The Louisiade pitta is a species of the pitta. It was considered a subspecies of the red-bellied pitta. It is endemic to Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago in Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It may be threatened by habitat loss, but is currently listed by the IUCN as Data Deficient as there have been no definite records since the type specimen was collected in 1898. However an expedition to the island in 2014 revealed that local people said they still encountered it. In 2022, British tourist Michael Smith found two alive individuals with clear photograph evidence.
Region
Southwest Pacific (Louisiade Archipelago)
Typical Environment
Occurs only on Rossel Island, where it favors undisturbed subtropical to tropical moist lowland forest with dense understory. It typically keeps to shaded, damp areas with deep leaf litter and fallen logs. The species is presumed sensitive to heavy habitat disturbance and fragmentation. It is mostly terrestrial, using thickets and ravines for cover and foraging.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Louisiade pitta is a secretive, ground-dwelling pitta known only from Rossel Island in Papua New Guinea’s Louisiade Archipelago. It was long treated as part of the red-bellied pitta complex but is now recognized as a distinct species. It inhabits dense lowland rainforest and is rarely seen, which has contributed to its data-deficient conservation assessment. Local reports and sporadic modern observations suggest it persists, but its true status and numbers remain unclear.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, usually low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, keeping to dense understory. Nests are presumed to be domed structures on or near the ground, as in related pittas. Breeding is likely timed to wetter periods when invertebrate prey is most abundant.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, whistled series of notes, often delivered as a simple two-note phrase repeated at intervals. Calls carry well through dense forest and may be heard at dawn and dusk. Vocalizations are infrequent outside the breeding period.
