Turdus manillensis J. R. Forster, Ind. Zool. (1781), 41. [76]
Turdus manilla Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 39.
Monticola cyanus solitaria Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881),
5, 318.
Petrophila solitaria Oates, Fauna Brit. India (1890), 2, 145.
Monticola solitarius Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 214 (winter
migration).
Petrophila manilla Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 144; Oates and
Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 130; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 85.
Sol-i-tá-ri-o, in general use; yu-ta-yú-ta, Siquijor.
Agutaya (McGregor); Balabac (Steere Exp., Everett); Basilan
(Steere Exp.); Batan (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor);
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor);
Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett,
Steere Exp.); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Schmacker,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp.,
Goodfellow); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Negros (Layard, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, Keay); Palawan
(Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panaon
(Everett); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp.); Polillo (McGregor);
Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan
(Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi
(Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor); Y'Ami
(McGregor). Japan and eastern Siberia; in winter to southern China,
Burmese Provinces, and Malay Archipelago.
Male.--Upper parts, sides of head and neck, chin, throat, and chest
blue, this color much obscured by gray, brown, and blackish tips
to the feathers; lower breast, abdomen, crissum, and thighs deep
chestnut, obscured by whitish tips and blackish subterminal bars;
axillars and wing-lining chestnut; wings and tail black, the feathers
edged with blue and tipped with white. Length, about 215; wing,
125; tail, 81; culmen from base, 21; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus,
27.5. This plumage is the one usually found in winter birds in the
Philippines. "At the end of winter the white fringes and subterminal
black bars on the blue parts of the plumage are entirely lost, and
the marks on the chestnut parts are also removed by abrasion in great
measure, but never entirely." (Oates.)
"The female much resembles the autumn plumage of the male, except
that the blue of the upper parts is much duller and the whole of the
under parts are pale whitish brown, suffused with pale buffish brown
on the axillaries and under wing- and tail-coverts; each feather on
the under parts has a dark brown subterminal transverse band, which on
the throat is continued on the margins of the feathers; the axillars
and the under tail-coverts have several transverse dark bars. After
the autumn molt the only perceptible difference in the female is that
the pale brown margins of the feathers are somewhat longer. Males of
the year scarcely differ from adult females, excepting in having the
ground-color of the under parts, especially on the breast and belly,
tinged with blue. Females of the year have the ground-color of the
upper parts brown, only slightly tinged with blue on the wing-coverts,
rump, and upper tail-coverts. Young in first plumage differ very
slightly from the females of the year, but have scarcely a trace of
blue." (Seebohm.)
A young female from Calayan is brown, slightly washed with dull blue
on mantle and back; feathers of mantle, back, and tail-coverts with
subterminal blackish bars and gray tips; under parts ocherous buff the
feathers with subterminal blackish bars; wings black, the feathers
tipped with white and edged with gray, tail similar; wing-lining,
axillars, and crissum richer ocherous barred with black.
"Curiously enough this bird is called 'solitaria' by the natives of
Negros on account of its habits. Always seen singly or in pairs. Common
in the villages, especially about old churches. Also abundant on the
rocks along the seashore and in open country in general; never found
in the forest. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails black;
food, insects.
"Six males average, 210 in length; wing, 111; tail, 85; culmen, 23;
tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 26. Four females, length, 210;
wing, 111; tail, 84; culmen, 23; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw,
27." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
A specimen from Bataan Province, Luzon, appears to be much nearer
Petrophila cyanus (Linnæus) than P. manillensis; the under parts
are blue with the chestnut restricted to the axillars, wing-lining,
crissum, and a few feathers in the middle of abdomen.
Subfamily RUTICILLINÆ.
Nearly all the members of this subfamily are considerably smaller than
any of the Turdinæ. There is much diversity in the color pattern as
well as in the length and shape of the tail. The species are mostly
terrestrial.
Genera.
a1. Tail rounded and decidedly shorter than wing.
b1. Without a white eyebrow; plumage dark blue and
chestnut. ... Chaimarrornis (p. 557)
b2. With a distinct white eyebrow; chin and throat bright red in the
male, white in the female, forming a conspicuous patch ... Calliope
(p. 558)
a2. Tail-feathers strongly graduated, the longest equal to or longer
than the wing; plumage mostly black, or black and white.
b1. Lesser and median wing-coverts mostly white, forming a large
patch; abdomen and crissum white ... Copsychus (p. 558)
b2. Lesser and median wing-coverts black; outer tail-feathers tipped
with white, or else entire plumage black ... Kittacincla (p. 560)
Genus CHAIMARRORNIS Hodgson, 1844.
Bill small and slender; culmen from base about equal to hind toe with
claw; first primary about one-half of second and a little shorter
than tarsus; tail rounded, about two-thirds as long as wing, and
scarcely exceeding the outstretched legs and feet. Colors dark blue
and chestnut.