 In contemporary taxonomy, the fairy pitta forms a superspecies with the Indian pitta, mangrove pitta ("P. megarhyncha") and blue-winged pitta ("P. moluccensis").Among the 30 species of Pittidae worldwide, the fairy pitta is the most northerly and only species breeding in Northeast Asia.The fairy pitta has a body length of 16–19.5 cm and is easily discernable for its plumage of seven different colors reminiscent of a rainbow.