Columba nicobarica Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 164.
Caloenas nicobarica Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1893),
21, 615; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 24, fig. 5
(head); Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 91; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1901), 1, 106; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 15.
Dun-dú-nai, native name.
Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Bourns &
Worcester); Palawan (Platen); Sibutu (Everett); Siquijor
(Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Talaran, off Basilan
(Freer); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Nicobar and Greater Sunda
Islands, Mergui and Bismark Archipelagos, Moluccas to New Guinea.
Adult male.--Head, neck, throat, and breast dark slate or blue-black;
long neck-plumes, mantle, back, wing-coverts, and some of the inner
secondaries bright metallic green, blue, or bronze-red changing
with the light; primaries and outer secondaries black, more or less
edged with blue; tail and its coverts pure white; abdomen, flanks,
and thighs blue-black with more or less metallic green. Wing, 250;
tail, 82; culmen from base, 24; tarsus, 40.
"Female.--Similar to the male but smaller, narrow feathers of the
neck shorter, and also frontal knob smaller.
"Young.--Like the female, but the tail greenish black." (Salvadori.)
"Rare in all the islands visited by us except Tawi Tawi, where it is
very common. Invariably found on the ground in deep woods. It rises
very heavily and with much noise, always alighting in low trees,
and then flying from tree to tree if disturbed. Iris dark brown; legs
dark purple; upper surface of feet dark purple; lower surface yellow;
nails yellow; bill black. Seven specimens average as follows: Length,
346; culmen, 23; wing, 241; tail, 86; tarsus, 38; middle toe and claw,
48." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Order RALLIFORMES.