This blog was written by Daniel Engelbrecht on 21 May 2025.
The pittas are among the most sought-after birds in the world. Most of the world’s 46 species have their plumages adorned with a dazzling array of vivid colors and intricate patterns, and yet, part of their enchantment is that they seldom flaunt their beauty. In fact, setting eyes on any pitta typically requires a good dose of patience and luck in equal measure. A typical pitta experience involves waiting on the forest floor and scanning for movement among the leaf litter, or engaging in a lengthy game of cat-and-mouse in pursuit of a calling bird. What is certain is that any pitta sighting is guaranteed to be a memorable one.
The vast majority of pitta species are found in Southeast Asia, with a few species extending into other regions of Asia and three species occurring in Australia. The remaining two species are found in Africa, and in this blog, we’ll take a closer look at these two mystical birds and how to go about seeing them.
Africa’s two pitta species, African Pitta and Green-breasted Pitta, belong to the largest (20 species) of the three pitta genera – Pitta. They superficially resemble each other and many other members of their genus in appearance, with their green back and mantle, black face, buffy supercilium, blue wing bar, and red belly. The most obvious distinguishing factor between the African species is, as the name suggests, the green breast present in the Green-breasted Pitta, which is buffy in coloration on the African Pitta. The species are also similar in their ecology, as with all pittas, they are primarily terrestrial and hop around on the ground, flicking through leaf litter in search of invertebrate prey. As is to be expected, much is still unknown about the life history of these shy birds.
African Pitta is the more widespread of Africa’s two pitta species.
African Pitta occurs widely from the forests of West Africa south towards Northern Angola, as well as in East and Southern Africa. Across its range, three subspecies are recognized. Subspecies pulih occurs in West Africa from Sierra Leone to Cameroon, while the nominate subspecies angolensis is found from Cameroon, south towards northern Angola, where the type specimen was collected in 1816. Both aforementioned subspecies are largely sedentary and are seldom seen, unlike the third subspecies, longipennis,which is a long-distance intra-African migrant.The migratory population winters in Central and East Africa and migrates south to southern Africa, particularly Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, in the austral summer, where it breeds.
An African Pitta on a display perch in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe.
African Pitta is best seen during a short window when the birds are vocal on their southern breeding grounds. The Zambezi River Valley in Zimbabwe is one of the best areas in which to see this species. The birds typically arrive in this region towards the end of November and are vocal for approximately two weeks before incubation ensues. By mid-December, the birds are essentially mute, and seeing this species becomes nearly impossible. During this short window, the distinctive and blunt “huiii’’ calls sound from the dense riverine vegetation in one of Africa’s iconic wildernesses along the Zambezi River, and one can be rewarded with unforgettable views of this secretive species.
Green-breasted Pitta inhabits the old secondary forests of Central Africa.
On the other hand, the Green-breasted Pitta is sedentary and an inhabitant of Central and East Africa’s old secondary forests. Although this species occurs widely in Central Africa, there are only a handful of accessible sites to see it, and without any doubt, Kibale National Park in Uganda is the most popular. An early morning in Kibale is essential in order to hear this species and pinpoint its location in the forest, after which careful stalking of the bird can produce sightings of this elusive denizen – one of Africa’s most wanted birds. To add to the experience of finding this species, Kibale Forest is also the richest forest for primates in Africa, and the sounds of Chimpanzees and several other primates resonate throughout the forest.
Kibale National Park in Uganda is the most accessible site for Green-breasted Pitta.
If you are interested in seeing these spectacular birds, we offer tours that target both of Africa’s pittas, and we have never missed either species on our tours.
Our Zimbabwe Birding Tour: African Pitta, Mana Pools, Miombo Woodlands and Eastern Highlands, is specifically timed around African Pitta and gives us the best possible opportunity to see this species. Additionally, this tour offers spectacular miombo woodland birding, visits the biodiverse forests of Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands, and has some of the best mammal-viewing in Africa.
Our Ultimate Uganda Birding Tour visits Kibale Forest for Green-breasted Pitta, not to mention the Albertine Rift endemics, Shoebill, and Great Apes on offer on this exciting tour. This trip routinely sees us recording over 500 species in one of Africa’s premier birding destinations.
