Bill slender; moderate to small in size; culmen curved near the tip; a slight notch in the cutting edge of bill; bristles about the bill usually reduced; wing flat and pointed; first primary not more than one-half of second, and often much less; tarsi and feet moderate to large, the former entire in front except for the lower part; young in first plumage spotted.70
Birds of this subfamily are nearly all much larger than any of the Ruticillinæ or Saxicolinæ. The wing is long, pointed, and flat, the first primary very short; tail nearly square; plumage uniform, spotted, or bicolored; habits either arboreal or terrestrial.
Four primaries, third to sixth, with the outer webs emarginate; bill somewhat stouter than in Turdus; otherwise the two genera are very similar in structure. The Philippine members of Planesticus are resident, mountain species, and may be easily recognized by the colors, smoky brown and blackish slate, with no white on the breast and abdomen.
MINDORO BLACK THRUSH.72
Mindoro (Whitehead).
“Adult male.—Top and sides of the head and nape grayish brown, shading into brownish black on the rest of the upper parts and tail; chin whitish; throat and upper breast brownish gray, but considerably paler than the crown; sides of the lower breast and flanks rich chestnut; middle of the breast and belly pure white; under tail-coverts dark gray, tinged with rufous and with wide white middles, widest toward the extremity. Length, 229; wing, 108; tail, 88; tarsus, 30.
“Adult female.—Only differs from the male in having the brownish black upper parts washed with dark olive, most conspicuous on the rump and upper tail-coverts. Length, 221; wing, 108; tail, 82.5; tarsus, 30.
“In the immature male the upper parts resemble those of the female, but most or many of the feathers on the top of the head are brownish black and similar in color to the back of the adult male.
“In a slightly older example the head is mixed with the brownish gray feathers of the adult plumage; in a younger bird the crown is uniform brownish black, and the feathers of the mantle have rufous shaft-stripes. Both these birds have the chest and upper breast mixed with rust-colored feathers spotted with black at the extremity, and perfectly similar to those found in the young of the common blackbird (T. merula).
“An immature female has the top of the head and nape warm dark brown, and the rest of the upper parts dark brown washed with olive, as in the adult female, but few of the feathers of the mantle and wing-coverts have narrow rufous shaft-stripes, and the throat and chest are mostly clad in the rust and black-spotted immature plumage. The nearly adult female differs only from the adult in having the crown blackish brown.” (Grant).
Bul-it, Benguet.
Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor, Mearns).
Adult.—Entire head, neck all round, chin, throat, and chest light smoky brown, darker on forehead and crown; remainder of plumage black; some of the feathers at sides of abdomen tipped with white; under tail-coverts with white shaft-streaks and narrow rusty brown tips. Bill, legs, and nails yellow. Length of a male, plumage somewhat worn, 240; wing, 116; tail, 92; culmen from base, 22; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 31. A female, wing, 118; tail, 93; culmen from base, 24; bill from nostril, 15; tarsus, 33. Even in adult birds there is some variation in the amount of white on the under tail-coverts, and rusty brown fringes on the feathers of the abdomen seem to indicate immaturity. A young male has the head and neck black instead of chocolate-brown and the feathers of lower breast and abdomen are liberally marked with rusty brown, this coloring the shafts of some feathers.
Luzon (Mearns).
“Characters.—Pattern of coloration similar to that of Merula thomassoni Grant, but darker, with less contrast between the coloration of the head and that of the body. Smaller, with relatively stouter bill; preanal feathers not tipped with white.
“Description of type (adult male).—Upper surface except head and neck all black; under surface of body black perceptibly washed with brown on feather edges; head and neck very dark brown, almost black on crown; entire under surface of wings and tail dull black; under tail-coverts black with narrow median white stripes involving the shafts. Iris very dark brown; eyelids, bill, feet, and claws all yellow. Female exactly like the male. A younger male than the type differs only in having the feathers of the under side of the body edged with yellowish brown. Length, 215; wing, 120; tail, 101; culmen (chord measured from true base), 22; bill from anterior margin of nostril, 13; tarsus, 34; middle toe with claw, 32.5.
“Female.—Length, 210; wing, 117; tail, 99; culmen, 20.5; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 33; middle toe with claw, 32.” (Mearns.)
Pó-lo, Bagobo of Mount Apo.
Mindanao (Mearns, Goodfellow).
Adult.—This species is almost exactly like P. thomassoni in colors, but is considerably smaller in size. A male collected by Mearns measures: Length, 246; wing, 110; tail, 94; culmen from base, 21; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 31.
A female, wing, 110; tail, 89; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 30.
Negros (Whitehead).
“Adult male and female.—Above rich dark umber, darkest on the top of the head; wings and tail brownish black; chin, throat, and chest pale sooty brown, rather lighter on the breast, flanks, and belly; a band of white feathers across the vent; under tail-coverts dark brown, with pale whitish-brown tips. Bill and feet yellow. Male: Length, 241; wing, 124; tail, 96.5; tarsus, 34. Female: Length, 223.5; wing, 119; tail, 91; tarsus, 31.5.
