There are no confirmed records from Sabah, only one record from Brunei and the only record from Indonesian Borneo is a specimen from Riam, South Kalimantan. In the 1970s, however, Fairy Pitta was a relatively common bird in Sarawak. Nevertheless, since that time, Fairy Pitta populations must certainly have declined in China, whilst elsewhere within its breeding range, it is reported to have become very rare. The species most likely to be confused with Mangrove Pitta, since it sometimes breeds in adjacent habitats and also occurs in mangroves during migration. Usually, however, it is a bird of a wide variety of other wooded habitats.
Evidence also suggests that some individuals breed in Borneo.
The occurrence of migrants in the Red River delta of Vietnam suggests that Blue-winged Pitta may also breed in Tonkin or in adjacent China, perhaps in Guangxi Province. During the northern winter, Blue-winged Pitta is found throughout the southern part of the breeding range, but more northern areas are vacated as the dry season sets in, and birds migrate south to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, with birds recorded from many islands in this region. Although Blue-winged Pitta may reach Java during the winter, there are as yet no acceptable records. In its wintering range, Blue-winged Pitta, in contrast to Fairy Pitta, apparently favours secondary forest or forest edge, not usually being encountered in primary forest, and, although it may be found at high altitudes during migration, it usually winters in lowlands and hills. As its name suggests, Mangrove Pitta is only certainly known from mangrove forest, so habitat is key to its identification.