Indian Pitta

The Indian Pitta is a small stocky bird that is mostly seen on the floor of forests or under dense undergrowth, foraging on insects in leaf litter.

It has long, strong legs, a very short tail and stout bill, with a buff colored crown stripe, black coronal stripes, a thick black eye stripe and white throat and neck. The upperparts are green, with a blue tail, the underparts buff, with bright red on the lower belly and vent.In flight, one can see a round white spot near the tip of its wing. Both sexes are alike.

Its call consists of a loud clear double whistle, wheet-tew, uttered chiefly morning and evening, and oftener on cloudy, overcast days. Three or four birds sometimes answer one another from different directions. 

The breeding season is during the Southwest Monsoon, June to August and the nest is globular structure with a circular opening on one side. It is made up of dry leaves and grasses. The nests are on the ground or on low branches. The clutch is of four to five eggs which are very spherical and very white with spots and speckles of deep maroon or purple. The egg is very glossy.