A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

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 (the same as parrokeet, parakeet, paroquet, etc.) 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 (p. [276])
    • c². Hind neck grass-green. montanus (p. [276])
  • b². No red patch on vertex.
    • c¹. Rump green like the back.
      • d¹. Forehead green. discurus (p. [277])
      • d². Forehead and crown blue. suluensis (p. [277])
    • c². “Rump light greenish brown”. waterstradti (p. [279])
• a². Wing, 142 to 155 mm.
  • b¹. Upper parts not uniform in color.
    • c¹. Top of head violet-blue. mindorensis (p. [279])
    • c². Top of head verditer-blue; throat and breast blue. cyaneiceps (p. [280])
  • b². Upper and under parts nearly uniform; general color more yellowish. luconensis (p. [280])

235. PRIONITURUS VERTICALIS Sharpe.

EVERETT’S RACKET-TAILED PARRAKEET.

• Prioniturus verticalis Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1893), 3, 10; Ibis (1894), 248, pl. 6; Hand-List (1900), 2, 29; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 48.

Bongao (Everett); Sibutu (Everett); Tawi Tawi (Everett, Bourns & Worcester).

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.” (Sharpe.)