Sydney Porter—The Giant Pitta



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many years. I have a Green-breasted Pitta which I have had for over

five years and it always remains in wonderful condition.


When the birds moult, which occurs in August, we give an abundance

of live ant eggs and wasp grub which helps to retain the brilliant

colouring, especially the red which, unless live food is given, fades to

a dull pink.


In regard to the wild life of this bird there is a very interesting

chapter in the Ibis for 1894, p. 501, by Whitehead. He says :—


“ This lovely bird we are told by Mr. Wallace inhabits' the rocky

forests of the mountainous island of Halmaheira, where it hops about

with great activity in the dense tangled forests bristling with rocks.

Thinking that the white breast of this Pitta might be caused by the

bird’s surroundings, I wrote to Mr. Wallace asking him to kindly let

me know the colour of the rocks amongst which it lives. In answer

to my question whether they were white, he replies: ‘ . This district


where my specimens of Pitta maxima were obtained was all coral-

limestone, very rugged and covered with scanty shrubby vegetation.

This limestone is always full of holes and small caverns, so that it

would offer patches of almost white or greyish white rock with almost

black shadows. The black is, I think, the more important as being

protective to the bird, when seen from above by birds of prey, while

the white of the breast would also be assimilated to the rock when seen

horizontally by carnivorous reptiles (lizards and snakes) for there are

no carnivorous mammals. I believe the bird is also found in the

volcanic districts of Gilolo but here also there is rugged rock full of

holes and chasms (black) and scanty vegetation.’


It is an interesting speculation whether the continued cast-up

glare from the white rock may have influenced the change of colour

of the breast of this species.”


Wallace also mentions this bird in his well-known book the Malay

Archipelago. He says : “ My boy Ali shot me a pair of the most

beautiful birds of the East, Pitta gigas, a large ground Thrush whose

plumage of velvety black above is relieved by a breast of pure white,

shoulders of azure blue, and belly of vivid crimson. It has very long

and strong legs, and hops about with such activity in the dense, tangled

forest, bristling with rocks, as to make it difficult to shoot.”



