Alcedo gularis Kuhl, Buffon and Daubenton,
Fg. Av. Col. Nom. Syst. (1820), 4.
Halcyon gularis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 227;
Hand-List (1900), 2, 56; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903),
3, 38; McGregor, Bur. Govt. Labs. (1905), 34, 13, pl. 11; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 54.
Til-ma-ma-noc', Manila.
Basilan (Bourns & Worcester); Bohol (McGregor); Caluya (Porter);
Cebu (Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Guimaras (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Everett);
Libagao (Porter); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Steere
Exp., Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Maestre de Campo
(McGregor & Worcester); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Murray, Everett,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro
(Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter);
Negros (Steere, Layard, Keay, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Whitehead); Panaon (Everett); Panay (Murray, Steere,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, Whitehead); Sibay (Porter); Siquijor (Bourns &
Worcester, Celestino); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao
(McGregor); Verde (McGregor).
Adult.--Entire head, neck, and sides of face deep chestnut; scapulars
bright blue; back and rump more silvery cobalt-blue; a large patch on
chin and upper throat pure white; remainder of under parts chestnut,
a little lighter than crown; basal part of primaries blue on outer web,
white on inner web; distal part black; alula and primary-coverts blue;
secondary-coverts black; edge of wing and axillars chestnut; tail blue
above and black below. When the specimen is held away from the light
the blues become green. Iris dark brown; bill and legs bright red;
nails black. A male from Bohol measures: Length, 280; wing, 124; tail,
80; culmen from base, 62; tarsus, 15. A female from Mariveles measures:
Length, 286; wing, 124; tail, 83; culmen from base, 63; tarsus, 14.
"Steere states that neither this species nor H. coromandus nor even
H. chloris frequents streams. We can not agree with him. All three
of the species are frequently found along streams, and H. gularis is
usually found along fresh-water streams. It sometimes feeds in dry
open country, however. Several nests of this species were found by
us at various times. They were invariably placed in the mud nests
of white ants, and consisted of mere tunnels, without lining of any
sort. The eggs are pure white and highly polished. Two eggs before
us are nearly spherical, measuring 28.5 by 26.4 and 28.9 by 26.9,
respectively. Six others, while nearly as broad as long, are quite
abruptly pointed at the smaller end. They measure, 30.9 by 27.6;
31.4 by 28.7; 30.9 by 25.9; 32.5 by 28.9; 30.9 by 27.9.
"H. gularis has the legs and feet red, bill red, nails black, iris dark
brown. Six males measure, 282 in length; wing, 122; tail, 81; culmen,
64; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 25." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
A large number of white-throated kingfishers nested in the banks of
the Baco River, Mindoro, during our stay at Balete in April, 1905,
while other pairs excavated holes in masses of earth held among the
roots of overturned trees.