Malayan Banded-Pitta

Malayan Banded-Pitta

Hydrornis irena

Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Khao Sok National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

285 Verified sightings at Khao Sok National Park From 2019 to 2026
737 In all 4 parks
March Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Malayan Banded-Pitta

The Malayan banded pitta (Hydrornis irena) is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. Other common names include the blue-tailed pitta, the Irene's pitta, the banded pitta and the Van den Bosch's pitta. It is found in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Bornean and Javan banded pittas, together they were referred to as the banded pitta, but now they are considered to be separate species.

At one time the Malayan banded pitta, the Bornean banded pitta, and the Javan banded pitta were all considered to be variants of a single species. However, they were divided into three separate species by Rheindt and Eaton in 2010, based on analysis of morphological, behavioural, and vocal differences.

This colourful bird has a black head with a yellow/orange streak above the eye, an orange-red nape, a lemon-yellow throat, a chest barred with orange and dark blue (more orange towards the sides and more blue towards the centre), and a blue belly. The back is brown and the tail is blue.

The Malayan banded pitta is native to tropical south-eastern Asia where its range includes Malaysia... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:42

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien · XC914193 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Subsong0:27

Malaysia · 2023

© Ding Li Yong · XC826401 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:28

Malaysia · 2016

© Frank Lambert · XC523379 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
3 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
4 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Malayan Banded-Pitta in Khao Sok National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Banded-Pitta sighting in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, based on 285 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 213 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Malayan Banded-Pitta in Khao Sok National Park?

March

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Banded-Pitta in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May–July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Khao Sok National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 280 mm in October.

What time of day is best to see a Malayan Banded-Pitta?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malayan Banded-Pitta sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Khao Sok National Park the best place to see a Malayan Banded-Pitta?

2nd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Malayan Banded-Pitta sightings, Khao Sok National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 40%).

Where does the Malayan Banded-Pitta sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Malayan Banded-Pitta is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Sok National Park (285 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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