Certhia sperata Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 186.
Cinnyris speratus Shelley, Monogr. Nectarin. pt. 4 (1877), 131,
pl. 43.
Cinnyris sperata Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1884), 9, 63;
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 230; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 99.
Siete colores, Spanish name in general use.
Basiao, off Samar (Bartsch); Bohol (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns
& Worcester, McGregor); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Dinagat
(Everett); Guimaras (Steere, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Steere Exp.,
Whitehead); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Whitehead, McGregor);
Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, Celestino);
Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Everett, McGregor);
Negros (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay);
Nipa (Everett); Palawan (Everett, Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Bourns & Worcester); Polillo
(McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Samar (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, Bartsch); Sibuyan (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Ticao (McGregor).
Male.--Held away from the light top of head and hind neck reddish
bronze, lower back, rump, and tail-coverts metallic green and
amethystine; held toward the light, head and neck change to
bronze-green; back, rump, and tail-coverts change to steel-green;
lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts dull black; mantle, sides of neck, and
wing-coverts dark maroon-red; chin, throat, and chest metallic violet
away from the light, changing to purple when held toward the light;
breast poppy-red; abdomen, thighs, flanks, and crissum olive-green;
the last washed with red in some specimens; wing-feathers blackish,
edged with maroon, a small metallic colored patch at carpal joint;
rectrices blackish, edged with metallic violet and green. Iris brown;
bill, legs, and nails black. A male from Masbate measures: Length,
102; wing, 50; tail, 29; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril,
14; tarsus, 12.
Female.--Above light olive-green; feathers of head edged with gray;
below greenish yellow, brighter on abdomen, flanks, and crissum;
wings and tail blackish brown; primaries and secondaries edged with
dull orange-rufous on outer webs and with white on inner webs;
rectrices tipped with light gray. A female from Luzon, wing, 50;
tail, 30; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 12.
"Ten males from Palawan average: Length, 104; wing, 50; tail, 31;
tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 13; culmen, 20. Ten females, culmen,
19; wing, 47; tail, 28; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 13. Iris dark
brown; bill, legs, and feet black. Called by natives of Palawan 'sopra
daraga.' Breeding in Palawan in December; in Siquijor in February; in
Negros in January; and in Samar in April." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)