Malayan Banded-Pitta

Malayan Banded-Pitta

Hydrornis irena

Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Way Kambas National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

112 Verified sightings at Way Kambas National Park From 2019 to 2026
737 In all 4 parks
October 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 Way Kambas National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Banded-Pitta sighting in Way Kambas National Park on a given day, based on 112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 205 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

October

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Banded-Pitta in Way Kambas National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April, the lowest month. November to February have too few records to rate.

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 Way Kambas National Park the best place to see a Malayan Banded-Pitta?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Malayan Banded-Pitta sightings, Way Kambas National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 30%) and Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%).

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 Way Kambas National Park (112 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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