Bill moderately stout, when measured from nostril less than hind toe with claw; rictal bristles small; wing pointed, slightly concave, and less than tail in length; first primary more than one-half the second, and much longer than tarsus; rectrices long, narrow, and strongly graduated; outstretched feet not reaching tips of shortest pair of rectrices. Colors black and white, the tail entirely black in the only Philippine species. Sexes somewhat unlike in colors.
541. COPSYCHUS MINDANENSIS (Boddaert).
DOMINICO.
- Turdus mindanensis Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 38.
- Turdus mindanænsis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 1, 823.
- Copsychus mindanensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 194, pl. 33, fig. 1; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 60; Hand-List (1903), 4, 159; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 218 (habits); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.
A-ni-ní-hol, Siquijor; do-mi-ní-co, Manila.
Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Cebu (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Lapac (Bartsch); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Everett, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Bartsch); Samar (Steere Exp.); Semirara? (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).
Male.—Upper parts and entire head, throat, and breast glossy blue-black; axillars, under wing-coverts, and feathers of thighs black, tipped with white; remainder of under parts white; wings and tail black, outer webs of the feathers glossy; inner wing-coverts entirely white (but one of the greater coverts occasionally half black); two secondaries with outer webs white. Length, about 185 mm. A specimen from Siquijor measures: Wing, 92; tail, 90; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 25.
Female.—Similar to the male, but upper parts duller; forehead, lores, chin, throat, and breast ash-gray; flanks and crissum washed with pale fulvous. A female measures: Wing, 83; tail, 83; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12.
Young.—Colors similar to adult in pattern, but upper parts dull black; chin, throat, and breast dark smoke-gray, spotted with white and pale buff.
“A showy bird, commonly seen in low bushes and about clumps of bamboo, close to the ground, or on it. The male is constantly opening and closing his tail, and seems to be a vain fellow, well aware of his good looks, and disposed to make the most of them. He is a fine singer as well. Seven males average 203 in length; wing, 107; tail, 105; culmen, 20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Four females, length, 199; wing, 84; tail, 83; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 23. Iris and bill black; legs and feet nearly black. Breeding in Mindanao in the month of May.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)