Motacilla melanope Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 696;
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1885), 10, 497; Hume, Oates
ed. Nests & Eggs Ind. Bds. (1890), 2, 207; Whitehead, Ibis (1899),
237; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 101.
Tam-ba-yuc-yuc, Ticao, used for Anthus rufulus also; a-na-noc-yod,
Siquijor; ba-ti-cu-lo, Manila.
Balabac (Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Bohol (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (Mearns); Calamianes (McGregor);
Calayan (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Meyer, Everett,
McGregor), Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett); Lubang
(McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor,
Bartsch); Maestre de Campo (McGregor & Worcester); Marinduque
(Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Murray,
Steere Exp., Mearns); Mindoro (Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Keay); Palawan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White);
Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Polillo (McGregor);
Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp.); Sibay (McGregor
& Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Celestino);
Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi
(Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor). Europe
and Siberia; in winter to India, Burmese countries, Malay Peninsula
and Indo-Malay islands.
Male (Mindoro, May, 1905).--Above ashy gray, with a slight olivaceous
wash on back; rump and tail-coverts bright greenish yellow; lores
black; line from nostril over lores, eye, and ear-coverts to nape
white; side of head ashy gray; a line from base of lower mandible
along side of throat white; chin and throat black, the feathers
fringed with white; remainder of under parts canary-yellow, paler
on sides and flanks; wing-feathers blackish brown; secondaries with
a white spot on outer web, partly concealed by the greater coverts;
tertials blacker than primaries and with inner webs largely white
and outer webs margined with white or pale yellow; outermost pair of
rectrices entirely pure white, next two pairs white with part of the
outer web black, remaining rectrices black with a fringe of greenish
yellow on outer webs. Length, 190; wing, 80; tail, 87; culmen from
base, 13; tarsus, 20.
In winter plumage the chin and throat are white, more or less
spotted with black; or else, the entire under parts are white mixed
with yellow, except the tail-coverts which seem to remain entirely
white. The latter plumage appears to be that of the young. The sexes
are similar in colors, but the breeding plumage of the female is said
to be paler than that of the male with less black on the throat.
"The gray wagtail is common and a source of constant irritation when
one is hunting the little forest kingfishers along small fresh-water
streams. M. melanope feeds among the pebbles and is always flying
up when least wanted, alarming the more valuable birds. Three males
average: Length, 185; wing, 80; tail, 92; culmen, 17; tarsus, 20;
middle toe with claw, 15. Two females, length, 189; wing, 81; tail,
96; culmen, 17.5; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 17.5. Iris dark
brown; legs, feet, and nails dark brown to black; bill black, except
base of lower mandible which is gray." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus BUDYTES Cuvier, 1817.
This genus differs from Motacilla in having the tail shorter than the
wing and the claw of hind toe much longer than the toe itself. The
under parts are yellow in summer plumage, white in winter, and rarely
without traces of yellow.