Look long at this shot … this may just be one of the best photos anyone has ever gotten of this particular species.

The Rusty naped Pitta is a bird which does not look as striking or as colorful as other pitta (start thinking of Gurneys, Banded, hey, even the Blue and Blue winged Pitta!) but it is nevertheless a bird which is highly sought after by birders throughout the kingdom. This bird is best known for being a very skulking creature, not showing for more than five seconds before retreating into the safety of thick vegetation. Photos of the bird usually are hard to come by and those who have managed to get a clean shot can testify that this is not a cooperative specimen to deal with.

Wat Thum Palong in Doi Chiang Dao is one place where birders often flock to try to catch a glimpse of this difficult bird. This is where I saw my second Rusty naped Pitta, the first being on Doi Sutep at 4 AM when I accidentally hit a bird flying across the road and stunned it momentarily before it recovered and scampered back into the forest.

Peter Ericsson photographed this particular bird in Mae Wong National Park. For some unexplained reason, this bird was happy to pose as long as it was allowed to fill up on worms which were laid out, intended for another specimen which failed to show.