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Source: The post is based on the article “First-ever census finds 179 mangrove pitta birds in two coastal Odisha districts” published in The Hindu on 18th April 2023
What is the News?
A first ever census of mangrove pitta birds was conducted in two coastal districts of Odisha where a total of 179 individual mangrove pitta birds were sighted.
What are Mangrove Pittas?
Mangrove pitta is a species of passerine bird in the family Pittidae native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent and western Southeast Asia.
Distribution: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
In India, it is found in a few pockets of eastern India, including Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and West Bengal’s Sundarbans.
Habitat: It is found in mangrove and nipa palm forests where it feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and insects.
IUCN Status: Near Threatened
Threats: It is threatened by habitat loss.
