Oriolus sinensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, 394.
Sturnia sinensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13,
68; McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 6; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 108.
Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (McGregor, Celestino). China, Hainan,
Formosa, Siam; in winter to Cochin China, southern China, Pegu,
and Malacca.
Adult male (Calayan Island, September).--Above smoke-gray; forehead
whitish; primaries, secondaries, primary-coverts, and alula black
slightly glossed with green, secondaries narrowly edged with white;
secondary-coverts, scapulars, edge of wing, axillars, and wing-lining
white; rectrices black, glossed with green, all but the middle pair
with broad white tips; under parts white, light smoke-gray across
the chest. Bill pale stone-gray; iris white; legs and nails light
brown. Length, 197; wing, 105; tail, 62; culmen from base, 20; bill
from nostril, 13; tarsus, 25.
Adult female (Manila, January).--Very similar to the male from Calayan,
but the white and gray areas dark smoky gray, probably due to smoke
stain. Iris pale blue. Length, 190; wing, 100; tail, 57; culmen from
base, 19; tarsus, 25.
Immature female (Manila, January).--Similar to the adult, but
secondary-coverts glossy black with light edgings.
Male (Malabon, near Manila, March).--Similar to the male from Calayan,
but fore part of head, face, chin, secondary-coverts, scapulars, upper
tail-coverts, sides, flanks, under tail-coverts, and tips of rectrices
ochraceous-buff. Wing, 102; tail, 60; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 23.
The gray-backed, or Chinese, starling has been taken in the Philippines
but rarely; in addition to the specimens recorded by me from Calayan
and Luzon, we have two specimens that were killed near Manila.