Rallus philippensis Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 263.
Hypotænidia philippinensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1894),
23, 39; Hand-List (1899), 1, 96; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1901),
1, 113; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 16.
Batan (Edmonds); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, McGregor). Pacific
Islands, Malay Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand.
"Adult male.--General color above ochraceous-brown, all the feathers
black, with ochraceous edgings, and spangled with white spots on the
mantle and back; lower back and rump ochraceous-brown, with white
centers to the feathers, but no white spots; wing-coverts like the
back, but more uniform, and with scarcely any spots on the lesser
and median series, the greater series, however, having large white
spots and intermediate bars of black; alula black, checkered with
white spots and bars; primary-coverts rufous, olive-brown at tip and
banded with black; quills rufous, banded with black, and black at
tips, the first two primaries checkered on the outer web and barred
on the inner web with white; secondaries blackish, externally and
at the tips ochraceous-brown, with numerous ovate spots or bars,
the innermost secondaries ochraceous-brown, with broad black centers
resembling the back; tail-feathers ochraceous-brown centered with
black; crown of head olive-brown, with black longitudinal spots to the
feathers; hinder neck ferrugineous, mottled with blackish centers to
the feathers, which are edged with olive-brown, obscuring the rufous;
lores and broad band through the eye dusky brown, becoming rufous on
the ear-coverts and extending to the sides of the neck, where it is a
little brighter rufous; over the lores a white band extending above
the eye, and continued in a broad band of light ashy gray above the
ear-coverts, and extending to the sides of the nape; cheeks light ashy
gray, extending over the fore neck, which is washed with brown; fore
part of the cheeks and throat white, remainder of under surface white,
with black bars, very distinct, but narrow on the sides of fore neck,
broader and more regular on the sides of body, where the feathers have
olive-brown tips; flank feathers distinctly barred with black and
white, the black bands being the broader; feathers at the sides of
the vent tawny-buff, black at the base, and barred with white; long
under tail-coverts black, with white bars, tawny-buff at the ends,
the lower coverts tawny-buff, with black bases; thighs tawny-buff,
dusky brown behind, under wing-coverts black, broadly edged with
white; axillars black, barred with white. 'Bill warm brown; feet and
claws light grayish brown; iris indian-red.' (Everett.) Length, 292;
culmen, 32; wing, 145; tail, 67; tarsus, 39; middle toe with claw,
47." (Sharpe.)
Female.--An immature female agrees with the description of the male
but the lower throat and fore breast are obscured with slate-gray and
a slight olive wash. Bill dull brick-red, the terminal third brown;
iris red; legs and nails light brown. Length, 305; wing, 136; tail,
73; culmen, 30; tarsus, 39; middle toe with claw, 43. This species
is rare in Luzon.