Bill slender and nearly straight, a small notch near the subacute tip; nostrils oval and exposed; rictal bristles inconspicuous with but two or three of moderate length; true first (outermost) primary wanting; first, second, and third primaries nearly equal and longest; inner secondaries (tertials) very long, not much shorter than primaries. Tail variable in length, but nearly square at the tip.
Tail decidedly longer than wing; rectrices slender, two outermost pairs nearly all white; claw of hind toe not longer than the toe itself. Plumage of upper parts largely gray; under parts black and white, or black and yellow, never streaked.
Balabac (Everett); Calayan (McGregor); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, Bartsch); Palawan (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, White). Aleutian Islands?, northeastern Siberia, Kamchatka, China; Burma in winter; accidental in Lower California.
Adult summer plumage.—“In normal full summer plumage the forehead, anterior part of crown, a broad supercilium, cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck white; remainder of crown and nape, a streak from the lores through the eye and over the ear-coverts, chin, throat, and upper breast black; remainder of lower plumage white, shaded with gray on the flanks; upper plumage gray, turning to black on the upper tail-coverts; lesser wing-coverts gray; median coverts dark brown, broadly tipped with white; greater coverts with the outer webs and a considerable portion of the inner white; quills dark brown, edged with white, the later secondaries very broadly so; the two outer pairs of tail-feathers nearly entirely white, the others black.” (Oates.)
Winter plumage.—A female, taken in Calayan Island in October, 1903, resembles the adult in summer as described above, but the chin and middle of throat are white, the black patch of the chest being crescentic in shape with its horns extending up the sides of the throat. Iris brown; bill, legs, and nails black. Length, 200; wing, 90; tail, 92; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 22.
Young.— A female from Lubang Island, taken in November, 1902, differs from the preceding specimen in having the entire top of head and back drab-gray instead of black and ashy gray; the dark line through eye drab-gray like the crown; the white forehead and supercilium but faintly indicated by the white bases of the feathers.
The streak-eyed wagtail is of somewhat rare occurrence in the Philippine Islands; it is easily distinguished by its black and white under parts.
“A small flock of M. ocularis was observed in Palawan in December, 1891, and two specimens were obtained. They are both young birds in first winter plumage. A male measures: Length, 178; wing, 90; tail, 97; culmen, 16.5; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 20. A female, length, 159; wing, 77; tail, 72; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 20.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Tam-ba-yuc-yuc, Ticao, used for Anthus rufulus also; a-na-noc-yod, Siquijor; ba-ti-cu-lo, Manila.
Balabac (Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Bohol (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (Mearns); Calamianes (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Meyer, Everett, McGregor), Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Maestre de Campo (McGregor & Worcester); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Murray, Steere Exp., Mearns); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp.); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor). Europe and Siberia; in winter to India, Burmese countries, Malay Peninsula and Indo-Malay islands.
Male (Mindoro, May, 1905).—Above ashy gray, with a slight olivaceous wash on back; rump and tail-coverts bright greenish yellow; lores black; line from nostril over lores, eye, and ear-coverts to nape white; side of head ashy gray; a line from base of lower mandible along side of throat white; chin and throat black, the feathers fringed with white; remainder of under parts canary-yellow, paler on sides and flanks; wing-feathers blackish brown; secondaries with a white spot on outer web, partly concealed by the greater coverts; tertials blacker than primaries and with inner webs largely white and outer webs margined with white or pale yellow; outermost pair of rectrices entirely pure white, next two pairs white with part of the outer web black, remaining rectrices black with a fringe of greenish yellow on outer webs. Length, 190; wing, 80; tail, 87; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 20.
In winter plumage the chin and throat are white, more or less spotted with black; or else, the entire under parts are white mixed with yellow, except the tail-coverts which seem to remain entirely white. The latter plumage appears to be that of the young. The sexes are similar in colors, but the breeding plumage of the female is said to be paler than that of the male with less black on the throat.
“The gray wagtail is common and a source of constant irritation when one is hunting the little forest kingfishers along small fresh-water streams. M. melanope feeds among the pebbles and is always flying up when least wanted, alarming the more valuable birds. Three males average: Length, 185; wing, 80; tail, 92; culmen, 17; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 15. Two females, length, 189; wing, 81; tail, 96; culmen, 17.5; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 17.5. Iris dark brown; legs, feet, and nails dark brown to black; bill black, except base of lower mandible which is gray.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
This genus differs from Motacilla in having the tail shorter than the wing and the claw of hind toe much longer than the toe itself. The under parts are yellow in summer plumage, white in winter, and rarely without traces of yellow.
Du-uad, Batan.
Balabac (Everett); Basilan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Cagayan Sulu (Mearns); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (McGregor); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns); Negros (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White); Polillo (McGregor); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Eastern Siberia and Kamchatka; eastern China and the Moluccas in winter.
Male in spring plumage (Manila, April, 1904).—Above olive-yellow; tail-coverts brown edged with olive-yellow; top of head and nape cinereous, the ear-coverts a little darker; lores and space under eye blackish; a wide line from nostril over eye to nape white; sides of neck and of chest olive-yellow; chin white; remainder of under parts canary-yellow, or light lemon-yellow, with some obscure dusky spots on chest, crissum palest; thighs ashy gray; wings dark seal-brown, many of the feathers edged with yellowish or buffy white; tips of greater and median coverts forming bars; two outermost pairs of rectrices nearly all white, the others seal-brown with narrow olivaceous edges. Length, 165; wing, 81; tail, 72; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 25.
