Ivory-breasted Pitta on Halmahera. Our birdwatching spotlight of the 12 months


After an excellent voyage however lower than profitable birding journey via the Raja Ampat and north Moluccan islands of Indonesia in November, there was a reward for 3 of us on the island of Halmahera on the final day. An area chook information collected some worms from house after which took us to a cover he had constructed himself within the forest. Shortly after he arrange a bluetooth speaker to play the decision, an Ivory-breasted Pitta appeared, displayed and consumed the totally irresistible worms.

Throughout this time I used to be perched on a really low plastic stool of the sort utilized in nursery colleges. My camcorder had died a couple of days earlier and had to make use of my back-up Canon bridge digicam, the video output of which is of decrease high quality within the gloom of the forest flooring. A second pitta then appeared through the efficiency however the rival was quickly seen off. Sadly I couldn’t swivel on my stool to get each birds in body particularly since my left gluteus maximus was indicating a powerful want to not be compressed for any longer on a stool resembling a medium-sized yoghurt pot.

The Ivory-breasted Pitta is endemic to a number of the islands of the north Moluccas. Its scientific title, Pitta maxima, displays its giant measurement, the biggest within the genus however not, by 1 cm, the biggest pitta of all. In some publications it was often known as the Halmahera Pitta or Moluccan Pitta. It’s a chook of lowland forest together with secondary progress and overgrown coconut plantations. It’s stated to be pretty frequent all through its vary however, like most pittas, troublesome to watch.

The video might be seen beneath. Notably spectacular are the bristles that seem within the centre line throughout his hyped up show. I’ve not seen them described earlier than.

After that show, three very completely happy birdwatchers and two equally delighted guides emerged from the cover.


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