Muscicapa bella Hay, Madr. Journ. (1845), pt. 2, 158.
Xanthopygia cyanomelæna Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879),
4, 251.
Cyanoptila bella Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Wash. (1892), 15,
328; Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 238; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds'
Eggs (1903), 3, 269; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 73.
Cyanoptila cyanomelæna Everett, Ibis (1895), 24.
Balabac (Everett); Palawan? [58] Japan, China, Indo-Chinese
countries, northwestern Borneo.
"Adult male.--General color above blue, the greater coverts uniform
with the back, the lesser and median coverts brighter and more
cobalt-blue, forming a shoulder patch; head still brighter and more
lazuline blue, richest on the forehead; a narrow frontal line, lores,
eyelid, sides of face, and entire throat and chest black; rest of
under surface of body pure white, the flanks ashy; thighs black; under
wing-coverts dusky brown, broadly edged with blue; the edge of the
wing bright blue; primary-coverts and quills dusky brown, externally
greenish blue; middle tail-feathers dark blue, the remainder blue on
the outer web, black on the inner, with conspicuous white bases to
the feathers. 'Bill black; legs brown; iris black.' (David.) Length,
140; culmen, 14; wing, 86; tail, 61; tarsus, 15.
"Observation.--A male bird from Japan, in the Leiden Museum, marked
Cyanoptila cyanothorax, is a little different from the full-plumaged
male, being of a greener cobalt above, and has the throat washed with
greenish blue. The blue color on the head is different being brighter
cobalt. Specimens from Borneo do not differ from the Japanese bird
described in any important particulars; one has a gloss of blue on the
throat and chest, another is more greenish blue above, while a Tingchow
male has the back greenish blue, with distinct black shaft-streaks.
"Adult female.--Different from the male. Ashy brown, above, washed
with pale verditer-blue on the scapulars, lower back, and upper
tail-coverts; least wing-coverts bright blue as in adult male, the
rest and the quills externally verditer-blue, the outermost of the
greater series dull brown, edged with ashy brown and narrowly tipped
with whitish; tail as in male, but rather more greenish blue; lores and
anterior part of cheeks rufescent buff; ear-coverts ashy brown, with
whitish shaft-lines; throat, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white;
fore-neck, chest, and sides of body ashy brown; under wing-coverts
and axillars ashy brown, the edge of the wing blue. 'Bill blackish
brown, legs grayish brown, iris dark brown.' (Swinhoe.) Wing, 89;
tail, 61; tarsus, 15.
"Young male.--Similar to old female, but having the back greenish
blue, only the head and neck ashy brown, even the crown being slightly
shaded with blue; upper tail-coverts with white edgings; wings and
tail as in adult, the outer greater coverts tipped with buff; below
as in female, but having the throat ochraceous, the breast washed
with ocher, as also the sides of the body." (Sharpe.)
The Japanese blue flycatcher is a rare winter visitant to the
Philippine Islands.
Genus HYPOTHYMIS Boie, 1826.
Bill flattened and depressed for its entire length, the outline
not curved inward toward the tip; depth of bill at nostril nearly
two-thirds of the width; bill from nostril more than one-half the
tarsus; rictal bristles conspicuous, the longest equal to bill
from nostril; wings short, about equal to tail; first primary
equal to one-half of third; fourth, fifth, and sixth subequal and
longest; seventh greater than third; second primary shorter than
the secondaries; tail slightly graduated, outermost feathers shorter
than middle pair by about one-third the length of tarsus; feathers
of head short and soft, occipital crest short; dominative color blue,
abdomen white.