“An immature male has the upper parts much like those of the adult, but the feathers of the back have indistinct margins of darker color, the chin and middle of the throat are buff, and the breast and under parts spotted with black and washed with rufous, shading into tawny buff on the middle of the belly.
“The Negros blackbird is resident on the volcano of Canloon at an altitude of from 1,600 to 2,000 meters, and both young birds and eggs were obtained.” (Grant.)
A nest containing two “much incubated” eggs was taken by Whitehead on April 12, 1896, and another nest with two young birds was found on the 21st of the same month. The eggs are described as follows: “Shape ovate. Ground-color very pale green; one egg very thickly mottled with brick-red, almost hiding the ground-color; the second blotched toward the larger end and more thinly marked over the rest of the shell showing the very pale red-lilac clouded under-markings. As compared with eggs of the common blackbird, the above are very much redder, and closely resemble those of Turdus simillimus.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
Mindanao (Mearns).
“Characters.—Largest of the Philippine species of Merula. Breast and under side of neck light drab-gray, a darker shade of this color extending to the throat and chin and forming an indistinct collar around the hind neck; middle of abdomen and crissum nearly white; mantle, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts light sooty-brown; wings and tail dark sooty-brown.
“Adult male.—Upper side of head, mantle, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts light sooty-brown; flanks slightly paler and browner; wings and tail dark sooty-brown, more fuliginous on under surface; chest and under side of neck light drab-gray, a darker shade of this color encircling the neck and extending to the chin and throat, where the feathers have dark shaft-streaks; sides of head pale sooty-brown; feathers of the median area from chest to crissum, with broad, white edges and a dark central area inclosing a sagittate white spot, giving a spotted appearance to the middle of the under surface of the body; crissum with this light area expanded and practically all white; under tail-coverts sooty-brown, longitudinally striped with white or pale buff.
“Adult female.—Similar to the male but slightly smaller and dingier in color with a slight rufescence on sides of lower breast and flanks.
“Immature male.—Sides of lower chest and flanks more strongly washed with raw-umber than in adult females; chest and throat darker.
“First plumage (male).—Upper surface dusky, washed with raw-umber, especially on the head, neck, upper back, and wing-coverts; scapulars with pale rusty shaft-streaks, and some of the lesser wing-coverts edged with the same; under surface sepia-brown strongly mixed with reddish brown and spotted with brownish black, the rufescence covering the middle of the throat and much of the chest, the blackish cordate spots being confined to the tips and the rusty bands crossing the middle of the feathers; whitish median stripe distinct but with pale rufescent edging to the feathers except on lower abdomen; under tail-coverts sepia-brown with rusty edging and broad, white, median stripes.
“In other specimens taken at the same season, the molt was nearly finished, leaving a few feathers with rusty bands and black spots and with a stronger rusty washing to the flanks than in adults.” (Mearns.)
Rictal bristles weak, less than bill from nostril; wing strong, flat, and pointed; third, fourth, and fifth primaries emarginate on outer webs; first primary very short, less than primary-coverts; tail nearly square; tarsus slightly less than one-third of tail and about equal to middle toe with claw. Upper parts olive-brown, russet-brown, or gray; chin and throat light with dusky streaks; chest, sides, and flanks dull chestnut or gray; crissum and middle of breast and abdomen white. This color pattern is characteristic of the three migratory species which have been found in the Philippine Islands.
Calayan (McGregor). Japan and eastern Siberia; Formosa and Southern China in winter.
“In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is rich russet-brown, tinged with gray on the head; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts brown; no trace of eye-stripe; wings brown, the primaries, primary-coverts, and alula wing-feathers with the outer webs slate-gray, the secondaries, greater, median, and lesser wing-coverts with the outer webs russet-brown; tail dark brown, the outer webs of each feather margined with olive-brown; inner web of outside tail-feathers white for half an inch [13 mm.] at the tip; inner web of second outside tail-feather on each side with rather less white at the tip; more or less white at the tip of the third outside tail-feather on each side; throat and cheeks, breast and flanks slate-gray, shading into white on the belly and the center of the breast, and more or less irregularly shaded with brown on the lower throat, sides of breast, and flanks; under tail-coverts white, with the basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts pale slate-gray obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale slaty brown. Bill dark brown, yellow at the base of the under mandible. Wings with the third, fourth, and fifth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary intermediate in length between the fifth and sixth, bastard primary 19 to 12.7 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 129.5 to 119; tail, 99 to 84; culmen, 29 to 23; tarsus, 30 to 29.
“The female differs from the male in having the parts which are slate-gray replaced by russet-brown, and in having the center of the throat grayish white, and the cheeks and sides of the throat with brown fan-shaped terminal spots. Males of the year have the plumage of the female, and the greater wing-coverts with more or less conspicuous pale tips. Young in first plumage are unknown.” (Seebohm.)
A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 122; tail, 87; culmen from base, 23; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 30.
Pir-pi-rú-ca, Calayan.
Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead). Japan, Hainan, and Eastern Siberia; in winter to Formosa and China.
