Sarcops calvus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 97
(part); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 109 (part).
Sarcops melanonotus Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1906), 16, 100;
Ibis (1906), 469; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A,
332 (notes on specimens from Bohol and measurements).
Basilan (Everett, McGregor); Bantayan (McGregor); Banton
(Celestino); Bohol (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu
(Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Dinagat
(Everett); Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp., Bartsch); southern Luzon
(Whitehead, Bartsch); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Goodfellow,
Celestino); Negros (Meyer, Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Romblon
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor
(Celestino); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Ticao
(McGregor).
Adult.--Differs from Sarcops calvus only in having the back black
forming a distinct dark area between the silvery gray of the hind
neck in front and of the rump and tail-coverts behind.
Until recently Sarcops has been considered to be a monotypic genus. It
is true that in 1877 Sharpe described Sarcops lowii from Sibutu,
but as the type of this species remains unique we may consider its
status to be at least doubtful. In 1895 Grant called attention to
some differences between specimens of bald starlings collected in
localities east of the meridian 122 and those from localities west
of that line. Quoting in part from Grant: "we find that east of
longitude 122 degrees, or thereabout, all the Philippine examples
of S. calvus have the mantle and upper back brownish black; while
west of this line all have the upper parts uniform silvery gray;
intermediate forms being met with only in localities situated along
the line where the two forms intergrade."
In 1906 Grant designated the eastern race as Sarcops melanonotus which
is here recognized. The difference between the two races, while evident
enough in extreme examples, is not always well marked. As Grant states,
specimens taken near the meridian 122 are usually intermediate in the
color of the mantle and are not satisfactorily referable to either
race. These intermediate birds occur in Basilan, Bohol, Marinduque,
Luzon, Tablas, Bohol, and Cebu. In Luzon and Bohol, at least, both
varieties and intermediate specimens have been found.
Under these conditions it will be understood that the distribution of
the two races of Sarcops, as indicated by islands, is only tentative,
while the assignment of the various collectors to their proper places
is more or less a matter of guesswork.
Genus GOODFELLOWIA Hartert, 1903.
Bill shorter than head; nostrils overhung by antrorse frontal plumes;
bare space around each eye much smaller than in Sarcops; a long crest
of decomposed feathers springing from the crown; tail much longer than
wing; rectrices graduated; plumage black, glossed with steel-green;
a large white patch on rump.