Pelargopsis gigantea Walden, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1874), (4),
13, 123; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 100; Hand-List
(1900), 2, 49; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 52.
Ba-rí-ta, Ticao.
Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol
(McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Dinagat (Everett); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Lapac (Guillemard);
Leyte (Everett); Masbate (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Mindanao (Murray, Steere, Everett, Koch & Schadenberg,
Steere Exp., Goodfellow, Celestino); Malanipa (Murray); Negros
(Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay (Murray, Bourns & Worcester);
Salok (Meyer); Samal (Goodfellow); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, Whitehead); Sibutu (Everett); Sibuyan (Bourns &
Worcester); Sulu (Burbidge, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns &
Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor).
Adult male.--Back, rump, wings, and tail as in P. gouldi, but head,
neck, and entire under parts very much lighter in color, being pale
ochraceous-buff. Wing, 155; tail, 92; culmen from base, 82; bill from
nostril, 69.
Adult female.--Similar to the male. Bill bright scarlet, blackish at
tip; iris brown; eyelids and legs scarlet; nails dark horn-brown. A
specimen from Ticao measures: Length, 370; wing, 159; tail, 93;
culmen, 88; tarsus, 18.
Immature.--Differs from the adult in having buff of lower parts
darker and the breast-feathers narrowly edged with dark brown forming
crescentic marks. The bill and legs are much duller than those of
the adult.
"Abundant along the seashore and the banks of large fresh-water
streams in the islands indicated. P. gigantea is a very tough bird,
and will carry off a pretty good-sized load of shot. Ten specimens
measure 379 in length; wing, 153; tail, 93; culmen, 83; tarsus, 16;
middle toe with claw, 35. Iris dark brown; feet red to dark red;
bill dirty red to dark red." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus ALCEDO Linnæus, 1758.
Small, length less than 200 mm.; bill long; culmen slightly curved
and rounded, not flattened, a slight groove on each side; tail shorter
than bill; toes four.
Species.
a1. Wings dirty green; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
greenish cobalt; head and wing-coverts spotted with greenish
blue. ... bengalensis (p. 306)
a2. Wings black; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue; head
and wing-coverts spotted with purplish blue. ... meninting (p. 307)