Gallinula chloropus subsp. near orientalis Horsfield
Gallinule
Gallinula orientalis Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, 1821, p. 195. (Type locality, Java.)
Gallinula chloropus indicus Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 197 (Babelthuap); Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 44, 1932, p. 266 (Pelew, Coror).
Gallinula chloropus indica Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 221 (Babelthuap).
Gallinula chloropus subsp. Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 49 (Peleliu, Angaur).
Geographic range.—Malaysia from southern Malay Peninsula to Celebes. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Peleliu, Angaur.
Characters.—Adult: Resembles G. c. indica Blyth, G. c. lozanoi Lletget and G. c. guami Hartert, but smaller and paler; upper wing-coverts less olivaceous-brown and more slate-colored; back, rump, and scapulars less richly washed with olivaceous-brown. Resembles G. c. orientalis from Java in size, but much paler.
Measurements.—An unsexed adult bird from Angaur measures: wing, 150; bill from rictes, 27.1; bill from nostril, 13.4; tarsus, 46.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 3 (2 males, 1 unsexed) from Palau Islands, USNM—Angaur (Sept. 21).
Remarks.—Owing to the lack of sufficient material, I am unable to determine the exact status of the resident gallinule in the Palau Islands. On the basis of a single, unsexed adult and two immatures there is not very much that can be said. The adult is smaller and paler than G. c. indica, G. c. lozonoi, and G. c. guami. It resembles specimens of the subspecies G. c. orientalis in size but is also paler than the skins of this race which I have examined. It seems closest to this latter subspecies to which I tentatively refer it. If it is closest to this subspecies, it probably reached Palau from the Celebean region, rather than from the Philippines or some other route. Whether specimens taken by the Japanese at Babelthuap and Koror are G. c. indica is questionable, unless the skins were from migrants which may visit Palau from the west or northwest. The Hand-list of Japanese Birds (Hachisuka et al., 1942:177) records G. c. indica from the Bonin Islands.
The three Gallinules were taken by the NAMRU2 party at fresh and brackish water swamps at Angaur on September 21, 1945. Several Gallinules were seen in the area and several were observed also at Peleliu Island. One of the immatures was just growing its wing feathers, indicating that the birds must breed in the Palau Islands.