This pitta searches for food near the ground in forests and scrub. Typical adults show a blue breast band and red belly; the species occurs across the Philippines and on Indonesia's Talaud Islands.
Adults of the nominate subspecies have a blue-and-green back, a glossy blue breast band, and scarlet underparts. Females are less blue and juveniles are browner; island forms also differ.
It eats insects and their larvae, earthworms, and some plant material, finding most food on the ground. It uses primary forest as well as degraded woodland, scrub, bamboo, and river thickets.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.