Visitors since 01/09/06

Eared Pitta is an uncommon resident and rarely seen by visiting birdwatchers. However, in Lekagul and Round it is listed as an uncommon to common resident and it may be that the low number of sightings is due to the fact that its habitat below 900 metres is not as widely visited as it might be. Sightings do occur from Khao Yai National Park, particularly from the trails that are close to the headquarters and near the Mo Sing To reservoir and Eared Pitta has also been photographed from Kaeng Krachan National Park too: I have heard it between streams 2 and 3 near Ban Krang.

A number of tourist lodges around the southwest edge of Khao Yai have access to low level forest and at one of these, near Nakorn Nayon, Peter Ericsson photographed an Eared Pitta - so this is another option for those determined to get a sighting.

Despite the fact that Eared Pitta is rarely seen in Thailand it is fairly widespread, but mainly confined to regions rarely visited by birdwatchers. Its international conservation status is "Least concern" as classified by IUCN.

Blue-rumped Pitta is confined, in Thailand, to the extreme southeast of the country. The most accessible place for birdwatchers to find this species is Khao Soi Dao in Chantaburi province, although there are a few other national parks in the region which have limited visiting access where it may also be found: Khao Kitchakut and Khao Srabab. Very few visiting birdwatchers (or resident birders) get to see this pitta as Khao Soi Dao is not a heavily visited area which is a shame as the habitat is of excellent quality.

Whilst Blue-rumped Pitta has a very restricted range in Thailand and is an uncommon resident, it has quite a large range, stretching from south east Thailand, through Indochina and into China itself. The conservation status is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN.

More Blue-rumped Pitta photographs here: Blue-rumped Pitta.

Rusty-naped Pitta is one of the more frequently seen pittas in Thailand. Although confined to the north and west of Thailand, a number of well-visited sites offer a chance to see this species. At Doi Chiang Dao Rusty-naped Pitta is frequently seen at the beginning of the "nature trail" and in the temple gully. Rather too many people have resorted to playing the bird's call at this location and this is neither necessary or desirable. Quite a few observations of Rusty-naped Pitta occur along the jeep trail at Doi Inthanon: listen out for its "chow-wit" call! A number of sightings have also occurred along the tracks at Chong Yen campsite at Mae Wong National Park and others have found this bird at Doi Ang Kang, Doi Suthep, Doi Lang and other suitable areas of habitat in the north. Rusty-naped Pitta has also been found and photographed on the nest at Kaeng Krachan National Park which is a great place for many pitta species.

Whilst Rusty-naped Pitta is one of the most frequently seen pittas in Thailand, it can still be regarded as an uncommon resident whilst the international listing of Birdlife International is of "least concern".

Giant Pitta is a rare resident and very seldom seen by visiting or resident birdwatchers alike. This species is confined to evergreen forests of the lowlands in the peninsula and has been seen a few times at Kaeng Krachan National Park although this site is by no means reliable for this species. It has also been videoed at Khao Nor Chu Chi some years ago and a few have also been lucky enough to see Giant Pitta on the riverside loop accessible from the research centre at Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary.

Whilst Giant Pitta is a rare resident and probably endangered in Thailand due to lowland deforestation it is only listed as "near threatened" by the IUCN and as with many other lowland specialists it is more likely to be encountered in Malaysia or Indonesia.

More photos of Giant Pitta here: Giant Pitta.

Blue Pitta is one of Thailand's most common pittas, occurring in moist forest from the plains to about 1500 metres. This species is frequently observed by visiting birdwatchers at Khao Yai National Park on numerous different trails and Kaeng Krachan National Park close to the campsite at Km 15 in damp gulleys and similar spots and I have also seen this bird a few times at Nam Nao. Whilst Blue Pitta's range includes most of the west and the north, as well as the south east and parts of the northeast, it is absent from most of the south.

The Blue Pitta's call is "pleoow-whit" but particularly at Kaeng Krachan and parts of Khao Yai replays of this call are being overused so please just be patient and wait for it to come into view.

Reflecting its situation as a fairly common resident, the Blue Pitta's international conservation status is "least concern" as stated by the IUCN.

Banded Pitta is one of the most beautiful species in Thailand and is confined to forest up to 610 metres in the southern peninsula. Never an easy species to find, most sightings of Banded Pitta in Thailand are from Khao Nor Chu Chi which has more to do with the number of visitors to this location than its abundance. Those searching for this species would do well to visit Khao Sok National Park or Krung Ching Waterfall where very reliable stakeouts for Banded Pitta exists and other quality areas of forest in the south such as Hala-Bala, Sri Phang Nga and Thalebun have also provided some lucky birdwatchers with a view of this pitta.

This species has a soft call which consists of a falling "pouw" followed by a whirring "kirrr" and it is said that Gurney's Pitta responds to the playback of Banded Pitta's call. For this reason birdwatchers at Khao Nor Chu Chi should avoid the use of this species call.

