Gurney's
Pitta
(Photo by Suppalak
Klabdee) |
|
More
than 20 years after its redsicovery in 1986 (there were no
field observations between 1952 and 1986), Gurney's Pitta
remains the number one target bird of visiting birdwatchers.
Despite the discovery of a sizeable population of the species
in Myanmar
in 2003, the remnant population at Khao
Nor Chu Chi, in southern Thailand, remains the
only realistic opportunity to see Gurney's Pitta for most
birdwatchers.
The almost
total clearance of lowland forest in southern Myanmar and
peninsular Thailand through clear-felling for timber, unofficial
logging and conversion to croplands, fruit orchards, coffee,
rubber and oil-palm plantations has meant that despite once
being common across much of its range, it is now classified
as critically endangered.
Indeed,
the appeal of Gurney's Pitta is probably the combination of
its stunning appearance and its status as a critically endangered
species; despite the discovery of the population in Myanmar,
this status, as yet, has not been reclassified, probably due
to the difficulty of getting the remaining habitat protected
and the expansion of logging and palm oil plantations in southern
Myanmar. |
