the under tail-coverts bright red. 
The irides are brown, the bill black and the feet fleshy 
colour. 
Length about 8 or 9 inches; wing 4^ to 5 inches. 
The sexes are similar in colour. 
Distribution: — This bird has a limited range compared 
with most of the birds dealt with in this book : it is only found 
in Burma, Tenasserim and the Malay Peninsula. 
Status in Singapore :— A resident bird in Singapore and 
found more or less commonly in the mangrove on both sides 
of the Straits of Johore and also on the small outlying islands. 
Along the edges of cr^ks on the northern coast of Singapore 
it may often be seen. 
Field Notes: — Like other pittas this must be looked for 
on the gronnd. It comes to the edge of the mangrove to bathe 
and the brilliant pltimage, particularly the green back and 
bright red under tail-coverts reveal its identity. It is easily 
alarmed for it is a shy bird and then hastens off with very long 
hops through the mangrove trees keeping close to the ground 
and leaping from root to root. 
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