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PITTA

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Originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 678 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PITTA , in See also:

ornithology, from the See also:Telugu pitta, meaning a small See also:bird, latinized by Vieillot in 1816 (Analyse, p. 42) as the name of a genus, and since adopted by See also:English ornithologists as the See also:general name for a See also:group of birds, called by the See also:French Breves, and remarkable for their See also:great beauty.' For a See also:long while the Pitta elegans, male and See also:female. pittas were commonly supposed to be allied to the Turdidae, and some English writers applied to them the name of " See also:water-thrushes " and " See also:ant-thrushes," though there was no See also:evidence of their having aquatic habits or predilections, or of their preying especially upon ants; but the fact that they formed a See also:separate In ornithology the word is first found as See also:part of the native name, " Ponnunky pitta," of a bird, given in 1713 by Petiver, in the " mantissa " to See also:Ray's Synopsis (p. 195), on the authority of Buckley (see ORNITHOLOGY). This bird is the Pitta bengalensis of See also:modern ornithologists, and is said by Jerdon (Birds of See also:India, i. 503) now to See also:bear the Telugu name of Pona-inki. Estimates of See also:Pitt. 678 See also:family was gradually admitted. Their position was partly determined by A. H. Garrod, who, having obtained examples for See also:dissection, in a communication to the Zoological Society of See also:London, printed in its Proceedings for 1876, proved (pp. 512, 513) that the Pittidae belonged to that See also:section of Passerine birds which he named Mesomyodi, since their See also:syrinx, like that of the Tyrannidae (see See also:KING-BIRD), has its muscles attached to the See also:middle of its See also:half-rings, instead of to their extremities as in the higher Passerines or Acromyodi.

They are now placed as a separate family Pittidae of the Clamatores See also:

division of the Anisomyodine Passeres. There are about fifty See also:species, divided into a number of genera, confined to the Old See also:World, and ranging from India and See also:North See also:China to See also:Australia, New See also:Guinea and New See also:Britain, with one species in See also:West See also:Africa, the greatest number being found in See also:Borneo and See also:Sumatra. Few birds can See also:vie with the pittas in brightly-contrasted coloration. Deep velvety See also:black, pure See also:white and intensely vivid See also:scarlet, See also:turquoise-See also:blue and See also:beryl-See also:green—mostly occupying a considerable extent of See also:surface—are found in a great many of the species—to say nothing of other composite or intermediate hues; and, though in some a modification of these tints is observable, there is scarcely a trace of any blending of shade, each patch of See also:colour See also:standing out distinctly. This is perhaps the more remarkable as the feathers have hardly any lustre to heighten the effect produced, and in some species the brightest See also:colours are exhibited by the plumage of the See also:lower parts of the See also:body. Pitt as vary in See also:size from that of a See also:jay to that of a See also:lark, and generally have a strong See also:bill, a thick-set See also:form, which is mounted on rather high legs with scutellated " tarsi," and a very See also:short tail. In many of the forms there is little or no See also:external difference between the sexes. Placed originally among the Pittidae, but now created to form an allied family Philepittidae, is the genus Philepitta, consisting of two species See also:peculiar to See also:Madagascar. The two species which compose it have little outward resemblance to the pittas, not having the same See also:style of coloration and being apparently of more arboreal habits. The sexes differ greatly in plumage, and the See also:males have the skin See also:round the eyes See also:bare of feathers and carunculated. (A.

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