 The plumage is essentially the same for both sexes; females may have slightly more buff-yellow in their flanks and a slightly different shade of red on the lower belly, but these differences do not make the sexes distinguishable by plumage.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.The rainbow pitta is endemic to the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and is found from sea-level to .