A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

Species.

• a¹. Throat and breast deep blue. herioti (p. [436])
• a². Throat and breast orange-rufous or buff.
  • b¹. Upper parts blue.
    • c¹. Breast and throat darker and more uniform orange-rufous.
      • d¹. Abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white. philippinensis (p. [438])
      • d². Abdomen and under tail-coverts distinctly washed with chestnut-orange or buff. banyumas (p. [437])
    • c². Breast lighter orange-rufous; throat much lighter than breast, nearly white (male). lemprieri (p. [439])
  • b². Upper parts dull brown, more or less washed with an olivaceous tinge; tail and its coverts more or less chestnut or ferruginous brown.
    • c¹. Tail and its upper coverts bright chestnut; no white about eye. platenæ (p. [441])
    • c². Tail and its upper coverts dull rusty brown; a white line above and below eye and extending forward on forehead (female). lemprieri (p. [439])

398. CYORNIS HERIOTI Ramsay.

BLUE-BREASTED CYORNIS.

• Cyornis herioti Ramsay, Ibis (1886), 159 (♀); Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1901), 11, 60; Hand-List (1901), 3, 215; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 71.
• Siphia enganensis Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1896), 5, 2; Ibis (1896), 112; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 111.

Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead).

“Adult male.—Like the male of S. pallidipes, but the sides and flanks are fawn-colored instead of pure white. Length, 152; culmen, 18; wing, 79; tail, 63; tarsus, 22.

“Adult female.—Even more different from the female of S. pallidipes: the lores are rust-colored instead of white, and a short superciliary band of the same color reaches as far as the eye, above this there is a line of pale blue feathers, confluent across the forehead; the basal part of the outer webs of the tail-feathers washed with pale blue instead of reddish chestnut. Sides of the face dark brown, shading gradually into the rust-colored throat, whereas in the female of S. pallidipes the sides of the head are gray, and sharply defined from the bright rust-colored throat. Length, 134; culmen, 16; wing, 74; tail, 55; tarsus, 18.” (Grant.)

I have not seen the description of Cyornis herioti so have quoted Grant’s description of Siphia enganensis which is the same species. It is evident that we have here a type differing from all the other Philippine species of the genus. The male may be recognized by the blue throat and breast. Heriot’s flycatcher is either very rare, or is confined to northern Luzon where it may prove to be abundant.

399. CYORNIS BANYUMAS (Horsfield).