The female is duller in color; the upper parts browner and the under parts paler yellow. A female from Calayan Island measures: Wing, 74; tail, 70; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 25.
Winter plumage.—Most of the specimens taken in the Philippines have the crown, sides of head, and upper parts dull brown, sepia to hair-brown, at times with traces of olive-yellow on the back; the long white supercilium is always present; the under parts are mostly white, chest more or less dusky and with spots or irregular patches of yellow.
“Much less common than M. melanope. Three males average: Length, 169; wing, 80; tail, 76; culmen, 17; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 20.5. A female measures, length, 165; wing, 77; tail, 73; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 21.5. Legs, feet, and nails dark brown to black; bill black, except base of lower mandible which is gray.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
At times I have found large flocks of this yellow wagtail in the vicinity of Manila, but it is usually less abundant than the gray wagtail.
The only member of this genus is not greatly different from the Motacillæ, but the tail is slightly shorter than the wing, being intermediate in length between the tertials and primaries; the claw of hind-toe is short as in Motacilla; under parts white with a black band across the chest; upper parts with an olivaceous wash; wing-feathers blackish brown; median and greater coverts tipped with white, forming two conspicuous wing-bars; primaries and secondaries with white spots on outer webs, forming two more bars. Of this genus Oates says: “The structure of the tail in this genus is peculiar, inasmuch as the middle pair of feathers is very markedly shorter than the others and of a different color.”
Balabac (Everett); Calayan (McGregor). Eastern Siberia, northern China, Indian Peninsula; in winter to Ceylon, Andaman Islands, Burmese countries, Cochin China, Malay Peninsula, and Java.
Adult (sexes similar).—Above olive-brown; tail-coverts blackish brown; line from base of bill over eyes to nape whitish; line through eye brown; cheeks and ear-coverts whitish; under parts white, breast tinged with yellow; a broad crescentic band across chest black; behind this indications of another band which is broken in the middle; sides, flanks, and thighs washed with drab-gray; wing-feathers mostly blackish brown, their tips olive-gray; lesser and median coverts with wide yellowish white tips, forming two bars; outer webs of primaries and secondaries with yellowish white spots, forming two shorter bars; two outer pairs of rectrices extensively white; next pair tipped with white; central pair olive-gray; the others blackish brown.
The measurements of the male, as given by Sharpe and changed to millimeters, follow: Length, 168; wing, 79; tail, 72; culmen, 14; tarsus, 22. A female from Calayan Island measures: Wing, 78; tail, 71; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 22.
The forest wagtail is the rarest representative of its family in the Philippines, only two specimens having been taken here. It may be recognized at once by the two white wing-bars.
Tail shorter than the tertials; hind-toe usually shorter than its claw. Plumage various shades of brown, streaked and spotted with black and dark brown, never extensively yellow, black, nor pure white.
Apo (Celestino); Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Mindanao (Goodfellow); Palawan (Everett). Eastern Siberia, China, Japan, Indo-Burmese countries, Liu Kiu Islands, and the Indian Peninsula.
Adult in fresh plumage.—Above dark olive-green; top of head streaked with blackish brown; feathers of back with blackish shaft-lines, much less conspicuous than in A. gustavi or A. rufulus; lower back, rump, and tail-coverts uniform olive-green; side of forehead and supercilium buff, forming a line which becomes white over ear-coverts; lores blackish; subocular region and ear-coverts buff, mottled with dark brown; chin, throat, and chest pale buff, separated from the buff jaw by a blackish malar line; lower breast, abdomen, and crissum white; flanks and thighs dark buff; breast, sides, and flanks marked with large black spots, which are triangular on chest, and elongate on sides and flanks; wing-feathers blackish, edged with olive; tips of median and greater coverts buffy, forming two bars; rectrices blackish, two or three outer pairs tipped with white. In summer the plumage has become much worn and the dark markings are more conspicuous. A male taken in Luzon in November measures: Length, 152; wing, 84; tail, 60; culmen from base, 14; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 15. A female in worn plumage from Benguet Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 80; tail, 57; culmen from base, 14; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 17. The diagnostic characters of this species are the olivaceous upper parts, the large triangular spots on the breast, and the short claw of the hind toe.
Balabac (Everett). Central and eastern Asia and India; in winter to southern China, Burmese countries, Ceylon, western and southern Europe; occasional in the British Islands.
Adult.—“Upper plumage fulvous-brown, the feathers centered with blackish, the rump more uniform; wings dark brown margined with fulvous; tail dark brown with pale margins, the outermost feather almost entirely white, the penultimate with an oblique portion of the inner web, about an inch and a half [38 mm.] in length, also white; supercilium and lower plumage pale fulvous, the sides of the throat and fore neck and the whole breast streaked with dark brown; sides of the body darker fulvous, with a few indistinct streaks. Bill brown, yellowish at base of lower mandible; mouth yellow; iris brown, legs flesh-color, the claws darker. Length, about 190; tail, 86; wing, 94; tarsus, 30; bill from gape, 22; hind claw, about 20.” (Oates.)
Tam-ba-yuc-yuc, Ticao, used for Motacilla melanope also; a-la-lac-sing, Siquijor.
Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, Steere Exp., McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Fuga (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Murray, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Steere Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Cuming, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Maestre de Campo (McGregor & Worcester); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Palawan (Everett, Celestino, White); Panaon (Everett); Panay (Murray, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Samar (Steere Exp.); Semirara (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Ticao (McGregor). Africa, Malay Peninsula, Burmese countries, India, Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, Borneo.
Adult in fresh plumage.—Above sandy buff, nearly uniform on rump and tail-coverts; upper back and top of head with dark brown shaft-lines producing, on the head at least, a decidedly streaked appearance; lores blackish; supercilium, from bill to nape, light buff; subocular space buff, bounded below by a line of dark brown; malar line dark brown; ear-coverts sandy buff; under parts cream-buff; sides and flanks sandy buff; an ill-defined band across chest sandy buff, the feathers with narrow, mesial, blackish streaks; wing-feathers and rectrices blackish brown, more or less widely edged and tipped with various shades of buff; two outer pairs of rectrices largely white. A female from Calayan Island measures: Wing, 80; tail, 66; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 28; hind toe with claw, 24. A female from Lubang measures: Wing, 79; tail, 62; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 27; hind toe with claw, 22.
As the plumage becomes worn the supercilium, subocular region, and under parts fade to white, and the pectoral band fades to light buff.
This species is said to resemble A. richardi except in being smaller; it is easily distinguished from any of the other pipits found in the Philippines by the scantily streaked chest and by the uniformly colored sides and flanks. Furthermore it is the most common species, outnumbering, in individuals, all the other species combined.
“Enormously abundant in the open fields; it is resident throughout the year and breeds. Four males average: Length, 167; wing, 80; tail, 65; culmen, 18; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 23. Iris dark brown; legs and feet dirty yellow, nails darker; upper mandible dark brown to black, under mandible light brown.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Basilan (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Steere Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Othberg, Heriot, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Maestre de Campo (McGregor & Worcester); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Goodfellow, Celestino); Mindoro (McGregor); Negros (Whitehead); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Siberia, Kamtchatka, Commander Islands, Celebes; in winter to Borneo and the Molucca Islands; China during migration.
Adult.—Top of head, neck, and back tawny buff, each feather with a wide mesial streak of blackish brown; on each side of mantle a series of feathers each having either the inner or outer web buffy white, forming on each side a conspicuous, but not well-defined, whitish stripe; rump and tail-coverts darker than back, near raw-umber, with narrower blackish shaft-streaks; supercilium light buff, but not forming a well-defined line; ear-coverts tawny; malar stripe buff, bounded below by a narrow blackish line; under parts white with a wash of buff across the chest and with bold blackish streaks on breast, sides, and flanks; wing-feathers blackish brown, edged with dark buff; median and greater coverts tipped with white, forming two wing-bars; rectrices blackish brown, the two outer pairs with considerable white on the inner webs. A male from Calayan Island measures: Wing, 85; tail, 56; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 22; hind toe with claw, 20. A female from northern Mindanao, wing, 80; tail, 56; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 22; hind toe with claw, 20.
Young birds differ from the adults in having the chin and throat spotted with blackish brown.
The diagnostic characters of Anthus gustavi are the heavy streaks on breast and sides, and the whitish streaks on the sides of the back.
The Petchora pipit is usually found skulking on the ground in forest; it is never seen in flocks.
Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Palawan (Everett, Celestino); Alaska, Kurile Islands, Asia, Europe, England; in winter to China and Indo-Burmese countries, Persia and northwestern India, Formosa, Hainan, and northern Africa, accidental in Lower California.
Adult.—Above sandy gray, somewhat similar to A. gustavi, but lighter and grayer without the whitish streaks on the sides of the back; head streaked with dark brown; feathers of back and rump with broad mesial streaks of blackish brown; long and broad superciliary stripe, lores, ear-coverts, suborbital region, chin, throat, and chest vinaceous-cinnamon or vinaceous-buff; remainder of under parts light buff; sides, flanks, and, in many specimens, the breast, streaked with blackish brown; wings and tail dark brown, most of the feathers with white or sandy buff edges; greater and median coverts with whitish tips forming two bars; two outer pairs of rectrices with wide white tips.
A male from Calayan Island measures: Length, 145; wing, 85; tail, 61; culmen from base, 14; tarsus, 22; hind toe with claw, 20. A female from the same locality, wing, 79; tail, 56; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 20.
Immature birds have less vinaceous color about the head and more black stripes on the chest; still younger birds have lores, supercilium, malar region, chin, and throat buff with no trace of vinaceous, and the sides of throat are thickly spotted with blackish brown. This last plumage resembles some plumages of A. gustavi, but the latter species seems always to have a larger bill and distinct white or pale buff lines on the sides of the back.
The red-throated pipit in adult summer plumage is a very handsome species. It is found in the Philippine Islands in winter only and then but rarely.
Bill stout, first primary very short; tertials shorter, or but little longer, than secondaries; tail moderate in length; two outer rectrices partly white as in Anthus; tarsus scutellate both in front and behind; claw of hind toe longer than the toe itself; upper plumage brown and the breast streaked.
Bill similar to that of Anthus, but stouter and blunter; nostrils protected by short feathers and several hairs; rictal bristles few and short; first primary shorter than primary-coverts; second primary nearly as long as third, which is equal to fourth; tertials slightly longer than secondaries; claw of hallux slender, nearly straight, and equal to more than two-thirds the length of tarsus.
Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Luzon (Möllendorff, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Sibuyan (McGregor); Ticao (McGregor). Formosa and the Pescadores.
Adult.—Upper parts blackish brown, streaked with ochraceous-buff; lores and superciliary stripe from bill to nape pale buff or whitish; ear-coverts dusky; malar region and sides of throat marked with small blackish spots; under parts white; chest buff with short blackish shaft-lines; sides and flanks buff, the latter obscurely streaked with dark brown; wing-feathers and rectrices dark brown, edged with cream-buff or ruddy buff; outermost pair of rectrices entirely white; the next pair with their outer webs white.
In freshly molted individuals the feathers of upper parts are rounded at the ends and fringed with white, producing a squamate appearance, which disappears as the plumage becomes worn; feathers of occiput somewhat lengthened forming a crest, and the feathers of sides of nape forming short ear-tufts.
A male in fresh plumage measures: Length, 150; wing, 85; tail, 54; culmen from base, 15; depth of bill at nostril, 5; tarsus, 23; hind toe with claw, 24. A female in worn plumage measures: Wing, 81; tail, 48; culmen from base, 13; depth of bill at nostril, 5; tarsus, 23; hind toe with claw, 22.
This species is very similar to the European skylark from which it is distinguished by its much smaller size.
Three eggs of the Formosan skylark from Isabela Province, Luzon, collected by Whitehead on May 25, 1894, are thus described:
“Shape ovate. Ground-color very pale greenish white, variously mottled and spotted with pale french-gray under-markings and brown upper-markings. In one egg the markings are chiefly concentrated into a zone round the middle of the shell; in the other two they are pretty equally scattered over the whole shell. Measurements 21 mm. by 16 mm.”
A set of two eggs is “Much like the above and equally spotted all over, but the over-markings are of a more yellowish brown. Measurements 22 mm. by 15 mm.
“This lark was nesting in an open bit of country thinly covered with tufts of grass, beneath which the nests were concealed. Fully fledged young birds of this species were also observed on the same date.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
Bill very stout, almost finch-like, its depth at nostril almost as great as its length from nostril and equal to about two-thirds of the hind claw; nostrils exposed; rictal bristles short; tertials shorter than secondaries; first primary equal to one-third of the second, the latter about equal to the third, fourth, and fifth; hallux slightly shorter than its claw.
Luzon (Heriot, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., McGregor, Whitehead); Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (McGregor).
Adult.—Upper parts blackish brown, streaked with ochraceous-buff; superciliary line from bill to nape dark buff; cheeks and ear-coverts buff, speckled with black; chin and throat cream-buff; remainder of under parts dull ochraceous-buff, darker across the chest which is marked with small dusky spots; wing-feathers dark brown; quills ochraceous-buff on inner webs; primaries and their coverts edged with rusty buff on outer webs; secondaries and coverts edged with ochraceous-buff on outer webs; tertials edged with buff on both webs; outermost pair of rectrices with outer webs and most of the inner webs white; next pair with outer webs white half way to the shaft. Iris light brown; bill horn-color, lighter on lower mandible; feet and nails light flesh-color. A male from Luzon measures: Length, 140; wing, 70; tail, 46; culmen from base, 12; depth of bill at nostril, 65; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 16. A female, wing, 68; tail, 42; culmen from base, 12; depth of bill at nostril, 6; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 15.
In young birds in fresh plumage the feathers of the back are rounded at the tips and fringed with ochraceous-buff, and the spots on the chest are larger.
The Philippine bush lark is very abundant in the vicinity of Manila and great numbers have been noted in the markets in baskets with the equally common Formosan skylark.
Bill conical (except in Loxia where the mandibles are crossed); commissure, or cutting edges of bill, angulated;93 nostrils basal and near the culmen, often hidden by antrorse feathers; rictal bristles moderate in length; wings well developed with only nine primaries; rectrices twelve, tail square or slightly forked; tarsus scutellate in front, covered on each side by a single plate, and with a sharp ridge behind.
Bill compressed, the tips crossed; both culmen and gonys strongly curved; wings covering about half the tail. Adult male almost entirely red, adult female partly yellow, and young of both sexes heavily streaked.
Cu-di-li-guit, Benguet Igorot.
Luzon (Whitehead, Worcester, McGregor).
Adult male.—Head and body geranium-red, clearest and brightest on rump, tail-coverts, and under parts, more pinkish on throat, paler on abdomen; lores, malar stripe, and ear-coverts dusky; feathers of back and wing-coverts with dusky bases; thighs drab-gray; under tail-coverts white, washed with geranium-pink, and with pointed shaft-markings of dark brown; wings and tail blackish, the larger feathers narrowly edged with geranium-pink. Length, about 140; wing, 82; tail, 51; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 15.
Adult female.—Feathers of upper parts dark brown with lighter edges; feathers of back edged with pale yellow; feathers on anterior part of crown edged with light chrome-yellow; rump and tail-feathers nearly uniform light chrome-yellow; nasal plumes, lores, and line under eye whitish; cheeks and ear-coverts blackish brown; under parts drab-gray, chin and throat nearly white; breast and abdomen with a faint olive or yellow wash; tail-coverts white with pointed shaft-markings; wing-feathers and rectrices blackish with narrow edges of gray or pale yellow. A female, wing, 80; tail, 49; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 15.
Young birds are dingy white heavily streaked, both above and below, with blackish brown and more or less washed with olive-gray, olive-yellow, or light chrome-yellow. Older individuals, probably of the second summer, lose the dark streaks and become extensively yellow, while still older males become indiscriminately mottled with red and yellow.
“In the end of December, 1893, Mr. Whitehead noticed a pair of these crossbills with nesting materials in their bills. In the following January, while in the highlands of Benguet, he found a nest containing three eggs and situated at the end of a pine branch. The slender branch overhung a steep slope, and it was found impossible to secure the eggs. Again on Mount Data, towards the end of January, 1895, after much trouble, a second nest was discovered near the top of a high pine-tree. This nest contained four young birds, two of which flew away before they could be secured.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
Bill very short, stout, and blunt; bill from nostril equal to its width, and to its depth at middle of nostril; culmen and gonys decidedly curved; tail nearly square. General color of body buffy brown; chin black; rump white.
Luzon (Whitehead, Mearns, McGregor).
Adult male.—Forehead, entire top of head, upper tail-coverts, rectrices, and secondaries glossy steel-blue; lores, jaw, and chin black; cheeks and auriculars white, forming a large patch; back olive-brown; under parts lighter brown; middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts light ochraceous-brown; rump-band white; primaries black, edged with steel-blue; innermost secondary edged with orange-vermilion on the outer web; greater coverts widely tipped with light buff; axillars and wing-lining white. Iris dark brown; bill white or pale yellow, black at tip and along the cutting edges; legs pale flesh-color. Length, about 160; wing, 78; tail, 61; depth of fork, 12; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 16.5.
Adult female.—Like the male, except that the red on the innermost secondary is brownish orange. The difference is very slight and my specimens have no red whatever on the secondary. A female from Pauai, Mountain Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 79; tail, 65; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 16.
An immature, but fully grown, male differs from the adult in having the crown brown, but somewhat darker than the back and with a few black feathers; lores and jaw dusky; white cheek-patch small and poorly defined; chin dusky; throat and breast slightly olivaceous.
This bullfinch is not uncommon in the mossy oak forests of the highlands of Luzon.
Mindanao (Mearns).
“Characters.—Similar to Pyrrhula leucogenys Grant, from the mountains of Lepanto in northern Luzon. The Mindanao bird differs in being smaller, with a differently colored, much smaller bill, more brownish coloration, and a tendency to whitening on the middle of the abdomen, which the Luzon bird lacks.
“Adult male (type, killed July 9).—Crown and front of head all round, to just behind eye, black; crown glossed with purplish blue; lores, malar region, chin, and upper throat dead black; auriculars white; scapulars and interscapular region deep broccoli-brown; rump white; rectrices, upper tail-coverts, primaries, secondaries, tertials, primary-coverts, and base of greater wing-coverts, glossy bluish black; lesser wing-coverts dark broccoli-brown; terminal two-fifths of greater wing-coverts broccoli-brown, paler terminally; outer web of innermost secondary edged externally with orange-vermilion; under parts broccoli-brown, shading to whitish on middle of belly and to tawny ochraceous on crissum; axillars pure white; under wing-coverts brown at base, broadly white terminally; underside of shafts of primary-quills white nearly to the tips. Fresh specimens, including the type, were noted in the field as having the iris dark brown; bill plumbeous-black, perceptibly horn-color at extreme base; feet brownish flesh-color, with underside of toes yellowish; claws brown. In the dry skins the bills are uniformly plumbeous-black.
“Adult female * * *. Exactly like the male, except that the outer web of the innermost secondary is edged externally with yellowish orange instead of orange-vermilion.” (Mearns.)
Bill moderately stout; culmen flat, without a ridge, and straight except at its extreme tip; wings long, extending beyond the toes and nearly to the tip of the slightly forked tail; colors black, white, and orange-buff.
Calayan (McGregor). Europe, northern Asia, Kamchatka, northern China; in winter to British Islands, Japan, Liu Kiu and Bonin Islands.
Male in winter.—Head, neck, mantle, and sides of head, of neck, and of throat black with wide fringes of light buff or ochraceous-buff; feathers of neck and mantle with gray bases; lower back and rump white, black along the sides; tail-coverts black, tipped with buff; chin, middle of throat, fore breast, sides, and flanks orange-buff; flanks with a few black spots; lower breast and abdomen white; crissum light buff; feathers of thighs black with buff tips; wing-quills black; primaries and secondaries narrowly edged with pale yellow; outer webs of fourth to seventh primaries with a spot of white at tips of primary-coverts; secondaries with larger white spots nearer their bases; tertials broadly edged with orange-buff on their outer webs; scapulars and lesser coverts orange-buff; median coverts white, some of them washed with buff; greater coverts black with broad buff tips; rectrices black, edged with ashy gray or pale yellow; outermost pair with basal half of outer webs white; axillars canary-yellow; wing-lining and edges of the inner webs of quills white. Iris brown; bill yellow; its tip dusky; legs light brown, soles pale yellow; nails dusky. A male from Calayan Island measures: Length, 165; wing, 94; tail, 65; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 20.
Female in winter.—Not greatly different from the male. A female from Japan measures: Wing, 85; tail, 58; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 19.
Male in summer.—“The summer plumage of the male is gradually assumed by the shedding of the sandy-colored edges, and the bluish ashy of the hind neck and mantle remains as a spot behind the head, the feathers of these parts generally showing ashy gray bases throughout the summer plumage.
“Nestling.—Recalls the plumage of the adult female, but more tinged with olive, the nape-patch well developed, and the rump-patch tinged with sulphur-yellow; under surface of body washed with pale sulphur-yellow, tinged with orange on fore neck, chest, and sides of body.” (Sharpe.)
The brambling as a Philippine species is known only from three winter specimens collected in Calayan Island.
Bill moderately stout, not greatly compressed; culmen straight and with a decided ridge for its basal half; rounded and gently curved for its distal half; wing moderate in length, covering less than half the tail, and its tip not reaching the base of toes. Colors black, dingy white, rusty brown, and liver-brown.
MOUNTAIN SPARROW.94
Gor-re-ón, Manila.
Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Luzon (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor). Northern Africa and nearly the whole of Europe and Asia.
Adult (sexes similar).—Forehead, crown, and hind neck liver-brown or vinous-chestnut; back, rump, and tail-coverts dull cinnamon-rufous; back with wide black stripes confined to the inner web of each feather; lores, a line under eye, a large patch on ear-coverts, chin, and middle of throat black; remainder of sides of head and sides of throat grayish white; remainder of under parts dirty pale gray, washed with fulvous-brown on sides, flanks, thighs, and tail-coverts; wings and tail brown, most of the wing-feathers edged with dull cinnamon-rufous; lesser coverts dull chestnut; median coverts blackish, tipped with white; greater coverts edged with cinnamon-rufous and tipped with white; the tips of median and greater coverts forming bars; second to fifth primaries with an ocherous-buff band on outer webs near the tip of primary-coverts. A male from Manila measures: Length, 140; wing, 66; tail, 52; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 17. A female, wing, 68; tail, 54; culmen from base, 14; tarsus, 17.
Young.—Color pattern like that of the adult, but upper parts lighter; crown and neck dark clay-brown, cinnamon on sides of occiput and sides of neck; back with broad streaks of buff; ear-coverts, chin, and throat slate-gray and the areas not so well defined as in the adult.
The mountain, or tree, sparrow is an introduced species in the Philippine Islands. It is found in considerable numbers about Manila and in towns along the railroads. It is also abundant in the town of Cebu.
Bill slender and acute, its distal half greatly compressed; culmen straight, without a decided ridge; wings very long, reaching nearly to the tip of tail which is forked. Colors canary-yellow, black, and white.
Calayan (McGregor). British Islands, Europe, northern Asia, and Siberia; in winter to Japan, southern China, and the Liu Kiu Islands.
Male.—General color lemon-yellow; crown and nape black; back and scapulars yellowish green with dark shaft-lines; rump yellow; tail-coverts olive-green; chin and middle of fore throat black; a band from above center of eye to neck lemon-yellow; ear-coverts washed with olive; cheeks, sides of neck and of throat, and remaining under parts bright lemon-yellow, becoming white on middle of abdomen; flanks streaked with black; feathers of thighs drab-gray tipped with white; under tail-coverts yellow with broad dusky shaft-marks and white tips; wing-feathers blackish brown; primaries, except the first, narrowly edged with yellow and, except the outer three, with a spot of yellow on outer web near the tips of the coverts, forming a bar, which is continued on the outer webs of the secondaries, each of the latter has also a large yellow spot near the tip; tertials edged with yellow, and median coverts tipped with yellowish olive; greater coverts black with olive-yellow tips; rectrices, except the middle pair, bright yellow with wide blackish brown tips, fringed with gray. A male from Calayan Island measures: Length, 114; wing, 70; tail, 43; culmen from base, 12; tarsus, 15.
Female.—Somewhat similar to the male, but the yellow much paler and more restricted; black cap and chin-spot wanting; under parts nearly all white and more heavily streaked with blackish; above olive-green with a hoary cast; head and neck spotted, and back streaked, with blackish; yellow line above and behind eye mottled with olive-green; under parts white or pale gray heavily streaked with blackish brown on sides, flanks, breast, and sides of abdomen; middle of breast and abdomen white; sides of head and of neck with obscure dusky streaks and a yellow wash. A female measures: Wing, 70; tail, 42; culmen from base, 11; tarsus, 13.
“Young birds resemble the old female, but are browner, with less yellow, so that the rump, eyebrow, and sides of face are whitish; the upper surface of the body is thickly mottled with blackish mesial streaks on all the feathers, and the under surface is white thickly spotted with blackish brown, the spots being triangular on the throat and breast, and longitudinal on the sides of the body and flanks.” (Sharpe.)
The siskin as a Philippine species is known only from four specimens taken in Calayan in the month of November, 1903.
Bill small and conical, its outlines nearly straight; cutting edge of upper mandible with a decided angle near its base; wing covering not more than one-half the tail; tips of rectrices more rounded and the tail less forked than in either Fringilla or Spinus. Plumage more or less streaked with black; outermost rectrices nearly all white, but with an oblique blackish mark near base of inner web and a small dusky mark near tip; next pair black with a long white mark near shaft.
Luzon (Whitehead). Northern Europe, Siberia, and northern China; in winter to Tenasserim, Assam, Burma, and the Himalayas.
“Adult male in breeding plumage.—General color above rufous-brown, with broad black centers to the feathers, the rump rather duller brown; the scapulars chestnut with black centers; lesser wing-coverts brown; median and greater coverts black, externally edged with pale rufous-brown, with narrow white tips; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, externally fringed with brown, the primaries margined with ashy brown, the secondaries with rufous; tail-feathers blackish brown, edged with lighter brown, the penultimate feather with a long wedge-shaped mark of white on the inner web; the outer feather for the most part white, with an oblique blackish mark on the inner web, and a small dusky mark near the end of the outer web; center of crown vinous-chestnut, with a broad black streak along each side, forming a band; a superciliary line, lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and throat vinous-chestnut, with a moustachial line of black along the under margin of the cheeks, running behind the ear-coverts; hind neck paler than the crown, and streaked with whitish like the sides of the neck; remainder of under surface of body from the lower throat downwards dull white; the center of the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts uniform; the lower throat, fore neck, and breast, as well as the sides of the body, streaked with black; under wing-coverts and axillars white; quills dusky below, ashy along the inner web. ‘Bill brown, the lower mandible whitish; feet reddish gray; iris brown.’ (David.) Length, 122; culmen, 10; wing, 71; tail, 52; tarsus, 20.
“Adult female in breeding plumage.—Scarcely differs from the male, but is not quite so richly colored on the throat, and less distinctly streaked with black below.
“In winter plumage the adults are more rufous than in summer, with rufescent edges to the feathers of the upper surface, especially on the quills and tail-feathers; the black mark behind the ear-coverts is more distinct and not so broken up as in the breeding plumage; the under surface is suffused with ochraceous-buff, and the black streaks are less pronounced.
“Young.—Resembles more the adult female in winter plumage, but has scarcely any vinous tinge about the face; head rufous-brown, streaked with black, with a slight band of fulvous down the center of the crown; back fulvescent, washed with rufous and broadly streaked with black; wing-coverts broadly edged and tipped with yellowish buff; throat whitish, spotted with black like the breast; the latter as well as the flanks yellowish buff, streaked with black. After the first molt the coloration of the adult is assumed, but the plumage is always duller and much paler, and in some birds, probably females, the throat is white without any chestnut.
“Nestling.—Yellowish buff, broadly streaked with black, the head more rufous, and the ear-coverts rufous; underneath white, washed with rufous on the chin and with ochraceous-buff on the throat and breast, thickly streaked with black on the latter as well as on the flanks and sides of the body; wings and tail as in adults, with the exception that the wing-coverts are more fulvous at tips.” (Sharpe.)
Whitehead collected the only specimen of the little bunting which has been recorded from the Philippine Islands.
Catanduanes (Whitehead). Eastern Siberia; in winter to Assam, Manipur, China, and eastern Himalayas; accidental in Japan.
“Adult male in summer plumage.—General color above dark brown, the feathers of the upper back slightly washed with rufous, edged with fulvous and broadly streaked down the middle with black; scapulars like the back; lesser wing-coverts uniform reddish brown; median and greater series blackish brown, externally sandy brown, margined paler and tipped with buffy white, more distinct on the median coverts; the inner greater coverts more distinctly rufous externally; primary-coverts and quills dusky brown, externally fringed with ashy; quills dusky brown, externally washed with rufous, the primaries with ashy white; inner secondaries resembling the inner greater coverts; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform earthy brown; center tail-feathers light brown, the remainder dark brown, edged with lighter brown, the penultimate one with a large wedge-shaped mark of white near the end of the outer web, the outer feather almost entirely white save for an oblique black mark on the inner web and a small brown mark at the end of the outer web; head and neck all round, including the sides of the face and neck, throat, and chest ashy gray with a distinct wash of olive; lores, base of cheeks, and chin black; breast pale sulphur-yellow, whiter towards the vent; under tail-coverts pale sulphur-yellow; thighs ashy olive; sides of breast and flanks reddish brown, rather distinctly striped with black; axillars very pale sulphur-yellow; under wing-coverts white with dusky bases; quills dusky below, ashy whitish along the edge of the inner web. ‘Bill brown, with the point blackish and the lower mandible whitish; feet flesh-color; iris chestnut-brown.’ (David.) Length, 120; culmen, 11.4; wing, 68.5; tail, 54.6; tarsus, 19.
“Adult male in winter plumage.—Only differs from the summer plumage in being more olive-yellow on the head and neck, some of the feathers of the crown and hind neck being tipped with rufous-brown.
