Photo Credits: SUNDAY. PAGE 3. ANCHOR - Who’s that bird
It is 6 am and our local birders are waiting patiently in the forest patch of Velsao, their ears waiting to catch the call and locate the shy Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura). The Indian Pitta is a small and extremely colourful bird which is native to the Indian subcontinent. This bird is locally called “Navarang” because their plumage has nine colours! It is called the “six-o clock bird” in some parts of South India because of its behavior of punctually calling around six in the morning and evening. The name “Pitta” is derived from Telugu where it means “small bird”.
The adult Indian Pitta is a small bird with stubby indistinct tail. They are mostly seen searching for food on the forest floor or leaf litter looking for insects. Their body in general is buff yellowish-brown, the upper wing is a deep shade of green bordered with black. The rump of their body is splashed with red in the lower and metallic blue on the upper side. They have a characteristic black stripe on the crown of the head and a dark eye band. They have a distinct two-note wheet-tiew whistle call which is heard often in winter from many forested patches of Goa.
Indian Pitta breed in the foothills of Himalayas, Central and North-Western India while during winter migrates to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Goa however has a resident population of Indian Pitta, a fact which is not reported in many books on birds. Over the years many local birders in Goa have rigorously recorded the nesting and breeding activities of this species from the state. Noteworthy among them is that of David Stanton who has dedicatedly videographed the breeding of a pair of Indian Pitta from Socorro in April 2010 and is available on youtube.
There are consistent reports of them throughout the year from all over Goa with a spike in their activity in May and June, coinciding with their breeding season. However in winter the resident population in Goa is reinforced with that of visiting birds from Central and North-Western India.
International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Indian Pitta’s conservation status as “Least Concerned” at a global scale but studies have shown that their population is steadily declining primarily due to forest clearance and urbanization. In Goa many of their habitats are under eminent threat and top on this list are Pilerne and Socorro Plateau. In Socorro for instance where David had recorded nesting of the Indian Pitta stands a residential complex with zero green cover around it. Now it’s up to us to help this bird save its home by spreading awareness among our people to protect its habitat.
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About the Pitta
Indian Pitta is called Navarang because its plumage has nine colours.
They have a distinct two note whistle like call.
Goa has a resident population of Indian Pitta which is well documented by local bird watchers but not known globally.
The habitat of Indian Pitta in Goa is in danger due to deforestation and unplanned urbanisation.
