There are two diverse lineages of passerine or perching birds. These are the oscines, with a complex vocal apparatus (syrinx), and the suboscines, with a simple, though variable vocal apparatus. The Pittidae is one of the two families of suboscine passerine in the Old World (Africa and Asia).

The Pittidae is a relatively uniform family of medium-sized insectivorous terrestrial birds that is largely confined to the tropical and subtropical forests of Asia, Australia and intervening islands, with a few outlying species occuring on islands to the east of New Guinea and on mainland Africa. At the present time, all 32 species are in the genus Pitta. They are mostly brilliantly coloured and rather thrush-like in their behaviour.

The pittas are usually solitary or found in dispersed pairs. Although some pittas occur in more open habitats, most are shy inhabitants of the floor of forests, and observing them in this habitat provides a major challenge despite their colourful appareance.