332. HIEROCOCCYX FUGAX (Horsfield).
HORSFIELD’S HAWK CUCKOO.
- Cuculus fugax Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 178.
- Hierococcyx fugax Shelley, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1891), 19, 236; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 157; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1903), 3, 104; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 61.
Banton (Celestino); Basilan (Bourns & Worcester); Bohol (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Heriot); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp.); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester). Sumatra, Java, Borneo.
Adult.—Above uniform slate-gray; end of tail bright rufous otherwise very similar to that of H. sparverioides; below white, with a variable amount of rufous on the breast; in some specimens the whole chest rufous, in others only the edges of the feathers rufous; chin gray; throat white slightly tinged with gray, and occasionally streaked with brown or rufous; no bars on breast thus distinguishing it from H. sparverioides. Length of male from Cagayancillo, 280; wing, 170; tail, 151; exposed culmen, 20; tarsus, 18. Length of female from Mindoro, 285; wing, 170; tail, 157; exposed culmen, 20; tarsus, 19.
“Immature.—Top of head gray; upper parts including wings, dark gray barred with rufous, tail barred as in the adult with light brown, blackish brown, and rufous, the rufous bars narrowest; under parts white with broad, pointed, mesial stripes of blackish; edges of feathers washed with rusty-brown; under tail-coverts white.
“Nestling.—Similar in plumage to the immature bird, with the back brown and the markings on the breast rather larger. Length, 208 mm.” (Shelley.)
“Rare and shy. Found skulking in thick bushes or under-brush, often near water. A male measures, 286 in length; wing, 167; tail, 153; culmen, 25; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 27. A female, length, 305; wing, 173; tail, 139; culmen, 25; tarsus, 22; middle toe with claw, 28. Iris brown; legs, feet, and nails bright yellow. Bill with upper mandible olive-green at base, black at tip; lower mandible olive-green. Food beetles and other insects.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Genus CUCULUS Linnæus, 1758.
Secondaries about half the length of primaries; wing long and flat; tail shorter than wing; in adults the upper parts are nearly uniform brown or gray, chin and throat gray; abdomen white barred with black.