Erythropitta is a genus of pitta. The members of the genus are found mostly in South-east Asia, with one species, the Papuan pitta, ranging into northeast Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2006 study split the family into three genera.
The pittas were at one time all usually placed in the genus Pitta, the only genus in the family Pittidae, but when a 2006 molecular phylogenetic study found that the pittas formed three separate groups, the genus was split and some species were moved into two resurrected genera, Erythropitta and Hydrornis.[1] The genus Erythropitta had been introduced in 1854 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the Papuan pitta (Erythropitta macklotii).[3] The name Erythropitta combines the Ancient Greek word eruthros "red" with the genus name Pitta.[4]
Pittas in this genus have red or crimson coloured underparts, greenish or blueish backs and short tails. They are mostly small in size.[1]
The genus contains the following 15-17 species:[5]
Erythropitta is a genus of pitta. The members of the genus are found mostly in South-east Asia, with one species, the Papuan pitta, ranging into northeast Australia. The genus was formerly merged with the large genus Pitta, but a 2006 study split the family into three genera.