“In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is russet-brown, tinged with gray on the head; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts brown; scarcely a trace of eye-stripe; wings brown, the primaries, primary-coverts, and alula feathers with the outer webs slaty brown; the secondaries, greater, median, and lesser wing-coverts with outer webs russet-brown; tail brown, the outer web of each feather margined with olive-brown; inner web of the outside tail-feathers narrowly margined with white; throat and cheeks sooty brown, shading into chestnut-brown on the breast, and into deep rich chestnut on the flanks, leaving the belly white; under tail-coverts white, with the basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts edged with pale slate-gray, obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale slaty brown. Bill dark brown, yellow at the base of the under mandible. Wings with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth, or fifth and sixth, bastard primary 18 to 16.5 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 127 to 117; tail, 91 to 79; culmen, 22.6 to 19; tarsus, 33 to 29.
“The female has no gray on the head or wings, the upper throat is nearly white, and the feathers of the cheeks and the center of the throat are white, with dark brown, fan-shaped terminal spots. Males of the year resemble females. Young in first plumage are unknown.” (Seebohm.)
Apo (Celestino); Calayan (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Cuming, Othberg, Whitehead); Mindanao (Goodfellow); Negros (Whitehead). Eastern Siberia, Japan, Eastern Himalayas and Malay Peninsula; in winter to China, Borneo, and Burma.
“In the adult male the general color of the upper parts is olive-brown, tinged with gray on the crown and nape; lores very dark brown; ear-coverts slaty brown; eye-stripe white, extending nearly to the nape; wings, wing-coverts, and tail brown, the outer web of each feather olive-brown, grayer on the margins of the primaries and primary-coverts; outside tail-feathers obscurely tipped with white on the inner web; throat and cheeks slaty brown, shading into olive-brown on the breast and into pale chestnut-brown on the flanks, leaving the belly white; under tail-coverts white, with basal half edged with brown; axillars and under wing-coverts pale slate-gray, obscurely tipped with white; inner margin of quills pale brown. Bill with upper mandible dark brown; under mandible pale yellow, darker toward the tip. Wing with the third primary longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth, bastard primary, 15 to 13 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Wing, 127 to 112; tail, 91 to 76; culmen, 22 to 20; tarsus, 32 to 28.
“The female differs from the male in not having the slaty tint on the crown, nape, and sides of the head; the throat is white, obscurely streaked with brown, and the flanks are very slightly suffused with pale chestnut-brown. In spring the general color of the upper parts has faded from russet-brown into a grayer brown, which becomes still more gray during summer.
“Birds of the year do not entirely lose the marks of immaturity until their second autumn molt; the wing-coverts and innermost secondaries frequently retain the pale tips, though these are white rather than ochraceous; the throat and eye-stripe of the female are much suffused with ochraceous, and the throat of the male resembles that of the adult female.
“Young in first plumage have most of the feathers of the upper parts with pale ochraceous shafts, the feathers of the back have traces of dark-brown terminal bars, and the wing-coverts and innermost secondaries have pale ochraceous tips to the outside webs; on the under parts the feathers of the cheeks and breast have dark-brown tips, which become less conspicuous on the flanks; the throat and eye-stripe are suffused with ochraceous.” (Seebohm.)
A male from Apo Island, near Mindoro, measures: Wing, 126; tail, 97; culmen from base, 22; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 30.
Bill short and stout; bristles about bill short and weak; first primary a little shorter than primary-coverts; third to sixth primaries with outer webs emarginate; inner webs of quills light colored at base; axillars bicolored, the colors reversed on the under wing-coverts; tail short, about twice the tarsus. Under parts white, spotted with black.
Basilan (Steere Exp.); Sulu (Platen); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Malay Peninsula, northwestern Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Lombok, Sumbawa.
“In the adult male in spring plumage the head is brownish chestnut, shading into orange-chestnut on the nape; the rest of the upper parts slate-gray; lores grayish white; no trace of eye-stripe; ear-coverts and cheeks black, the feathers of the former with white bases; innermost secondaries and quills dark brown; wing-coverts nearly black; median wing-coverts white; greater wing-coverts tipped with white; unemarginated portion of outside web of primaries pale slate-gray; tail brown, the outside feather on each side broadly tipped with white, and the next narrowly so; chin, throat, and upper breast black; rest of the under parts white, suffused with ochraceous on the flanks; the feathers of the lower breast with conspicuous fan-shaped black terminal spots, which become obscure on the flanks; axillars, basal portion white, terminal portion dark slate-gray; lower under wing-coverts, basal portion black, terminal portion white; basal portion of inner web of the secondaries and many of the primaries white. Bill dark brown above and below. Wing with the fourth and fifth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary between the seventh and eighth, bastard primary, 24 to 21.5 mm. Legs, feet, and claws flesh-color. Wing, 108 to 102; tail, 61 to 53; culmen, 19.5 to 18; tarsus, 29 to 28. The adult plumage of the sexes appears to be alike, nor is it known that any important change takes place by abrasion.
