pitta Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any bird of the genus Pitta; brilliantly colored chiefly terrestrial birds with short wings and tail and stout bills

(Zoöl.) Any one of a large group of bright-colored clamatorial birds belonging to Pitta, and allied genera of the family Pittidæ. Most of the species are varied with three or more colors, such as blue, green, crimson, yellow, purple, and black. They are called also ground thrushes, and Old World ant thrushes; but they are not related to the true thrushes. ✍ The pittas are most abundant in the East Indies, but some inhabit Southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. They live mostly upon the ground, and feed upon insects of various kinds.