Turdus mindanensis Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 38.
Turdus mindanænsis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 1, 823.
Copsychus mindanensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 194,
pl. 33, fig. 1; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 60;
Hand-List (1903), 4, 159; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 218 (habits);
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.
A-ni-ní-hol, Siquijor; do-mi-ní-co, Manila.
Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett);
Cebu (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras
(Meyer, Steere Exp.); Lapac (Bartsch); Leyte (Everett); Lubang
(McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead,
McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow);
Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Everett, McGregor); Negros (Layard,
Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Romblon
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Bartsch); Samar (Steere Exp.);
Semirara? (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard,
Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).
Male.--Upper parts and entire head, throat, and breast glossy
blue-black; axillars, under wing-coverts, and feathers of thighs black,
tipped with white; remainder of under parts white; wings and tail
black, outer webs of the feathers glossy; inner wing-coverts entirely
white (but one of the greater coverts occasionally half black); two
secondaries with outer webs white. Length, about 185 mm. A specimen
from Siquijor measures: Wing, 92; tail, 90; culmen from base, 20;
bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 25.
Female.--Similar to the male, but upper parts duller; forehead,
lores, chin, throat, and breast ash-gray; flanks and crissum washed
with pale fulvous. A female measures: Wing, 83; tail, 83; culmen from
base, 18; bill from nostril, 12.
Young.--Colors similar to adult in pattern, but upper parts dull
black; chin, throat, and breast dark smoke-gray, spotted with white
and pale buff.
"A showy bird, commonly seen in low bushes and about clumps of bamboo,
close to the ground, or on it. The male is constantly opening and
closing his tail, and seems to be a vain fellow, well aware of his good
looks, and disposed to make the most of them. He is a fine singer as
well. Seven males average 203 in length; wing, 107; tail, 105; culmen,
20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Four females, length, 199;
wing, 84; tail, 83; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw,
23. Iris and bill black; legs and feet nearly black. Breeding in
Mindanao in the month of May." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus KITTACINCLA Gould, 1836.
Bill slender, hind toe with claw longer than bill from nostril;
rictal bristles small; feathers about bill and chin with the
shafts stiff, produced, and slightly recurved; wing pointed; first
primary more than one-half the second; rectrices wide and strongly
graduated. Colors largely black and white. In the type of the genus
(Kittacincla tricolor) the tail is nearly twice as long as the
wing, but in none of the Philippine species is the tail so greatly
developed. Kittacincla may be distinguished from Copsychus by its
more slender bill and wider rectrices.
Species.
a1. Wing slightly longer than tail; superciliary stripe white; breast
and abdomen white.
b1. Rump and tail-coverts orange-chestnut ... luzoniensis (p. 560)
b2. Rump and tail-coverts black ... superciliaris (p. 561)
a2. Wing decidedly shorter than tail; superciliary stripe wanting;
throat, breast, and abdomen nearly all, or entirely, black.
b1. Tail partly white ... nigra (p. 562)
b2. Tail all black ... cebuensis (p. 563)