Columba leucotis Temminck, Pl. Col. (1823), 189.
Phabotreron leucotis Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1893),
21, 67; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 55; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1901), 1, 83.
Phapitreron leucotis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906),
10; McGregor, Bur. Govt. Labs. Manila (1905), 34, 6, pl. 3 (nest).
Geopelia striata Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 246
(eggs)! error.
Ba-to ba-to tu-loc, Manila; cu-lu-cu-luc, Lubang.
Catanduanes (Whitehead); Luzon (Meyer, Heriot, Everett, Steere
Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Everett, McGregor, Porter).
Adult.--A black line from gape to nape below eye; below this a
white line from opposite the posterior border of eye to nape; above,
general color brown; forehead and crown dark gray; below brown; chin,
upper throat, and cheeks ruddy fulvous; lower breast and abdomen
slightly ochraceous, much paler posteriorly; under tail-coverts dark
pearl-gray; wings brown; primaries with pale edges; rectrices brown,
each with a wide, terminal, gray band. Metallic reflections; specimen
held toward the light, occiput, neck, sides of neck, throat, breast,
sides of body, and flanks bronze-green; a blue collar on hind neck and
a blue band across interscapulars; back, rump, and wing-coverts touched
with purple; when specimen is held away from the light the blue bands
change to green; the green of neck and lower parts becomes purple;
the back, wing-coverts, tail-coverts, and rectrices are touched with
violet and dark purple. Iris varies, usually mottled pinkish surrounded
by a narrow white ring or a pale blue ring; bill black; legs carmine;
nails horn-brown. Length, about 235. Three males average: Wing, 134;
tail, 81; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 20.
Four eggs taken by Whitehead at Cape Engaño in May, 1895, are "glossy
and measure from 26.5 to 28.5 in length, and from 19.5 to 20 in
breadth." (Oates.)
"Fairly common in deep woods. Breeds in April. Legs and feet deep
pink; nails brown. Length, 260; wing, 127; tail, 95; tarsus, 19;
middle toe with claw, 29." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
This species is fairly abundant in the islands where it occurs. Several
nests were found in Mindoro; they were constructed of twisted plant
tendrils which material gave the nests the appearance of being made
of spiral springs. The nest was invariably placed in a small tree
and rested on a horizontal branch at from 2 to 6 meters from the
ground. Eggs and nestlings were found from April 8 to May 6.