Pairs defend territories and breed during the rainy season, as that time of year provides the most food for nestlings.

Although the species has a small global range, it is locally common and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.

The rainbow pitta was described by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1842, which is based on a specimen collected on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia.

[8] The species was long thought to be monotypic,[5] but in 1999 the Western Australian population was split into the subspecies P. i. johnstoneiana by Richard Schodde and Ian J.

[9] It typically stands upright while looking for food or resting, with the legs slightly bent, and the body held at a 60–70° angle.

[3] It has a black bill, pink legs, brown eyes and a chestnut stripe along each side of its crown.

[9] The subspecies P. i. johnstoneiana is very similar to the nominate race, except the chestnut eyebrow is larger, as is the wing-spot, but the bird overall is slightly smaller.

[3] The rainbow pitta is endemic to the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and is found from sea-level to 380 m (1,250 ft).

[3] In the Northern Territory it is found in the Top End, from Darwin east to the edge of the Arnhem Escarpment.

[11] In Western Australia it is restricted to the coastal Kimberley, from Walcott Inlet to Middle Osborn Island.

Its movements can be difficult to trace during the post-breeding season, as it is silent during the annual moult, and generally shy throughout the year.

The display and purring call are adapted to be noticeable in the dim light of the forest floor yet not so conspicuous so as to attract predators.

This behaviour is paired with a "keow" call, and is made when potential predators approach closely to a nest.

It will also perform a wing-spreading display when predators are close to the nest, standing vertically and suddenly flashing open its wings.

When an adult itself is threatened, it may adopt a ducking posture, holding its breast down to the ground and its tail up high.

On hearing this the incubating bird leaves without making a sound, and the relieving parent takes their place.

[13] The diet of the rainbow pitta is dominated by insects and their larvae, other arthropods, snails and earthworms.

Insects and other arthropods are more commonly taken in the dry season;[9] these include cockroaches, beetles, ants, caterpillars and grasshoppers, centipedes, spiders and millipedes.

Larger prey like large centipedes are shaken and dropped, then the bird retreats for a few seconds before repeating the process.

Entrances may also be decorated with other objects such as dingo hair or feathers; the function of this is also unknown but may be to communicate with others of the same species.

[12] The eggs are rounded and white with sepia spots and blotches and underlying grey markings.

[3] Overall the rainbow pitta is evaluated as being of least concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.