Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) [XC113113]
by Mike Nelson from Sukau, Lower Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia (call)
Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) [XC69213]
by Alain Rouge from Siquijor; Bandila, Philippines (song)
Subspecies
Recently treated as forming a superspecies with Superb Pitta (Pitta superba) and Ivory-breasted Pitta (Pitta maxima), sometimes also including Azure-breasted Pitta (Pitta steerii), but morphological differences seem too great for this treatment. Probably closest to Azure-breasted Pitta (Pitta steerii). The four New Guinea subspecies novaeguineae, from which described subspecies hebetior (from Karkar I, off northern Papuan coast) considered indistinguishable, mefoorana, rosenbergii and goodfellowi are geographically isolated from others and show several plumage differences from them, may represent a separate species. Subspecies palawanensis possibly better treated as synonymous with nominate. In original description, subspecies mulleri was written thus (without umlaut), so this is correct spelling rather than muelleri.
The following 12 subspecies are recognised:
cucullata Hartlaub, 1843 - Himalayan foothills from northern India east to northern Myanmar, southern China (southern Yunnan) and northern Vietnam (western Tonkin), south to northern Bangladesh, Thailand, southern Laos and Cambodia; migrates southern as far as Sumatra and Java.
abbotti Richmond, 1902 - Nicobar Is.
mulleri (Bonaparte, 1850) - Extreme southern Thailand, northern Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, western Java, Borneo, and western Sulu Is (Sibutu).
bangkana Schlegel, 1863 - Bangka I and Belitung I.
sordida (Müller, 1776) - Philippine Is (except Catanduanes, Masbate, Panay, and Palawan group), including Basilan and Sulu Is (Jolo, Tawitawi).
novaeguineae Müller, S & Schlegel, 1845 - New Guinea, including western Papuan Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Eastern Hooded Pitta (Pitta novaeguineae).
mefoorana Schlegel, 1874 - Numfor I, in Geelvink Bay.
rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 - Biak I, in Geelvink Bay. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Biak Hooded Pitta (Pitta rosenbergii).
goodfellowi White, CMN, 1937 - Aru Is, off southern New Guinea.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet