A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

• a¹. Much larger; wing, 100 mm. or more; tail square or slightly rounded. Turdinæ (p. [541])
• a². Much smaller; wing, 95 mm. or less, usually much less; tail rounded, or rectrices slightly graduated.
  • b¹. Upper tail-coverts black, brown, or gray. Ruticillinæ (p. [556])
  • b². Upper tail-coverts white. Saxicolinæ (p. [564])

Subfamily TURDINÆ.

Birds of this subfamily are nearly all much larger than any of the Ruticillinæ or Saxicolinæ. The wing is long, pointed, and flat, the first primary very short; tail nearly square; plumage uniform, spotted, or bicolored; habits either arboreal or terrestrial.

Genera.

• a¹. Without blue anywhere in the plumage.
  • b¹. Axillars and wing-lining uniform in color; bill more slender.
    • c¹. Plumage black and dark brown; four primaries with outer webs emarginate. Planesticus (p. [542])
    • c². Plumage of under parts white, and chestnut or gray, never black; three primaries with outer webs emarginate. Turdus (p. [547])
  • b². Axillars and under wing-coverts of two colors, the arrangement of colors on one reversed on the other; bill stouter.
    • c¹. Bill moderate in length; rictal bristles not greatly developed, few and lateral.
      • d¹. Under parts marked with crescent-shaped black bands. Oreocincla (p. [553])
      • d². Under parts marked with fan-shaped spots. Geokichla (p. [550])
    • c². Bill long and strongly curved near the tip; rictal bristles numerous and long, the anterior ones extending over the nostrils as in the flycatchers; throat, breast, and flanks with fan-shaped spots. Zoothera (p. [552])
• a². With more or less blue in the plumage; axillars and wing-lining nearly uniform chestnut, or else ocherous barred with black; feathers of under parts usually fringed with gray or black. Petrophila (p. [554])

Genus PLANESTICUS Bonaparte, 1854.

Four primaries, third to sixth, with the outer webs emarginate; bill somewhat stouter than in Turdus; otherwise the two genera are very similar in structure. The Philippine members of Planesticus are resident, mountain species, and may be easily recognized by the colors, smoky brown and blackish slate, with no white on the breast and abdomen.

Species.[71]

KEY BASED ON ADULT MALES.

• a¹. Wing less than 115 mm.; sides of lower breast and flanks chestnut. mindorensis (p. [543])
• a². Wing more than 115 mm.; sides of lower breast and flanks not chestnut.
  • b¹. Chest, head and neck all round nearly uniform broccoli-brown (slightly darkest on crown).
    • c¹. Wing, about 120 mm.; body uniform blackish; under tail-coverts longitudinally striped with white.
      • d¹. Larger; length, 225; wing, 121; bill from nostril, 14.7; body dark brown. thomassoni (p. [544])
      • d². Smaller; length, 215; wing, 120; bill from nostril, 13; body practically black. mayonensis (p. [544])
    • c². Wing less than 120 mm.; body, including tail-coverts and crissum, uniform clove-brown. kelleri (p. [545])
  • b². Chest paler, contrasting strongly with the dark color of crown.
    • c¹. Smaller; wing, 124.5 mm.; tail, 96.5; chin, throat, and chest pale sooty brown, rather lighter on breast, flanks, and belly; median area of under surface dark, except at vent; under tail-coverts dark brown with pale, whitish brown tips. nigrorum (p. [545])
    • c². Larger; wing, 127 mm.; tail, 115; chin, throat, and chest pale drab-gray; flanks and breast similar in color to the upper surface of body; median area of under surface spotted with white anteriorly, all white posteriorly; under tail-coverts sooty-brown, with broad, longitudinal white stripes. malindangensis (p. [546])