AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

1316. Anthocincla phayrei

(1316) Anthocincla phayrei Blyth.
THE EARED PITTA.
Anthocincla phayrei, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol. iii, p, 442.
This very handsome bird is found in Burma East of the Sittoung River, Shan States, Siam and Tenasserim. It is a forest bird, being found both in the dense evergreen and in thinner deciduous forest, at all elevations between abont 1,500 and 6,000 feet.
In 1881 Bingham found a nest of this Pitta, since when no other collector has taken it. Bingham thus records his find (Hume’s ‘Nests and Eggs,’ vol. ii, p. 279) :—“Right up among the hills, and in dense evergreen-forest, the Meplay, the largest tributary of the Thoungyeen, takes its rise. On the 27th of April this year (1881) I pitched my camp at the Karen village of Hporrlai, and in the evening strolled round with my gun. On the side of a deep bank covered with evergreen-bushes I saw something moving, which I first took to he a rat, but presently made out to be a Pitta of some kind scratching among the leaves. Breathlessly waiting, with gun at full cock, I watched the bird for full ten minutes. At last it came well in sight and I recognized it as a male of this species. I fired, knocking the bird over, and to my astonishment flushed another. It flashed on me that these were a pair and that there might be a nest, and sure enough a little search showed me a compact little oven-nest, made on the ground at the foot of a tree, of leaves, roots and grass, containing four eggs. The entrance to the nest was at the side looking down the steep slope on which it was built, and having a firm little platform of sticks leading up to it. The interior of the nest was lined with fine black roots. The eggs are glossy white, spotted chiefly at the larger end with purplish-black. They measure 1.10 x 0.88, 1.08 x 0.85, 1.09 x 0.85 and 1.10 x 0.86. I tried to remove the nest, but notwithstanding the utmost care, it tumbled to pieces.”
Hume adds that the eggs are broad, rather pointed ovals and of the usual hard glossy white of most Pittas’ eggs and quite typical of the family.

BookTitle: 
The Nidification Of Birds Of The Indian Empire
Reference: 
Baker, Edward Charles Stuart. The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol. 3. 1934.
Title in Book: 
1316. Anthocincla phayrei
Spp Author: 
Blyth.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
1316
Year: 
1934
Page No: 
249
Common name: 
Phayres Pitta
M_ID: 
12534
M_CN: 
Eared Pitta
M_SN: 
Hydrornis phayrei
Volume: 
Vol. 3
Term name: 
id: 
14413

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith