Alcedo javana Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 47.
Pelargopsis leucocephala Steere, List Bds. & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 9; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17,
98; Hand-List (1900), 2, 48; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 51.
Mindoro (Steere Exp.); Palawan (Whitehead, Steere Exp.). Borneo.
"Adult male.--Head and back of neck deep ochraceous, the latter
rather deeper in color; upper part of the back, scapulars, and lesser
wing-coverts rich blue; the median and greater coverts and the outer
aspect of the primaries rich ultramarine, inner secondaries entirely
of this color; tail ultramarine above, black beneath; under surface
of body deep rich ochraceous, a little lighter on throat and sides of
face. 'Bill and feet coral-red; iris chocolate.' (Everett.) Length,
330; culmen, 76; wing, 147; tail, 84; tarsus, 11." (Sharpe.)
"Included in this list chiefly on the authority of Dr. Sharpe,
who identifies a bird collected by Dr. Steere as P. leucocephala
(=javana). Mr. Whitehead speaks of 'two specimens' secured by himself,
and refers to the fact that the bird was discovered by Dr. Steere in
the Island. It is our opinion that the Mindoro bird is P. gouldi,
and we doubt the correctness of Dr. Steere's identification of the
bird collected by the Steere Expedition in Palawan. It might well
happen that an occasional specimen of P. javana should find its way
into Palawan, but there is little doubt that P. gouldi is the common
species there." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)