Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13,
pt. 1, 142; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 537; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1900), 2, 87; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906),
57; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 68, pl. 1, fig. 8.
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Papuan Islands,
northeastern Australia, Greater Sunda Islands, Java.
Male.--Forehead, crown, and nape grayish brown, finely vermiculated
with buff and brown, producing a nearly silvery appearance; down the
center of head to nape the feathers conspicuously marked with blackish
brown; an indistinct fulvous band across hind-neck connecting with a
bright fulvous patch on each side behind ear-coverts; back and rump
mottled with dark brown and a little fulvous; a large white patch on
throat, the longer feathers tipped with black, subterminally marked
with fulvous; sides of face, ear-coverts, chin, and a small area
posterior of white patch rich rufous with fine irregular black lines;
lower throat rufous, mottled with black; breast finely marked with
blackish brown and pale fulvous, a few feathers with large patches of
fulvous; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts barred with brown;
wing-coverts blackish, each with a light fulvous terminal spot;
scapulars with black terminal spots and narrow fulvous subterminal
bars; white spot on first primary moderate and not reaching
shaft; on second, third, and fourth the white crosses both webs;
secondaries notched with dark rufous; tail-feathers blackish brown,
outer webs notched with fulvous; two outer pairs each with a large
white terminal area about 38 mm. long, involving both webs. A male
from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, measures: Length, 265; wing, 180;
tail, 140; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 24.
"Female.--Differs from the adult male in having the outer web of
first primary spotted with rufous, in having pale rufous marks on
the primaries instead of white ones, in the white tips to the outer
rectrices being less in extent and tinged with buff or rufous,
speckled with brown on the tip of outer web.
"Young.--The markings are less developed in younger individuals;
the young male has the white patches on the primaries and rectrices
tinged with rufous and less in extent. The nestling is covered with
buffy down." (Hartert.)
"Iris dark brown, bill nearly black; legs and feet brown; nails
black. A male from Busuanga measures, 263 in length; wing, 184; tail,
135; culmen, 13; middle toe with claw, 22. A female from Palawan,
length, 250; wing, 222; tail, 135; culmen, 13; tarsus, 14; middle
toe with claw, 22." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)