“Adult male.—Most nearly allied to C. malamaui Steere [=bournsi], but the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a brilliant ultramarine-blue, tinged with cobalt on the middle of the lower back and rump; the feathers of the crown and nape are also tipped with much of the same brilliant color; the wing-coverts and scapulars like those of C. malamaui, are of a deep purplish blue. ‘Iris dark brown; bill, feet, and nails bright vermilion.’ (Goodfellow.) Length, 127; wing, 63; tail, 22; culmen, 39; tarsus, 10.” (Grant.)
This species, described from a single specimen, is doubtfully distinct from Ceyx bournsi.
Genus HALCYON Swainson, 1821.
Bill large; culmen from base less than tail, rounded not flattened; birds of medium size and various bright colors. The species here included in Halcyon are by some authors assigned to at least three genera but, other than their style of coloration, the genera Sauropatis and Callialcyon seem to have no tangible characters. Halcyon hombroni, lindsayi, and moseleyi stand apart from the other Philippine species of the genus because of their short stout bill, longer tail, and peculiar spotted plumage. The genus Actenoides might be used for these three species.
Species.
- a1. Scapulars and wing-coverts
unspotted.
- b1. Bill entirely red.
- c1. Crown uniform in color with wings and tail; above dark rufous-brown washed with lilac. coromandus (p. [319])
- c2. Crown not uniform in color with wings and tail.
- b2. Bill mostly black.
- b1. Bill entirely red.
- a2. Scapulars and wing-coverts more or less spotted.
281. HALCYON COROMANDUS (Latham).
RUDDY KINGFISHER.
- Alcedo coromanda Latham, Ind. Orn. (1790), 1, 252.
- Halcyon coromandus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 217; Hand-List (1900), 2, 56; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1903), 3, 37; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 54.