Irena cyanogastra Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1831), 97; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 266; Grant, Ibis (1896), 116;
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 216 (habits).
Irena cyanogaster Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 308; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 79.
Luzon (Meyer, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor,
Celestino).
Male.--Forehead, lores, a wide band over eye, entire sides of
head and neck, chin, throat, and fore breast velvety black; rest
of under parts deep blue; tail-coverts tipped with cobalt and the
black bases of feathers showing through the blue to some extent;
crown and nape bright cobalt; mantle, back, and rump deep blue, the
black bases showing through to some extent as on the under parts;
upper tail-coverts tipped with cobalt; wings black; lesser coverts
tipped with dark blue; median and greater coverts with wide tips of
cobalt, forming two bands; alula-feathers and primary-coverts narrowly
edged with dark blue; inner secondaries broadly edged with cobalt;
rectrices black below; above, outermost pair all black, the middle
pair all blue, the others blue on outer webs. Bill, legs, and nails
black. Length, about 260; wing, 135; tail, 112; culmen from base,
30; bill from nostril, 21; tarsus, 21.
Female.--Differs from the male in having the black on head and throat
duller and extending for a less distance on the breast; blue of under
parts slightly lighter. Wing, 135; tail, 113; culmen from base, 27;
bill from nostril, 19; tarsus, 18.