Read Ebook: A Manual of Philippine Birds by McGregor Richard C Richard Crittenden

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b1. Larger; bill heavier; culmen exceeding width of bill but little. ... Bolbopsittacus b2. Smaller; bill more slender; culmen twice the width of bill. ... Loriculus

Genus PRIONITURUS Wagler, 1832.

Length, 280 to 300 mm.; bill moderate, edge of upper mandible nicked; tail moderate, rectrices equal, except middle pair which are nearly twice as long as the others and racket-tipped; colors blue, green, and greenish yellow; in two species the male has a red crown-patch. Rectrices below verditer-blue; inner web of remiges below with a wide edge of verditer-blue; first primary above edged with blue on outer web. The key is based on male birds. The name parrakeet is applied to any of the smaller parrots, more particularly to those that have long tails.

Species.

a1. Wing, 160 to 173 mm.

b1. A bright red patch on vertex.

c1. "Hind neck yellowish green". ... verticalis c2. Hind neck grass-green. ... montanus

b2. No red patch on vertex.

c1. Rump green like the back.

d1. Forehead green. ... discurus d2. Forehead and crown blue. ... suluensis

c2. "Rump light greenish brown". ... waterstradti

a2. Wing, 142 to 155 mm.

b1. Upper parts not uniform in color.

c1. Top of head violet-blue. ... mindorensis c2. Top of head verditer-blue; throat and breast blue. ... cyaneiceps

b2. Upper and under parts nearly uniform; general color more yellowish. ... luconensis

EVERETT'S RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Prioniturus verticalis Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club , 3, 10; Ibis , 248, pl. 6; Hand-List , 2, 29; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 48.

Bongao ; Sibutu ; Tawi Tawi .

Male.--Crown light blue with a small scarlet patch in the center; forehead, nape, and sides of head grass-green; neck and sides of neck yellowish green; remainder of upper parts, including exposed edges of wing- and tail-feathers, dark grass-green; lower parts greenish yellow, breast clearer yellow, abdomen, flanks, and crissum more greenish. A male from Tawi Tawi measures: Wing, 180; tail with rackets, 150; culmen from front margin of cere, 21.

Female.--"Differs from the male in being emerald-green all over, and wanting the verditer-blue on the head as well as the scarlet spot on the latter."

"Discovered by us in October, 1891; it is the finest of the Philippines representatives of the genus. Found in deep forest, but especially abundant in the high mangrove trees south of Tataan. The amount of red on its head is exaggerated in the plate in The Ibis, and it is too light in color.

"Eight males from Tawi Tawi measure, 268 in length; wing, 171; tail, exclusive of racket, 90; culmen, 22; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 29. Four females measure, length, 255; wing, 165; tail, 96; culmen, 21; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 28. Iris varies from pale yellow to hazel; legs and feet gray; nails gray to black; bill gray to white."

MOUNTAIN RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Prioniturus montanus Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club , 4, 41; Ibis , 466; Whitehead, Ibis , 397; Sharpe, Hand-List , 2, 29; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 48.

U-lis', Benguet.

Luzon

Male.--Forehead, lores, and face blue, bases of the feathers largely green; a large red spot on vertex, surrounded by blue; hind head, neck, and sides of neck grass-green; mantle, back, and rump duller and more yellowish green; wings, upper tail-coverts, and middle pair of rectrices grass-green; lower parts green, slightly yellowish. Iris gray; bill, legs, and nails light horn-blue. Whitehead gives the iris as "dark brown." Length, including rackets, 305 to 317; two males measure, wing, 164 to 166; tail, without rackets, 84 to 85; culmen from cere, 20 to 21; tarsus, 15 to 16.

Female.--Much like male but red and blue of head and face replaced by dark green; a slight trace of blue on forehead and around eyes. Colors of soft parts as in the male. "Differs from the female of P. verticalis in having the head dull grass-green, the forehead, lores, sides of the crown, and feathers round the eyes being washed with blue. The under parts are like those of the male and never yellow-green as in the Sibutu female." One female measures, wing, 158; tail without rackets, 83; culmen from cere, 20; tarsus, 17.

Young.--Immature birds of each sex resemble the adult female.

The mountain racket-tailed parrakeet was discovered by Whitehead in the mountains of Abra and Lepanto Provinces. At San Jose a live bird was purchased. The natives said it "had been snared in their maize-fields and that it was common enough when the cereal was ripe." We collected a number of specimens in Benguet Province where it was not uncommon though somewhat difficult to secure; the species is well known to the Igorot by the name "u-lis." It is improbable that this beautiful parrot occurs below the pine belt but with our meager knowledge of the vertical distribution of birds in the Philippines it is better to follow this statement with a large interrogation mark. This species is very noisy and does not differ in habits from lowland members of the genus.

