Ceyx nigrirostris Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota
Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 13; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1900), 2, 54.
Alcyone nigrirostris Mcgregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 53.
Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead);
Panay (Bourns & Worcester).
"Adult male.--Back and upper tail-coverts bright cobalt-blue, slightly
lighter than in C. cyanipectus; crown and nape blue-black, thickly
spotted with bright cobalt, the spots being much wider and slightly
lighter than in C. cyanipectus; spots much larger on hind neck,
causing it to appear nearly uniform cobalt; scapulars black, heavily
washed with dark verditer-blue; wing-coverts washed with verditer-blue,
each feather with a bright spot or stripe of cobalt-blue; wing black,
the outer webs of secondaries heavily washed with light verditer-blue;
tail black, the central pair of feathers washed with verditer-blue
on both webs, the others on outer webs only; loral spot reddish buff;
a spot of same color on sides of neck; chin and throat white, washed
with buff; fore neck, breast, and abdomen uniform buff; flanks, sides
of breast, and a complete band across the breast dark verditer-blue;
a half band of same color behind this; under tail-coverts buff,
the larger ones tipped with verditer-blue; under wing-coverts like
the breast, with a spot of verditer-blue at end; basal portion of
inner webs of primaries and secondaries washed with pale buff; bill
black. Average measurements from ten males: Culmen, 36; tarsus, 9;
wing, 56; tail, 22. Length of a single male measured in the flesh, 165.
"Female like male, but has only a half band of verditer-blue across
the breast, this being more imperfect than in C. cyanipectus. Average
measurements from three females: Culmen, 37; tarsus, 8; wing, 59;
tail, 24. Length of single female measured in the flesh, 143.
"A well-marked species easily distinguished from C. cyanipectus, its
nearest ally, by the heavy markings on crown and nape, by its black
bill and by the entirely different color of its under surface. Like
the former species, it is strictly confined to the banks of fresh-water
streams and it is usually found in the woods." (Bourns and Worcester.)
Genus CEYX Lacépède, 1799.
Bill intermediate in form between Alcedo and Halcyon, less compressed
than in the former, not grooved; culmen straight and slightly
flattened; only three toes, the inner or second toe wanting;
tail very short and rounded; plumage very bright, red often
predominating. (Blanford.)
Species.
a1. Lower parts lilac and rufous.
b1. Smaller; wing and tail shorter.
c1. A bright blue spot behind ear-coverts. ... melanura (p. 312)
c2. No bright blue spot behind ear-coverts. ... mindanensis
(p. 312)
b2. Larger; wing and tail longer. ... samarensis (p. 313)
a2. Lower parts yellow, or yellow washed with rufous.
b1. Above rufous, or black and rufous, washed with more or less
lilac. ... euerythra (p. 314)
b2. Above silvery cobalt to deep ultramarine-blue but with no
rufous. ... bournsi (p. 316); goodfellowi (p. 318)