NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Indian Pitta
Pitta brachyura (Linnaeus, 1766)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian pitta (Pitta brachyura) also known as Navrang, is a passerine bird native to the Indian subcontinent. It inhabits scrub jungle, deciduous and dense evergreen forest. It breeds in the forests of the Himalayas, hills of central and western India, and migrates to other parts of the peninsula in winter. Although very colourful, it is usually shy and hidden in the undergrowth where it picks insects on the forest floor. It has a distinctive two note whistling call which is heard at dawn and dusk. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List as the population is considered large.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian pitta; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:21:19.108011+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pitta brachyura (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common name
- Indian Pitta
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pittidae
- Genus
- Pitta
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPittidae
- genusPitta Vieillot, 1816
- speciesPitta brachyura (Linnaeus, 1766)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pitta. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| African PittaPitta angolensis Vieillot, 1816 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Elegant PittaPitta elegans Temminck, 1836 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rainbow PittaPitta iris Gould, 1842 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mangrove PittaPitta megarhyncha Schlegel, 1863 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fairy PittaPitta nympha Temminck & Schlegel, 1847 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Green-breasted PittaPitta reichenowi G. Madarász, 1901 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Hooded PittaPitta sordida (P. L. S. Müller, 1776) | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Superb PittaPitta superba Rothschild & E. J. O. Hartert, 1914 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ivory-breasted PittaPitta maxima S. Müller & Schlegel, 1845 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Banda Sea PittaPitta vigorsii Gould, 1838 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Biak Hooded PittaPitta rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nicobar Hooded PittaPitta abbotti Richmond, 1902 | PittidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Corvus brachyurus Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=562223 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4JBY2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.