PHILIPPINE RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Psittacus discurus Vieillot, Gal. des Ois. , 1, 7, pl. 26. Prioniturus discurus Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. , 20, 417; Sharpe, Hand-List , 2, 29, McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 49. Prioniturus discurus sulu?nsis Blasius, Jour. f?r Orn. , 140.

Pa-l?-ta, Manila; ma-n?-guin, Ticao; ca-gak', Bohol.

Basilan ; Bohol ; Catanduanes ; Cebu ; Guimaras ; Leyte ; Luzon ; Masbate ; Mindanao ; Negros ; Samar ; Sibuyan ; Sulu ; Tablas .

Adult.--General color green, vertex verditer-blue changing with the light; rest of head, neck, and face bright grass-green; rest of upper parts and wings dark green; below uniform yellowish green; spatules black, sometimes tinged with green or with blue; short rectrices blue along shaft, bordered with green and tipped with black. Sexes alike. Iris dark; cere very dark blue; bill light horn-blue; feet and nails darker blue. Length, including rackets, 292 to 317; four specimens from Ticao measure, wing, 160 to 169; tail without rackets, 76 to 85; culmen from cere, 21 to 23; tarsus, 15 to 17.

"A common and widely spread species. P. discurus, as well as the other five Philippine representatives of the genus, is usually met with in the forest or in fruit trees in the open, where it has gone to feed. At certain seasons it frequents the mangrove swamps. All the Philippine species are birds of very rapid flight, and scream almost constantly when on the wing. They usually fly in small flocks. In the forest they make the most of their protective coloring, and one may pass within ten feet of one without seeing it.

"Measurements are given exclusive of rackets. Four males from Basilan measure, 232 in length; wing, 149; tail, 66; culmen, 21; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 28.

"Sibuyan birds are slightly larger, and have a light yellowish green area on back, but we do not feel warranted in separating them. Three females from Sibuyan measure, 257 in length; wing, 161; tail, 134; culmen, 22; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 29. Iris brown; legs and feet leaden; nails blackish; bill grayish white."

WATERSTRADT'S RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Prioniturus waterstradti Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club , 14, 72; Hartert, Novit. Zool. , 13, 756; Grant, Ibis , 495; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 49.

Mindanao .

Male.--"Forehead to the eyes pale blue, the feathers being green at base; lores and sides of face greenish blue; sinciput and nape grass-green; scapulars and back green with a slight brownish tinge; rump light greenish brown; wings outwardly bright green, inner webs of remiges, blackish from above, pale bluish from below; upper wing-coverts grass-green, slightly tinged with blue near bend of wing; rectrices, bright green from above, bluish from below, tipped with dull black for about 12 to 14 mm., the central pair quite green except the shaft and spatules, which are dull black; entire under side uniform yellowish green. Bill whitish with leaden-gray base; feet dark gray. Wing, 152 to 157; tail, about 66, with lengthened central pair, 120 to 140; culmen from cere, 22; metatarsus, 15. One specimen marked '' is similar to the male."

This species is known from specimens collected by Waterstradt on Mount Apo at 900 meters elevation, and by Goodfellow at 2,500 meters.

MINDORO RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Prioniturus mindorensis Steere, List Birds and Mams. Steere Exped. , 6; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. , 20, 419; Sharpe, Hand-List , 2, 29; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 49.

Mindoro .

Male.--Most nearly related to P. discurus but distinguished by the crown patch which in mindorensis is blue with a slight violet tinge and is sharply defined in front against the green forehead; the bill is larger and the rackets are never so long as in adult specimens of discurus. Length, including rackets, 317; wing, 165; tail without rackets, 90; culmen from front margin of cere, 22.

Female.--Similar to female of discurus but often with traces of the violet crown patch. Length, including rackets, 300; wing, 160; tail without rackets, 90; culmen from front margin of cere, 21.

"Three males average, 268 in length, exclusive of rackets; wing, 162; tail, 135; culmen, 20; tarsus, 21; middle toe with claw, 28. A female measures, 261 in length; wing, 154; tail, 118; culmen, 21; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 27. Iris light straw-yellow, nearly white; legs, feet, and nails light leaden; bill pale horn-color."

BLUE RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

Prioniturus cyaneiceps Sharpe, Ibis , 194; Hand-List , 2, 29; Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. , 20, 419; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List , 49.

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