Rhipidura nigritorquis Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1831), 97; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879), 4, 334; Hand-List (1901), 3, 261;
Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 236 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis
(1899), 106 (habits); Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3,
277, pl. 8, fig. 19; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 74.
Ba-ling-sa-say-ao, Ticao; ca-la-mang-tí-gon, Bohol; ma-ri-a-ca-pra,
Manila; ma-ri-a cong cong, Laguna de Bay; ba-li-á-la, Siquijor.
Bantayan (McGregor); Banton (Celestino); Basilan (Everett,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (Everett,
McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Buluan, off Mindanao (Mearns);
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu
(Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo
(McGregor); Dinagat (Everett); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Lubang
(McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead, Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Steere, Whitehead,
Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Siasi (Guillemard); Sibuyan (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).
Adult (sexes similar).--Above ashy gray; forehead, crown, and sides
of face black; a wide white band over each eye, for the most part
concealed; below white with a wide white pectoral band; abdomen
and crissum washed with pale buff; feathers of thighs black, tipped
with pale buff; axillars and wing-lining blackish brown edged with
white; rectrices blackish brown, all but middle pair with wide white
tips. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails black.
"Common throughout the islands. A very showy bird, constantly opening
and closing its tail, and dancing about to show its feathers. Three
male birds average 190 in length; wing, 87; tail, 110; culmen, 17;
tarsus, 21; middle toe with claw, 18. Four females, length, 190;
wing, 81; tail, 99; culmen, 17; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw,
18. Bill, legs, feet, and nails black." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Two eggs collected by Steere in Marinduque, May 8, 1888, are described
as follows:
"Shape ovate. Ground-color pale creamy white, with a rather wide
zone round the middle composed of small blotches and spots of pale
yellowish brown or lavender-gray; a few scattered spots of the
same colors over the rest of the shell. Measurements 18 mm. by 14
mm." (Grant and Whitehead.)
A set of three eggs, also collected in Marinduque by Steere, are said
to be similar to the above but with the markings rather smaller. The
measurements are 19 by 15.
"The two nests are of the usual cup-shaped type, constructed of tightly
woven fiber and wide dead grass bound together with spiders' webs, and
neatly lined with fine grasses and black fiber." (Grant and Whitehead.)
Genus XEOCEPHUS Bonaparte, 1854.
Eye surrounded by a wide fleshy wattle; depth of bill at nostril about
two-thirds of its width; rictal bristles strong; first primary more
than one-half of second and less than one-half of third; fourth, fifth,
and sixth subequal; tarsus equal to exposed culmen; rectrices strongly
graduated; color nearly uniform, bright reddish brown, or blue.
Species.
a1. Plumage bright chestnut-rufous.
b1. Central rectrices greatly lengthened (northern
islands). ... rufus (p. 461)
b2. Central rectrices never greatly lengthened (southern
islands). ... cinnamomeus (p. 463)
a2. Plumage nearly uniform blue. ... cyanescens (p. 463)