“Young in first plumage appear to have the whole of the upper parts dull chestnut, each feather having a pale shaft and obscure pale center; the white bars on the wings are suffused with chestnut, and the black on the under parts is confined to two moustachial lines on the cheeks, the rest being dull chestnut. This plumage is immediately molted to the adult plumage in the first autumn, except that certain birds, which I take to be females, have the slate-gray of the upper parts replaced by dark olive-brown.” (Seebohm.)
Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).
Male.—Above black; feathers of head, neck, back, rump, and scapulars edged with ashy gray; lores white, the hair-like tips of the shafts black; eye-circle white, broken above and below center of eye by a black spot; feathers of jaw and ear-coverts white with black tips, between these areas the cheeks are black; chin feathers white, their shafts with black hair-like tips; remainder of under parts white, the feathers of throat, chest, and sides of body and abdomen with large fan-shaped black tips, forming an almost solid black pectoral patch, but posteriorly becoming gradually smaller; crissum and middle of abdomen without spots and washed with ocherous buff, most heavily on the longer tail-coverts; a dusky wash on flanks; wing-feathers blackish; outer webs of primaries edged with gray; inner webs of quills, except first two, with a diagonal band of light buff or white; alula and primary- and secondary-coverts black; greater and median coverts tipped with white forming two bars; edge of wing white; axillars white, tipped with blackish, these colors reversed on under wing-coverts; tail blackish, outermost rectrices each with a terminal white spot on inner web. Length, about 200 mm. A male measures: Wing, 115; tail, 70; culmen from base, 22; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 32; middle toe with claw, 29.
Female.—The only female examined is very similar to the male, but the ocherous wash of the under parts is lighter and the outer webs of the primary-coverts are marked with white forming a short band. Bill black, base of lower mandible whitish; iris very dark brown; legs and nails white. Wing, 112; tail, 63; culmen from base, 22; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 30.
Mindanao (Mearns).
“Description of type (and only specimen).—Upper surface, including head, dark ashen gray closely resembling the shade of the same parts in Geocichla cinerea Bourns and Worcester; feathers of the back edged with black; scapulars with black spots occupying the tip of the web on the upper side; wing and tail-feathers shaded with brown and crossed by obsolete, wavy bars of darker; lores, eyelids, ear-coverts, and cheeks cinereous finely mixed with pale fawn-color, the malar region being cross-banded with black and fawn and the ear-coverts longitudinally striped with white; chin and throat white, narrowly cross-banded with black and bordered by black stripes; pectoral region plain cinereous-ash with pale shafts to the feathers; lower chest and flanks black and white, each feather heavily margined with jet-black inclosing a sharply pointed white spot; middle of abdomen white; crissum white, faintly washed with buff which is strongest on the lower tail-coverts; under side of wing-quills broadly white on inner border at base; edge of wing white; axillars white at base, broadly black at tip; under wing-coverts black, tipped with white and pale cream-color; upper wing-coverts without white spots. Length, 230; wing, 125; tail, 78; culmen (chord), 35; bill from nostril, 19; tarsus, 32; middle toe with claw, 30.
“This species was occasionally seen as it darted through the mossy forest or alighted upon the ground; but it was so shy that only a single specimen was shot, although its loud, sweet song was frequently heard at morning and evening.” (Mearns.)
“In the genus Zoothera the sexes are alike, the under wing-coverts and axillars of two colors, the colors in the one part transposed or reversed in the other, the lower plumage squamated, not distinctly barred nor spotted, and the rictal bristles very long and numerous. The anterior or supplementary bristles extend over the nostrils as in the flycatchers, and Zoothera is the only genus of thrushes in which this feature is present. The bill is very long and strongly curved near the tip, and the edges of the mandible are frequently serrated by wear and tear, but never originally so.” (Oates.)
Mindanao (Goodfellow). Java, Sumatra, Lombok.
“In the adult male in spring plumage the general color of the upper parts is dark brown, approaching black on the head and on the margins of the feathers of the back; feathers of lores and ear-coverts with pale centers; no trace of eye-stripe; wings and tail not quite so black as the back; chin and upper throat white, with narrow transverse terminal black bands; cheeks pale slate-gray with broad terminal black bands; lower throat and breast pale slate-gray; center of belly and under tail-coverts buffish white; flanks black with large diamond-shaped white centers; axillars, basal half white, terminal half black; lower under wing-coverts, basal half black, terminal half white; basal portions of the inner webs of the secondaries and many of the primaries white. Bill abnormally long, dark brown above and below; wing with the fourth primary slightly the longest, second primary about equal to the sixth; bastard primary, 32 to 28 mm. Legs, feet, and claws dark brown. Wing, 124 to 122; tail, 77 to 71; culmen, 29 to 28; tarsus, 34 to 33.
“It is not known that there is any difference of plumage attributable to either sex or season. Young in first plumage have pale ochraceous shafts to most of the feathers of the upper parts and fan-shaped, ochraceous terminal spots to the wing-coverts. The under parts are also much suffused with ochraceous and the breast and flanks barred with black, the diamond-shaped pale centers being irregular in shape.” (Seebohm.)
