“We obtained a fine series of specimens in Samar which agree in every detail with the description of C. melanura. The specimens secured by us were found among the hills in deep forest and invariably away from water.” (Bourns and Worcester.)
278. CEYX EUERYTHRA Sharpe.
RED-BACKED KINGFISHER.
- Ceyx euerythra Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 179; Hand-List (1900), 2, 53; Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 45; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 53.
Balabac (Everett); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Schmacker, McGregor); Palawan (Lempriere, Platen, Steere Exp., Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester, Everett). Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo.
Adult.—Above red, washed with lilac, heaviest on head and rump; below deep yellow, strongest across the breast; chin and upper throat white, washed with yellow; wing-coverts like the back; primaries and secondaries black; first primary and the secondaries edged with rufous; wing-lining yellow. “Iris dark brown; bill and feet red.” (Celestino.) Male, length, 140; wing, 58; tail, 23; culmen from base, 40. Female, length, 140; wing, 58; tail, 24; culmen from base, 40.
“We have fourteen specimens from Tawi Tawi, Palawan, and the Calamianes Islands and they show some interesting plumage changes which were for some time a puzzle to us.
“An adult pair in high plumage from the Calamianes have entire upper surface of body red, washed with lilac, most heavily on head and rump. Wing-coverts and scapulars like back. Secondaries rufous with broad black shaft-stripes. Primaries black, the first rufous for entire length of outer web and most of the others showing a small amount of rufous at their tips. Under surface of primaries washed with rufous on inner webs. Chin and throat white faintly tinged with lemon-yellow. Remainder of under surface deep golden-yellow, darkest on sides of breast and flanks. A yellowish white patch behind ear. Under tail-coverts golden yellow, tipped with rufous. Tail uniform bright rufous above and below. Under wing-coverts and axillars golden yellow. Bend of wing rufous.
“This plumage we take to be typical for fully adult birds in fine feather. Two females from Palawan agree with this description except that in one the secondaries show rufous only on under surface of inner webs, and that the primaries show no rufous except on basal half of outer web of first. The under wing-coverts, axillars, and bend of wing are light rufous instead of yellow.
“Sharpe, Ibis (1894), 246, reports an adult male of this species from Bongao and a female from Tawi Tawi. We note certain differences shown by our Tawi Tawi specimens, of which we have twelve. Of these four agree with the Calamianes birds except that the scapulars show more or less black at their bases and that the secondaries show more of black. Among the remaining specimens, however, there are some curious variations.