Pittas of the World

Book excerpt: Brightly coloured birds native to the tropics, the pittas are unforgettable for those who have seen them flash past like a living jewel of the rainforest. There are thirty pitta species, most of which live in South-East Asia, though two are found in Africa. Their habitat is under threat, and many species are endangered. This monograph breaks with tradition in a number of ways: besides having all the normal sections for a guide, it also contains a complete list of all scientific synonyms, and a bibliography of more than 1,300 references. It includes a list of all the little-studied islands where pittas have been found, and their status if known. It gives the museum holdings of all pitta skins, skeletons, eggs and fluid specimens in the world. Besides this, it includes a study of a little-known feature, dusky stripes, unique to the pitta family, and which has never before been described in detail. The book also describes the pittas' unique moulting pattern: immature birds moulting into their adult plumage are often found with bald heads and necks. The beautiful illustrations are painted in gouache by Helga Boullet Erritzoe using a dry-brush technique. Each plate has been meticulously laid out to enhance the characteristics of each species. All plates are cross-referenced to the text which contains details of age and sex of bird, and the museum where the depicted bird-skin is kept, with its registration number. Whilst it will be of undoubted interest to amateur bird enthusiasts and lovers of natural history, the book is also academically rigorous and therefore an invaluable and beautiful reference guide for ornithologists, conservationists, museums and collectors of fine bird-books.