Record added by admins: This record was not submitted by observers. It was made available here as part of the Bird Society of Singapore's effort to make all bird records more easily accessible. Images here are displayed with permission from the photographer.
This record was added to the database by a site administrator.
The Records Committee began deliberating on this record.
The Records Committee completed its review and finalised its verdict.
| Species | Western Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 10819 |
| Date range | 20 Nov 2023 to 22 Nov 2023 |
| Location | Singapore Botanic Gardens |
| Count | 1 individual |
| Subspecies | mulleri |
| Date added | 30 May 2024 |
This record has not been accepted by the Records Committee. For more details, see below.
| Background |
|---|
| The observers did not claim the bird as a mulleri, but it was identified as a "putative mulleri" in the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group report for Jul–Dec 2023 (link below). The bird is in juvenile plumage, which is unusual as nearly all pittas attain an adult-like plumage before reaching Singapore. However, this provides no support for the subspecific identification. We thank Moses Tang for sharing his photo and allowing us to reproduce it here; it clearly shows brown speckling across the forecrown characteristic of juvenile cucullata (the regular migrant taxon in Singapore) and not mulleri, which should be expected to have an all black crown. Features for subspecific identification are often poorly characterized in comparison with those for specific identification, particularly in juveniles. Skepticism is generally advisable in these cases, especially with claims of unlikely taxa such as P. sordida mulleri, which is rare even in Peninsular Malaysia and unrecorded from Singapore. |
| Verdict | Not accepted (Verifiable) |
|---|
Bird Society of Singapore. (2024). Record 10819: Western Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida. Retrieved August 23, 2025, from https://records.singaporebirds.com/record/10819/.
