Guwahati, Sept 7: For decades, the Blue Pitta (Hydrornis cyaneus) has been one of Northeast India’s most mysterious forest birds—heard occasionally, mentioned in outdated records, but rarely, if ever, seen. Now, for the first time, scientists have obtained clear photographic evidence of this secretive species from Nokrek National Park in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills, marking a milestone in Indian ornithology.
The discovery, published in the latest issue of the Records of the Zoological Survey of India, comes from an extensive camera-trap survey that was originally designed to monitor mammals between September and November 2024. The survey, which deployed 23 cameras over 690 trap nights, unexpectedly captured the Blue Pitta on four separate occasions at three different sites within Nokrek.
The photographs revealed both male and female birds foraging on the forest floor, sweeping aside leaf litter in search of prey—an iconic behaviour of pittas, which are known to feed on earthworms, insects, and even small vertebrates. The records came from elevations ranging between 1,009 and 1,341 metres above sea level, within dense semi-evergreen and bamboo forests near streams.
The Nokrek National Park covers an area of 47 sq km and lies west and east of Garo Hills and comprises primary and secondary vegetation that includes moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen, and bamboo forests. It is part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot which also shares a boundary with the Eastern Himalayan hotspot. The park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is already recognised as a biodiversity hotspot for mammals such as the clouded leopard and Asiatic black bear,
“This is the first concrete photographic evidence of the Blue Pitta from Meghalaya, and it confirms that Nokrek supports a healthy population of this rare bird,” the researchers, from the Zoological Survey of India, wrote. “Our findings expand the known distribution of the species in India and emphasise Nokrek’s role as a refuge for elusive, ground-dwelling forest birds.”
Globally, the Blue Pitta is distributed from Bangladesh to Vietnam, with frequent reports from Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. In India, however, the bird has always been an enigma. A handful of specimen records from Assam and Meghalaya date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, while sporadic sightings in Mizoram and Manipur have provided only fleeting glimpses. In Assam’s Jatinga, the bird was once recorded by call, but never photographed. Until now, there has been no modern photographic proof of its presence in Meghalaya.
Ornithologists stress that the Blue Pitta’s rarity is not necessarily due to low numbers, but rather its behaviour. Pittas are ground-dwellers that prefer thick, closed-canopy forests and are notoriously shy, often staying hidden in dense undergrowth. This makes them difficult to spot with the naked eye but ideal candidates for accidental detection by camera traps designed for larger animals.
The researchers argue that this discovery highlights the power of camera-trap technology in documenting not just mammals but also lesser-known bird species. “Such incidental records are invaluable in revealing the secret lives of forest birds and help us understand their habitat preferences,” the authors noted.
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