Pitta sordida
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The western hooded pitta (Pitta sordida) is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. It is common in eastern and southeastern Asia and maritime Southeast Asia, where it lives in several types of forests as well as on plantations and other cultivated areas. It is a green bird with a black head and chestnut crown. It forages on the ground for insects and their larvae, and also eats berries. It breeds between February and August, the pair being strongly territorial and building their nest on the ground. Incubation and care of the fledglings is done by both parents. The bird has a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Nicobar hooded pitta, the Minahasa hooded pitta, the eastern hooded pitta and the Biak hooded pitta.
The western hooded pitta was described by the German zoologist Philipp Statius Müller in 1776 and given the binomial name Turdus sordidus. Statius Müller's description was based on a plate showing the "Merle des Philippines" published by Comte de Buffon in his Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. The species... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 12 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 13 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 14 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 15 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 5 | Dehradun | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Waddesdon Aviary | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Pitta sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 237 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 108th most-seen of the 242 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Pitta in Sepilok on a given day, against under 5% in October and November, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hooded Pitta sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate Hooded Pitta sightings, Sepilok ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 30%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hooded Pitta is recorded against all the birds logged in Sepilok (237 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.
