Irena tweeddalii Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 268;
Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 333, pl. 51, fig. 1;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 79.
Irena tweeddalei Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 309.
Balabac (? [68]); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Steere,
Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Celestino, White).
Male.--Crown, nape, hind neck, entire back, rump, upper and under
tail-coverts, lesser and median wing-coverts, and tips of inner greater
coverts light turquoise-blue; rest of plumage, including forehead,
lores, a wide line over eye, and entire sides of head and neck deep
black. Length, 240; wing, 127; tail, 99; culmen from base, 26; bill
from nostril, 19; tarsus, 16.
Female.--Very different from the male, being dull verditer-blue;
feathers of rump and upper and under tail-coverts tipped with brighter
blue; primaries dark brown; secondaries and rectrices dark brown,
their exposed edges washed with verditer-blue. Wing, 120; tail, 99;
culmen from base, 26; bill from nostril, 19; tarsus, 18.
"Tweeddale's fairy bluebird was fairly common about fruit trees in
the forest and was found abundantly on Mount Pulgar at an elevation
of about 750 meters. Five males from Palawan average: Length, 245;
wing, 123; tail, 95; culmen, 31; tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw,
23. Four females, length, 243; wing, 122; tail, 92; culmen, 31;
tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw, 24. Males and females from the
Calamianes average slightly less in length. Iris red; bill, legs,
feet, and nails black." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus HYPSIPETES Vigors, 1831.
Longest rictal bristles about one-half the length of tarsus; nuchal
hairs moderate in length; bill slender and compressed; a notch near
tip of upper mandible, none in lower mandible; tarsus much less
than culmen from base; difference between length of primaries and
secondaries greater than length of tarsus; tail slightly rounded;
plumage brown and gray, under parts sparsely spotted with white.
Species.
a1. Smaller; bill and tail shorter; flanks more rufescent or
fulvescent.
b1. Smaller; forehead cinereous ... fugensis (p. 503)
b2. Larger ... batanensis (p. 503)
a2. Larger; bill and tail longer; flanks grayer ... camiguinensis
(p. 504)