“In the genus Oreocincla the sexes are alike, the under wing-coverts and axillars are each of two colors, those on the axillars being transposed or reversed in order on the under wing-coverts, the lower plumage is distinctly barred or spotted, never squamated, and the rictal bristles are few and confined to the gape. The tail is typically short and the upper tail-coverts very ample. There is a distinct pattern on the under side of the wing.” (Oates.)
Luzon (Whitehead); Mindoro (Porter). Japan and Siberia, accidental in Europe; China and Burma in winter.
“In the adult male in spring plumage the general color of the upper parts is ochraceous brown, each feather having a transverse terminal crescent-shaped black band; most of the feathers have pale shafts and a more or less distinct ochraceous transverse subterminal band, very conspicuous on the head and neck; lores grayish white; no trace of eye-stripe; wing-coverts and innermost secondaries shading from dark olive-brown on the inside webs to ochraceous brown on the outside webs, but, with the exception of the primary-coverts, wanting the black terminal bands; quills brown, the outside webs ochraceous brown; four central and terminal portion on two outside tail-feathers on each side ochraceous brown, the remaining three on each side very dark olive-brown; five outside tail-feathers on each side more or less distinctly tipped with white, and all more or less obscurely barred; under parts white, with a more or less distinct tinge of ochraceous on the breast, each feather with a transverse terminal crescent-shaped black band, nearly obsolete on the chin, center of belly, and under tail-coverts; axillars, basal half white, terminal half black; under wing-coverts, basal portion black, terminal portion white; basal half of inner web of secondaries and basal portion of many of the primaries pale buff. Bill dark brown above, basal half of under mandible pale yellowish brown. Wing with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest, second primary between the fourth and fifth; bastard primary, 26.6 to 23 mm. Legs, feet, and claws pale yellowish brown. Length of wing, 162.5 to 150; tail, 114 to 105; culmen, 33 to 28; tarsus, 35.5 to 33.
“It is not known that there is any difference in the color of the plumage of the sexes, or in consequence of the autumn molt. Birds of the year and young in first plumage are unknown.” (Seebohm.)
Rictal bristles weak, less than bill from nostril; first primary slender, equal to primary-coverts; outer webs of third, fourth, and fifth primaries sinuate; tarsus little longer than middle toe with claw; tail three times the tarsus. Males largely blue and chestnut; females dull gray or brown, barred with blackish brown; under parts washed with ocherous buff.
Sol-i-tá-ri-o, in general use; yu-ta-yú-ta, Siquijor.
Agutaya (McGregor); Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp.); Batan (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Schmacker, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, Keay); Palawan (Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panaon (Everett); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp.); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor); Y’Ami (McGregor). Japan and eastern Siberia; in winter to southern China, Burmese Provinces, and Malay Archipelago.
Male.—Upper parts, sides of head and neck, chin, throat, and chest blue, this color much obscured by gray, brown, and blackish tips to the feathers; lower breast, abdomen, crissum, and thighs deep chestnut, obscured by whitish tips and blackish subterminal bars; axillars and wing-lining chestnut; wings and tail black, the feathers edged with blue and tipped with white. Length, about 215; wing, 125; tail, 81; culmen from base, 21; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 27.5. This plumage is the one usually found in winter birds in the Philippines. “At the end of winter the white fringes and subterminal black bars on the blue parts of the plumage are entirely lost, and the marks on the chestnut parts are also removed by abrasion in great measure, but never entirely.” (Oates.)
“The female much resembles the autumn plumage of the male, except that the blue of the upper parts is much duller and the whole of the under parts are pale whitish brown, suffused with pale buffish brown on the axillaries and under wing- and tail-coverts; each feather on the under parts has a dark brown subterminal transverse band, which on the throat is continued on the margins of the feathers; the axillars and the under tail-coverts have several transverse dark bars. After the autumn molt the only perceptible difference in the female is that the pale brown margins of the feathers are somewhat longer. Males of the year scarcely differ from adult females, excepting in having the ground-color of the under parts, especially on the breast and belly, tinged with blue. Females of the year have the ground-color of the upper parts brown, only slightly tinged with blue on the wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts. Young in first plumage differ very slightly from the females of the year, but have scarcely a trace of blue.” (Seebohm.)
A young female from Calayan is brown, slightly washed with dull blue on mantle and back; feathers of mantle, back, and tail-coverts with subterminal blackish bars and gray tips; under parts ocherous buff the feathers with subterminal blackish bars; wings black, the feathers tipped with white and edged with gray, tail similar; wing-lining, axillars, and crissum richer ocherous barred with black.
“Curiously enough this bird is called ‘solitaria’ by the natives of Negros on account of its habits. Always seen singly or in pairs. Common in the villages, especially about old churches. Also abundant on the rocks along the seashore and in open country in general; never found in the forest. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails black; food, insects.
“Six males average, 210 in length; wing, 111; tail, 85; culmen, 23; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 26. Four females, length, 210; wing, 111; tail, 84; culmen, 23; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 27.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
A specimen from Bataan Province, Luzon, appears to be much nearer Petrophila cyanus (Linnæus) than P. manillensis; the under parts are blue with the chestnut restricted to the axillars, wing-lining, crissum, and a few feathers in the middle of abdomen.