The status of Banded Pitta is as an uncommon resident and internationally it is classified as "Least concern" by the IUCN.

I am not aware of any sightings of Bar-bellied Pitta in recent years and certainly not by holidaying birdwatchers, indeed it appears that it may never have been seen in the wild in Thailand. This species has a severley restricted range in Thailand occurring only in the extreme southeast and east of the country in forest below 400 metres. With the destruction of almost all forest below this altitude there are only a very few patches of habitat left close to the Cambodian border. For those determined to find this bird in Thailand a couple of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in Ubon Ratchatani province may be the place to look.

Despite Bar-bellied Pitta being endangered in Thailand its international conservation status is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN due to its extensive range through Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

More Bar-bellied Pitta photographs here: Bar-bellied Pitta.

The small population of Gurney's Pitta still holds out at Khao Nor Chu Chi, near Krabi, with around 15 estimated. Although a few individuals may still hold out in nearby forest fragments and a large population has been discovered in Myanmar, KNC is the best chance for most birders to see this species.

Most birders make the frustrating wait on U-trail in order to get a glimpse of Gurney's Pitta but there are also frequent sightings from some of the other nearby, but overgrown, trails and also from B-trail so don't spend your whole time sat in a mosquito infested puddle on U-trail!

Gurney's Pitta is still classified as critically endangered by Birdlife International and it remains important to refrain from using taped or imitated calls to lure it into view as too many people do. Quite frankly this is not necessary in order to see Gurney's, just a little patience and a pair of sharp eyes.

Hooded Pitta is a wet season migrant to most of Thailand although it is present throughout the year in the peninsula. It occurs far further north than the distribution maps in either Robson's or Lekagul & Round's field guides but is not often seen by visiting birdwatchers. I have seen this species in the temple gully at Doi Chiang Dao in early May and it has been seen breeding as far north as Chiang Saen. As with many other pittas, Hooded Pitta has been photographed a number of times at nests at Kaeng Krachan and also at Khao Yai National Park and any site in the south could provide a sighting of this species.

Hooded Pitta calls in a similar manner to many other pittas with a "fluty raew-raew" similar to that of Blue-winged Pitta.

In Thailand Hooded Pitta is an uncommon to locally common bird and its international status is listed as "least concern" due to its large range from India and Nepal in the west to Japan in the east and as far south as Papua New Guinea.

More Hooded Pitta photographs here: Hooded Pitta.

Confined to broadleaved evergreen forest below 200 metres in the Malay peninsula, the only place in Thailand this fantastic bird is likely to be found is in Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary along the river accessible from the research station. This very rare resident exists probably in only very small numbers in Thailand due to deforestation of the lowlands.

Those lucky enough to get to the extreme south of Thailand to look for this bird should listen out for its drawn out monotone whistle, which is very similar to that of Malaysian Rail-babbler, along lowland river valleys. A few people have been lucky and found Garnet Pitta at the Bala section of Hala-Bala Wildlfie Sanctuary so it is certainly worth looking.

Although in Thailand Garnet Pitta is almost certainly endangered, the Red Data Book lists it, internationally, as "near threatened" and it is much easier to find in Malaysia, Indonesia, particularly in Borneo..

Blue-winged Pitta is perhaps Thailand's most common pitta species, although it is not seen by too many visiting birdwatchers as it mainly spends the dry season in Malaysia and Indonesia although small numbers are resident in the south. This bird is regarded as a common wet season breeder and can be found in all sorts of places during migration, even turning up in parks and gardens in Bangkok. For visiting birders perhaps the best chance of finding Blue-winged Pitta is at Khao Nor Chu Chi in April/May when it is often seen in the garden of the Morakot resort as well as on the trails. Although this site accounts for many sightings this species can be found over a large part of the country in the breeding season.

The international status of Blue-winged Pitta reflects its abundance in Thailand as it is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN with a range stretching from India, through China to The Philippines.

Although restricted to mangroves on the west coast of the southern peninsula, Mangrove Pitta is probably one of the easiest pittas to find in Thailand. Its habit of sitting high up in mangrove trees and calling makes it reasonably easy to spot if you can get into the right habitat. Many birders see this species in Krabi on a boat trip with Mr Dai who is able to find this bird for most people. There are also some reliable spots for Mangrove Pitta at Ao Phang Nga National Park, accessible a few kilometres south of Phang Nga town, where there are several boardwalks and jetties that one can walk into the mangroves or take a boat trip - I am told that the pitta is easily found here. Others have seen this species in Phuket, near Takua Pa and Kuraburi - anywhere that one can get into mangroves along the western coast is worth a look.

Internationally Mangrove Pitta is listed by the IUCN as "near threatened" as, although its range stretches from Bangladesh to Indonesia, its mangrove habitat continues to be destroyed in all countries it occurs in.

More Mangrove Pitta photographs here: Mangrove Pitta.