Schneider Pitta (Hydrornis schneideri) is an endemic bird of Sumatra, known for having a population range along the Bukit Barisan*: from Mt. Sibayak in North Sumatra to Mt. Dempat in South Sumatra. Its existence was once a birder’s legend. Often found on the forest floor of the mountains’ morning mist, Schneider Pitta was declared to be extinct in 1918.
After being known only from the specimens for decades, the extinction of this species was finally refuted when Phil Hurrell, a British ornithologist, rediscovered the bird in 1988. Hurrell accidentally encountered a male Schneider Pitta, later a pair, near the summit of Mt. Kerinci. Then, a series of studies to confirm the existence of this species was carried out again.
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Historically, Schneider Pitta was commonly found in the area of Mt. Kerinci before being declared for extinction. During the period of 70 years of extinction status, a number of camera traps installed in Bukit Barisan could only capture the Javan Banded Pitta (Pitta guajana), a non-rare type, while camera traps in Kerinci Seblat National Park failed to record this species.
Pitta birds are among the species that fell victim to deforestation. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment, the main pressure on the population of Schneider Pitta is habitat destruction. At least a third of Sumatra's mountainous tropical rain forest has been damaged by land use conversion to plantations and illegal logging. The IUCN estimation of the current number of remaining Schneider Pitta in nature is around 2,500-9,999 adults.
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In line with the increasingly intense research by various researchers, monitoring of the population and habitat of the Schneider Pitta continues to be carried out. James Eaton of Birdtour Asia described his encounter with the bird at Mt. Kerinci in 2013 on his Facebook page, stated, “Not the world’s brightest pitta but about the hardest to see and photograph.”
Pitta in a ground of extinction
Schneider Pitta is not the only bird of the Pitta family that is on the threat of extinction. The population of Sangihe Pitta (Erythropitta caeruleitorques), which can only be found in Sangihe Island, is under the threat of habitat loss due to forest area conversion. IUCN has declared this species as Endangered (EN).
Siau Pitta (Erythropitta palliceps) suffers the same fate. This species, along with Sangihe Pitta, is a newly splitted species from the wide-spreaded Philippine Pitta (Pitta erythrogaster). Loss of habitat due to conversion of forest area to agricultural land and the eruption of Mt. Karangetang caused this species population to be threatened with extinction (BirdLife International, 2016).
Biak Island, Talaud Island and North Sulawesi Province each have one endangered pitta. Habitat loss, due to illegal logging and land clearing for agricultural activities, has made the Biak Hooded Pitta (Pitta rosenbergii) and Talaud Pitta (Erythropitta inspeculata) to be declared as species that is vulnerable to extinction (Vulnerable/VU).
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Unduh wallpaper burung edisi Oktober 2017 di tautan berikut ini: Paok schneider
Important fact: Out of 10.000 bird species in the world, Indonesia is a home for 1.769 wild birds. Discovering the various types of birds and their services for the environment is a way of appreciating the biodiversity richness of Indonesia.