Nearly all the members of this subfamily are considerably smaller than any of the Turdinæ. There is much diversity in the color pattern as well as in the length and shape of the tail. The species are mostly terrestrial.
Bill small and slender; culmen from base about equal to hind toe with claw; first primary about one-half of second and a little shorter than tarsus; tail rounded, about two-thirds as long as wing, and scarcely exceeding the outstretched legs and feet. Colors dark blue and chestnut.
U-li-si-u, Irisan, Benguet Province.
Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor).
Male.—General color slate-blue, throat darker; chin, jaw, and lores black; abdomen, crissum, flanks, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich chestnut; thighs slate-gray, tail chestnut; wing-feathers dark brown, their edges slate-blue. Bill and nails black; legs and feet very dark brown. Length, 152; wing, 77; tail, 58; culmen from base, 14; bill from nostril, 8.5; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 21.
Female.—Similar to the male but duller in color; rump, tail-coverts, and tail brown, very slightly chestnut. Length, 152; wing, 75; tail, 55; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 8.5; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 21.
Young.—A young male taken in June, 1903, has the plumage dark smoke-gray, almost black, the feathers of throat, breast, and wing-coverts faintly tipped with gray; wings and tail as in the adult and a few new feathers of head, neck, breast, and abdomen indicating the adult colors.
Bill slender; culmen from base nearly equal to hind toe with claw; wing long and pointed; first primary more than one-half second and longer than tarsus; tail rounded, about three-fourths as long as wing. Throat white or bright red.
Pi-lóy, Manila.
Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Whitehead); Negros (Whitehead). Siberia and northern China; in winter to southern China, Burmese Provinces, northern and central India; accidental in Europe.
Male.—Above olive-brown, at times more or less ashy; line over lores and over eye white; lores and line under eye black, below this a broader white line; base of jaw black; chin and throat-patch bright strawberry-red surrounded by a narrow line of black; chest ashy gray; middle of breast and abdomen white; sides of abdomen and flanks light buff-brown; tail-coverts white, washed with buff. Iris brown; bill dusky brown, nearly black with its base whitish; legs and nails dark flesh-color. Length, about 160 mm. A male from Calayan measures: Wing, 80; tail, 64; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 30; middle toe with claw, 24.
Female.—Differs from the male in having black lines on sides of head and throat replaced by brown; loral feathers with brown tips; throat-patch white; no ashy gray on breast. A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 78; tail, 63; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 29.
“Birds of the year have the brown of both the upper and under parts more ochraceous, and the male resembles the female, except in having traces of red on the throat. Young in first plumage appear to be unknown.” (Seebohm.)
Bill moderately stout, when measured from nostril less than hind toe with claw; rictal bristles small; wing pointed, slightly concave, and less than tail in length; first primary more than one-half the second, and much longer than tarsus; rectrices long, narrow, and strongly graduated; outstretched feet not reaching tips of shortest pair of rectrices. Colors black and white, the tail entirely black in the only Philippine species. Sexes somewhat unlike in colors.
A-ni-ní-hol, Siquijor; do-mi-ní-co, Manila.
Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Cebu (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Lapac (Bartsch); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Everett, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Bartsch); Samar (Steere Exp.); Semirara? (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).
Male.—Upper parts and entire head, throat, and breast glossy blue-black; axillars, under wing-coverts, and feathers of thighs black, tipped with white; remainder of under parts white; wings and tail black, outer webs of the feathers glossy; inner wing-coverts entirely white (but one of the greater coverts occasionally half black); two secondaries with outer webs white. Length, about 185 mm. A specimen from Siquijor measures: Wing, 92; tail, 90; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 25.
Female.—Similar to the male, but upper parts duller; forehead, lores, chin, throat, and breast ash-gray; flanks and crissum washed with pale fulvous. A female measures: Wing, 83; tail, 83; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12.
Young.—Colors similar to adult in pattern, but upper parts dull black; chin, throat, and breast dark smoke-gray, spotted with white and pale buff.
“A showy bird, commonly seen in low bushes and about clumps of bamboo, close to the ground, or on it. The male is constantly opening and closing his tail, and seems to be a vain fellow, well aware of his good looks, and disposed to make the most of them. He is a fine singer as well. Seven males average 203 in length; wing, 107; tail, 105; culmen, 20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Four females, length, 199; wing, 84; tail, 83; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 23. Iris and bill black; legs and feet nearly black. Breeding in Mindanao in the month of May.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Bill slender, hind toe with claw longer than bill from nostril; rictal bristles small; feathers about bill and chin with the shafts stiff, produced, and slightly recurved; wing pointed; first primary more than one-half the second; rectrices wide and strongly graduated. Colors largely black and white. In the type of the genus (Kittacincla tricolor) the tail is nearly twice as long as the wing, but in none of the Philippine species is the tail so greatly developed. Kittacincla may be distinguished from Copsychus by its more slender bill and wider rectrices.
Catanduanes (Whitehead); Luzon (Kittlitz, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Polillo (McGregor).
