Prioniturus luconensis Steere, List Birds and Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 6; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891), 20,
420; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 49.
Prioniturus luzonensis Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 29.
Luzon (Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.).
Male.--General color bright yellow-green, very slightly darker
on back and rump; alula, primaries, and coverts dark green; short
rectrices green above, with wide dark tips; spatules black and dark
blue. Iris dark brown; bill and feet light blue; nails horn-blue. Sexes
alike? Length, with rackets, about 305; two males from Mariveles,
Bataan Province, measure, wing, 140 to 143; tail without rackets,
67 to 73; culmen from cere, 17 to 18; tarsus, 13 to 14.
"Immature.--Differs from the adult in having the middle tail-feathers
with the shaft not naked and with no developed spatula, although
the webs become narrower before the end; the tips of the two middle
tail-feathers are blue; the lateral tail-feathers have, towards the
end, less blue than in the adult bird." (Salvadori.)
"We found this beautiful species common about the foot of Monte
Arayat, in central Luzon, though we failed to meet with it in Albay
or Catanduanes. In north Luzon it was abundant in the maize fields,
feeding on the flower at the top of the plant. Young were obtained
in the month of May in Isabella." Whitehead, Ibis, (1899), 397.
Genus TANYGNATHUS Wagler, 1832.
Bill very heavy and strongly curved; edge of mandible but slightly
nicked; tail long; rectrices graduated, about 25 mm. difference
between longest feathers and shortest; colors green and yellowish
green; wing-coverts variegated; length, 300 mm.
Species.
a1. Top of head bright blue; back green. ... lucionensis (p. 281)
a2. Top of head green; back blue.
b1. Median upper wing-coverts edged with pure golden
yellow. ... megalorhynchos (p. 283)
b2. Median and greater upper wing-coverts edged with yellowish green.
c1. Wing about 195 mm.; head darker green. ... everetti (p. 283)
c2. Wing about 225 mm.; head lighter, more yellowish
green. ... burbidgei (p. 284)