Referred to as "nature's living jewels", pitts are a brightly-coloured but little known family of birds. The 30 species are found mostly in South-East Asia, with two species in Africa. Their habitat is currently under threat, making many species extremely endangered. This text provides an overview of previous literature on the pitta, a study of the Fairy Pitta and consideration of conservation issues. Each species is depicted in watercolours with documentation of sex, age, date, locality and the museum where each bird-skin is kept, with its registration number. The book, though science based, may be useful as a reference guide for bird-enthusiasts as well as ornithologists, conservationists and museums.