A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

Genus RHIPIDURA Vigors and Horsfield, 1826.

Rictal bristles long and conspicuous, equal to culmen from base or longer; bill wide, depressed for most of its length, slightly compressed near tip; wing shorter than tail; first primary more than one-half of second and less than one-half of third; fourth, fifth, and sixth nearly equal, fifth longest; tail-feathers graduated, the difference between outermost and middle rectrices equal to or greater than culmen; plumage soft, that of head neither scale-like nor pile-like; colors various.

I can see no good reason why Hypothymis superciliaris Sharpe and H. samarensis Steere should not be placed in the genus Rhipidura; their long graduated tail-feathers, long stiff oral bristles, and lax plumage, as well as the similarity in the coloration of the sexes, certainly unite them with the members of Rhipidura.[56]

Species.

• a¹. Head, throat, and fore-breast blue or blue-gray.
  • b¹. Entire upper parts blue.
    • c¹. Blue of upper parts lighter, especially on crown; silvery cobalt of forehead more conspicuous. superciliaris (p. [456])
    • c². Blue of upper parts darker, crown nearly black; less silvery cobalt on forehead. samarensis (p. [457])
  • b². Back, wings, and tail largely chestnut or cinnamon.
    • c¹. Abdomen and flanks white. albiventris (p. [457])
    • c². Abdomen and flanks brown.
      • d¹. Smaller; crown lighter; abdomen and flanks cinnamon-brown. cyaniceps (p. [458])
      • d². Larger; crown darker; abdomen and flanks light chestnut-brown. sauli (p. [458])
• a². Top and sides of head black.
  • b¹. Chin and throat black.
    • c¹. Fore breast cinnamon-brown like the rest of breast and abdomen. nigrocinnamomea (p. [459])
    • c². Fore breast white. hutchinsoni (p. [460])
  • b². Chin and throat white with a black pectoral band. nigritorquis (p. [460])

416. RHIPIDURA SUPERCILIARIS (Sharpe).

MINDANAO BLUE FANTAIL.

• Hypothymis superciliaris Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. Zool. 2d. ser. (1877), 1, 236; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879), 4, 278; Hand-List (1901), 3, 248; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 73.

Basilan (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere Exp., Platen, Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow, Celestino).

Male.—Above dark verditer-blue, top of head darker; forehead and a line over each eye silvery cobalt; wings and tail black, the exposed portions of webs mostly bright cobalt; chin, throat, breast, and thighs dull smoky blue; lower breast and abdomen white, washed with blue-gray. Bill, legs, and nails black; iris brown. Length, about 165; wing, 78; tail, 78; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 14.5.