birding-aus

Re: Immature Noisy Pitta plumage

To: "Birding-Aus" <>
Subject: Re: Immature Noisy Pitta plumage
From: "Robert Inglis" <>
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 23:31:33 +1000
I suggest that the bird in Laurie Knight's photos is a "juvenile" Noisy Pitta rather than an "immature". The "immature" is much more like an adult - without the white chin and throat of the juvenile but with some colour at the gape.

Presumably Grant Brosie's image on BirdingOz is also of a "juvenile". The forum which David Stowe referred to is not open to the general public and I didn't feel the need to register to check the image.

The terms "juvenile" and "immature" are often very casually used in the field guides and by birdwatchers - perhaps that is something which could be addressed in future field guides. None of my Australian bird field guides shows an illustration of an "immature" Noisy Pitta but the Slater guide (2004 reprint) shows a correctly labeled "juvenile" - which looks like Laurie's bird. Peter Slater also did the Pitta illustrations for HANZAB and it is interesting to compare the differences in the illustrations in the two publications.

Bob Inglis
Sandstone Point
Qld

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