Species Spotlight

Species Spotlight: Azure-breasted Pitta

June 8, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

This was one of the two species that made me determined to go to the Philippines. Even people who do not believe that pittas exist might be able to relate to this and consider a trip to Mindanao, assuming someone can convince them the photos in this post were not created by AI.

The scientific name is Pitta steerii, honoring Prof. Joseph Beal Steere (1842-1940), a long-living (1842-1940) US ornithologist, zoologist, palaeontologist, anthropologist, explorer, collector in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Moluccas.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much negative information on Steere (which is so much more fun to write about) – points like “He reportedly had a somewhat difficult personality within academia and clashed at times with university administrators” (ChatGPT) actually make him sound rather positive to me.

The Azure-breasted Pitta is listed as Vulnerable – given the additional information in the HBW, this still sounds too positive an assessment (“Rare; recorded from only three localities since 1980. Rare and local on Mindanao”).

That aligns with the nonexistence of any scientific paper focusing on the species. Just look at the HBW: “Breeding: Almost unknown. … Nest and eggs undescribed.”

Finally, a note to the US surfer dudes staying in the same local hotel as my guide Irene and me in Bislig, the city nearest to the pitta location: Walking around in the public areas with your upper body naked might seem cool to you and your surfer friends, but it comes over as uncultured, rude, and unhygienic to the locals (and me). Plus, you may not be quite as attractive as you think you are in this attire.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.