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Found in the tropics, pittas are brightly colored and unforgettable for those who have seen them flash past... a living jewel in the rainforest. This monograph, beautifully painted with gouache dry-brush technique, is laid out to show the characteristics of each species together with details of sex, age, date, locality and museum where each bird-skin is kept, with its registration number. It also has a complete list of all scientific synonyms; a bibliography of more than 1,300 references; a list of all islands where pittas have been found (and their status if known); and a list of museum holdings worldwide of pitta skins, eggs and fluid specimens. The book also contains a study of the little known dusky stripes, a phenomenon unique to the pitta and never described before; and demonstrates a unique moulting pattern where immatures, moulting into adult plumage, are often found with naked head and neck. This beautiful scientifically based book is an invaluable guide for ornithologists, pitta researchers, conservationists, and museums.