Male.—Head, neck, back, chin, and throat black, the upper parts with a slight blue gloss; on each side of head from above lores to nape a broad superciliary band of white, connected across forehead by a narrow white band; rump and tail-coverts orange-chestnut; breast, abdomen, and crissum white; flanks washed with orange-buff; feathers of thighs brown with white tips; wings black; some of the primaries narrowly edged with white, some of the greater coverts broadly tipped with white; axillars and wing-lining white; rectrices black, the four outer pairs broadly tipped with white. Iris and bill black; feet and nails light flesh-color. Length, about 180 mm. A male from Bataan Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 82; tail, 82; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 23.
Adult female.—“Top of the head, mantle, and upper back olive-brown; lores, sides of the head and neck, and the chest dull gray, the chin and middle of throat being somewhat paler, almost whitish; wings washed and edged on the outer web with brown; the rest of the plumage is very similar to that of the male. Length, 183; wing, 76; tail, 81; tarsus, 27.
“An immature female is similar to the above, but the middle of the chin and throat is mostly white, in somewhat marked contrast to the gray chest and sides of the head and neck.” (Grant.)
Two eggs of the Luzon shama collected at Cape Engaño, Luzon, on April 27, 1895, are thus described:
“Shape short ovate. Ground-color pale sea-green, profusely spotted and blotched all over, especially toward the larger end, with reddish brown and with some indistinct lilac under-markings. Measurements 21 mm. by 16 mm.” Two eggs collected in the same locality on May 26, are “rather more oval in shape than the above and more richly marked. Measurements 23 mm. by 16 mm.
“One nest was placed in the hollowed-out stem of a dead palm broken off by the wind, the other in a hollow stump close to the ground; in both cases the nest was composed of moss and dry grass.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
“In Marinduque we shot this species about bamboo clumps in the open. In Luzon we invariably found it in the deep woods. A male from Luzon measures as follows: Wing, 75; tail, 79; culmen, 18; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 22. Bill black; legs, feet, and nails flesh-color.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Whitehead, Celestino); Ticao (McGregor).
Male.—General color glossy black; a broad superciliary line from above lores to nape white; breast, abdomen, and crissum white with a faint buff wash on flanks; feathers of thighs brown with white tips; wings black; axillars and wing-lining white; tail black, outer pairs of rectrices with narrow white tips, wanting in one specimen. Iris dark; bill black; legs light flesh-color; nails light brown. Length, 165 mm. A male from Masbate measures: Wing, 84; tail, 73; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 23. A male from Ticao, wing, 79; tail, 66; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 22.
“A young male, nearly adult, has a few white feathers on chin and throat and a faint wash of light buff on the flanks. A much younger bird has many of the feathers of the back tipped with rusty brown and the greater wing-coverts and quills washed with the same color; chin and throat almost pure white; an ill-defined black collar; the entire under surface washed with light buff, deeper on the flanks.
“This well-marked species is extremely rare in Masbate. It feeds in dense thickets in the deep woods and we never heard it utter a note. The Luzon bird, C. luzoniensis, has a superciliary stripe, but this stripe is not nearly so broad as in this species, and as the strongly marked superciliary line is one of the most noticeable characters of the Masbate bird we have named it accordingly.” (Bourns and Worcester.)
Balabac (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Steere, Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Everett, Celestino, White).
Adult male and female.—Almost entirely glossy blue-black; some feathers of lower abdomen, flanks, and sides of back with white shafts, or with subterminal white spots which are more or less concealed; under tail-coverts black, broadly tipped with white; four central rectrices black, the others white with concealed black bases; wings black, most of the feathers edged with glossy blue-black. Length, 215 to 220 mm. A male from Palawan measures: Wing, 88; tail, 105; culmen from base, 17; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 23. A female, wing, 81; tail, 98; culmen, from base, 17; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 22.
Young.—Similar to the adult but throat and breast less glossy; abdomen, flanks, and crissum entirely white, thighs brown; the flanks slightly washed with earthy brown. In more nearly adult plumage the throat and breast become glossy and the white of the abdomen is reduced in extent and broken up; the thighs become black.
“Quite common in Palawan, where we found it skulking in thickets in the deep woods, usually near or on the ground, though it would fly up into the trees if followed. In the Calamianes Islands we found it abundantly in bamboo thickets.
“Four males from Palawan average: Length, 205; wing, 87; tail, 107; culmen, 21; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 22. Two females, length, 230; wing, 90; tail, 105; culmen, 20; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 22. Iris dark brown to black; legs, feet, and nails brown to black; bill black. Called by natives of Palawan ‘tam-be-lad-nun’.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Cebu (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).
Adult.—Glossy blue-black; wings black; coverts, alula, and some of the secondaries edged with glossy blue-black; axillars and wing-lining similar; tail black. Two adult males measure: Wing, 90, 95; tail, 105.6, 99 (imperfect); culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 27, 26; middle toe with claw, 24, 23.
