Psittacus hæmaturopygius P. L. S. Müller, Natursyst. Suppl. (1776),
77.
Cacatua hæmaturopygia Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891),
20, 130; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 11; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 48.
Ca-ta-la, Manila; a-bú-cay, Ticao and Bohol; ca-lang'-ai, Lubang.
Balabac (Steere, Everett); Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Doherty, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor);
Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Cebu (Everett,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester); Lapac (Guillemard); Leyte (Everett, Steere
Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Steere
Exp., McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Koch & Schadenberg, Goodfellow, Celestino); Mindoro
(Steere Exp., Schmacker, Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Negros (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Keay, Whitehead);
Nipa (Everett); Palawan (Steere, Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panaon (Everett); Panay
(Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp., Whitehead); Siquijor
(Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Burbidge); Tablas (Bourns
& Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Ticao
(McGregor).
Adult (sexes alike).--White; under tail-coverts vermilion edged
with white; inner webs of remiges and rectrices sulphur-yellow
much deeper on the latter and in some specimens tinged with red;
sexes similar. Length, 300 to 350; three specimens measure, wing,
210 to 218; tail, 112 to 117; culmen from cere, 25 to 27; tarsus,
19 to 20. Iris bright red; naked skin around eyes, pale pink; bill
dirty white; legs and nails bluish.
The ear-coverts are usually tinged with vermilion and the bases of
crest-feathers are suffused with sulphur-yellow but both of these
characters are variable. Bourns and Worcester killed two specimens
in Panay in which "the plumage showed a peculiar faint pinkish tinge."
The "catala" is usually met with in small flocks either in forest or
fields; its presence is proclaimed by the conspicuous white plumage and
harsh note. In the island of Ticao we observed this species nesting in
holes in dead trees but we secured only young birds; these resembled
the adult. Bourns and Worcester took nestlings in Masbate in May, 1888.
"Iris of females usually blood-red, sometimes brown. We are inclined
to think red the normal color in fully adult females. Iris in males
very dark brown to black; bare skin around the eye creamy white;
bill drab, with white tip. Three females measure, 315 in length;
wing, 206; tail, 110; culmen, 25; tarsus, 18; middle toe and claw,
38." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Family PSITTACIDÆ.
Bill with a series of transverse ridges under the hook; head uncrested;
colors green and blue, or green, blue, and red; never white.
Subfamily PALÆORNITHINÆ.
Genera.
a1. Larger; length, more than 250 mm.; wing, more than 125 mm.
b1. Smaller; wing, about 150 mm.; middle pair of rectrices elongated
and racket-tipped. ... Prioniturus (p. 275)
b2. Larger; wing, about 200 mm.; rectrices graduate. ... Tanygnathus
(p. 281)
a2. Smaller; length, less than 190 mm.; wing, less than 115 mm.
b1. Larger; bill heavier; culmen exceeding width of bill but
little. ... Bolbopsittacus (p. 284)
b2. Smaller; bill more slender; culmen twice the width of
bill. ... Loriculus (p. 286)
Genus PRIONITURUS Wagler, 1832.
Length, 280 to 300 mm.; bill moderate, edge of upper mandible
nicked; tail moderate, rectrices equal, except middle pair which
are nearly twice as long as the others and racket-tipped; colors
blue, green, and greenish yellow; in two species the male has a red
crown-patch. Rectrices below verditer-blue; inner web of remiges below
with a wide edge of verditer-blue; first primary above edged with
blue on outer web. The key is based on male birds. The name parrakeet
(the same as parrokeet, parakeet, paroquet, etc.) is applied to any of
the smaller parrots, more particularly to those that have long tails.
Species.
a1. Wing, 160 to 173 mm.
b1. A bright red patch on vertex.
c1. "Hind neck yellowish green". ... verticalis (p. 276)
c2. Hind neck grass-green. ... montanus (p. 276)
b2. No red patch on vertex.
c1. Rump green like the back.
d1. Forehead green. ... discurus (p. 277)
d2. Forehead and crown blue. ... suluensis (p. 277)
c2. "Rump light greenish brown". ... waterstradti (p. 279)
a2. Wing, 142 to 155 mm.
b1. Upper parts not uniform in color.
c1. Top of head violet-blue. ... mindorensis (p. 279)
c2. Top of head verditer-blue; throat and breast
blue. ... cyaneiceps (p. 280)
b2. Upper and under parts nearly uniform; general color more
yellowish. ... luconensis (p. 280)