Effectiveness of playbacks in
censusing the Fairy Pitta (Pitta nympha) during the breeding season in Taiwan. Zoological Studies 46(2): 242-
248. We evaluated the effectiveness of using playbacks of recorded calls to census the presence and abundance
of the Fairy Pitta (Pitta nympha) in the hills of Yunlin County, west-central Taiwan from late Apr. to May
2001. The responses of Fairy Pittas to playbacks were quick, with 94% occurring in the 1st 5 min. Playbacks
substantially increased the likelihood of detecting Fairy Pittas. Both the number of stations at which pittas were
detected and the number of pittas detected per station increased with the use of playbacks. In addition, both
the number of stations that detected pittas and the number of pittas detected per station were significantly higher
in early than mid- and late May, but did not differ among different times of the day (among early morning,
noon, and afternoon). Our results indicate that playbacks considerably increased detectability, and 5 min of
playback at a station is sufficient. However, it is important to census the Fairy Pitta populations during the preto
early-nesting period, and this should be carried out at least twice to ensure a high certainty of determining
the presence or absence of Fairy Pittas at a station. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/46.2/242.pdf