An immature male from Toledo, Cebu, October 13, differs from the adult as follows: Feathers of crown and nape tipped with dull rusty brown; wings dull seal-brown; each feather of alula and greater coverts with a subterminal spot of ocherous brown; lesser coverts black, fringed with silvery gray; lower parts dull blue-gray, tips of feathers ocherous, becoming more rusty on flanks.
“An immature female is slaty black above, tail dull black; wing-coverts brown, tipped with distinct spots of rufous-brown, these spots forming two irregular bars; quills fulvous-brown; primaries faintly washed on outer webs with rufous-brown; forehead brownish; lores, ring round eye, sides of face and chin light rufous-brown; center of throat and upper breast slaty gray, a few of the feathers still retaining brownish centers; rest of under surface slaty black washed with brown; under tail-coverts black with brown shaft-stripes.” (Bourns and Worcester.)
“Apparently confined to the island of Cebu where it is very rare. Invariably found in the forest and in dense thickets close to the ground. It is both quiet and shy. We never heard it utter a note.
“Two males from Cebu average: Length, 205; wing, 90; tail, 100; culmen, 20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Iris very dark brown; legs, feet, and nails dark brown, almost black; bill black. Breeding in June.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
The two species representing this subfamily in the Philippines are small; the upper tail-coverts are white, which is not true of the other Philippine Turdidæ; the bill is slender and the feeding habits are Muscicapine.
Bill stout; rictal bristles strong, equal to or longer than bill from nostril; wing moderate; first primary more than one-half second and longer than tarsus; tail moderate in length and rounded.
Si-páo, Manila.
Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Jagor, Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Everett); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp.); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Ticao (McGregor). Persia, India Peninsula, Burmese provinces, Java, Borneo.
Adult male.—Most of the plumage glossy black; inner series of secondary-coverts white, forming a conspicuous patch; rump, upper tail-coverts, and crissum pure white; some feathers of flanks, lower abdomen, and thighs tipped with white; extreme bases of outer rectrices white. Bill, legs, and nails black. Length, about 130 mm. Wing, 68; tail, 50; culmen from base, 14; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 20. In winter the male has many feathers of head, back, breast, abdomen, and sides of body fringed with buff.
Adult female.—In fresh plumage (April); upper parts ashy gray with dark brown centers to the feathers; rump and tail-coverts rusty buff; lower parts brown; feathers of chin edged with pale whitish buff; crissum pale whitish buff; remainder of under parts ocherous brown, the feathers with darker centers; feathers of wing dark brown with lighter margins; rectrices blackish brown. In worn plumage (September) the upper parts, except uropygium, become seal-brown; wing-feathers similar from the wearing away of the light margins; under parts darker than in the fresh plumage. A female measures: Wing, 64; tail, 50; culmen from base, 13; bill from nostril, 7.5; tarsus, 20.
Young.—A young male (May) resembles the female in worn plumage, but the under parts are richer and more mottled; chin and throat buff with blackish edges to feathers; breast and abdomen rusty ocherous, the feathers of breast fringed with dull black; head, neck, and back smoky black, most of the feathers marked with small buff spots; secondaries, alula, and secondary-coverts broadly edged with rusty ocherous; edging of alula-feathers lighter; bases of inner greater coverts pure white.
Bill slender; rictal bristles weak, the longest less than bill from nostril; wing long, flat, and pointed; first primary short and slender, less than one-third of second; tail rounded, extending very little beyond the folded wings.
Calayan (McGregor). Europe and northern Asia to Alaska; in winter to the Indian Peninsula and eastern Africa.
“Adult male in breeding plumage.—General color of the upper parts pale slate-gray; forehead and eye-stripe, which extends to the nape, white; lores and upper part of the ear-coverts black; wings and wing-coverts nearly black, a few traces of the autumnal buff margins to the feathers generally left; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail white except the terminal three-fifths of the two center feathers, and the terminal fourths of the others, which are nearly black; under parts very pale buff, slightly darker on the throat and breast; axillars and under wing-coverts white with dark centers; inner margin of quills brown. Bill, legs, feet, and claws black. Wing with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest; second primary sometimes as long as the fourth; bastard primary, 19 to 14 mm. Wing, 106.6 to 89; (females, 94 to 87.6); tail 62 to 51; culmen, 18 to 16; tarsus, 30 to 27.
“Adult female in breeding plumage.—General color of the upper parts dull brown; forehead and eye-stripe buffish white, much narrower than in the male; lores and upper part of the ear-coverts brown; wings and wing-coverts not so dark as in the male; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail as in the male, but the dark parts not quite so dark; under parts as in the male. After the autumn molt both sexes have a buffish brown margin to every feather, so that they are scarcely distinguishable, and resemble the adult female in breeding plumage except that the quills and tail-feathers are margined with buffish brown at the tip, and the innermost secondaries and wing-coverts are similarly margined, not only at the tip but along the outside webs; the under parts are also darker in color. It is not known that birds of the year differ from adults.
“Young in first plumage resemble the female, but have obscure transverse terminal dark bars and pale centers to most of the feathers of the upper and under parts.” (Seebohm.)
The only specimen of the wheatear recorded from the Philippines, a male from Calayan, measures: Wing, 97; tail, 57; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 27.