“Adult female.—Rather browner on the head than the male and not so ashy; no black on the face or chin; ear-coverts brown, streaked with yellowish shaft-lines; lores, eyelid, and an indistinct eyebrow yellowish buff; a broad cheek-stripe of pale sulphur-yellow widening out on the side of the neck; throat and under surface of body pale sulphur-yellow, olive greenish on the throat and fore neck; a distinct malar streak of dusky blackish spots; sides of body and flanks reddish brown, streaked with black; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white.
“Old females in the breeding season become a little more ashy on the head and neck. Young birds are always browner than the adults above, and have a number of dusky spots on the throat; otherwise they greatly resemble the old females. Young females (Mus. H. Seebohm) are pale brown above, with less developed black centers on the mantle; the head brown, washed with rufous and streaked with black; under surface dull white, with only a slight tinge of sulphur-yellow on the abdomen and axillars; the throat pale olive-yellow, browner on the fore neck and chest, with brown shaft-lines. Young males in winter plumage resemble the adult female, but seem to have more dusky spots on the throat, which commences to become dusky olive in April, with blackish on the chin. Some (probably of an earlier brood) have dusky olive throats in November, but always show dusky spots.” (Sharpe.)
The only known Philippine specimen of the black-faced bunting was collected by Whitehead.
Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor, Porter). Japan, northern and central China; Formosa in winter.
Male (Calayan Island, November, 1903).—Top and sides of head and neck dusky olive-green; eyelids white; lores, subocular region, and malar stripe dusky; mantle dusky olive-green, heavily striped with black and somewhat washed with cinnamon; lower back and rump nearly uniform olive-gray; tail-coverts dark umber with olivaceous edges; under parts sulphur-yellow, brightest on chin, dusky across throat which is washed with buff, sides of breast washed with olive; abdomen and crissum pale canary-yellow; sides of body and flanks streaked with blackish brown; wing-feathers dark brown; lesser coverts olive; median and greater coverts, tertials, and some of the inner secondaries broadly edged and tipped with cinnamon-rufous or dull chestnut; remaining quills more narrowly edged with lighter cinnamon, inner webs of quills edged with drab-gray; rectrices blackish, the middle pair at least edged with olive-brown; outermost pair nearly all white, but with an oblique blackish mark near base of inner web and a small dusky mark near tip; next pair black with a long white mark near shaft. Upper mandible dusky; lower mandible bluish; legs and nails flesh-color. Length, 152; wing, 71; tail, 60; culmen from base, 10; tarsus, 19.
Female.—The winter plumage of the female is very similar to that of the male. A female from Calayan measures, wing, 65; tail, 54; culmen from base, 9.5; tarsus, 19.
“Adult male in breeding plumage.—General color greenish gray, washed with pale yellow; the head and mantle paler and more sulphur-yellow, the latter with broad mesial streaks of black; the scapulars like the mantle; the rump and lower back uniform and more distinctly ashy gray; upper tail-coverts ashy with yellowish edges; lesser wing-coverts ashy with a yellowish tinge; median and greater series blackish, edged with ashy and tipped with yellowish white, the greater coverts slightly rufescent on the outer margins; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, edged with ashy olive, the secondaries externally rufescent, the innermost with whitish margins, so as to resemble the inner greater coverts; center tail-feathers light brown, the others blackish, the outer one for the most part white, excepting a longitudinal mark along the end of the outer web and an oblique basal mark on the inner web; penultimate feather with the white much reduced and forming a large wedge-shaped mark on the inner web; the third feather with only a small white mark near the end of the inner web; ear-coverts greenish gray like the hind-neck; lores, feathers in front of the eye, and a spot at base of chin dusky blackish; feathers below the eye, cheeks, and under surface of body sulphur-yellow, paler on the lower breast and abdomen, and still lighter on the under tail-coverts, which are whitish tinged with yellow; sides of breast and flanks ashy olive, the latter streaked with black; axillars and under wing-coverts white, washed with pale yellow; quills ashy below, whitish along the edge of the inner web. Length, 133; culmen, 10; wing, 72; tail, 57; tarsus, 18.
“Considerable difference exists in the full-plumaged males with regard to the amount and intensity of the black stripes on the back. In winter the adult male appears to be always more broadly streaked with black on the back, the black centers becoming attenuated during the breeding season; the mantle is also washed with rufous like the inner secondaries.
“The adult female in breeding plumage differs but little from the male, being duller in color and rather browner on the mantle, which is very broadly streaked with black; it is further distinguished by the absence of the black lores and chin spot. Length, 120; culmen, 11.4; wing, 70; tail, 53; tarsus, 18.
“Young birds in winter plumage.—Only differ from the plumage of the adult female in being rather more olive-brown, with the rufescent edges to the feathers of the mantle and inner secondaries broad and strongly pronounced; lower back and rump uniform ashy olive; the under surface of the body is clear yellow, with a tinge of saffron-color on the throat and chest.” (Sharpe.)
The Japanese yellow bunting is a somewhat abundant but inconspicuous migrant in the Philippine Islands. It was found in Calayan Island in November and in Tarlac Province, Luzon, in the month of March. It has also been taken in the vicinity of Manila.