A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

COPPER-BREASTED SUNBIRD.

• Nectarinia calcostetha Jardine, Monogr. Sun-Birds (1842), 263.
• Nectarinia insignis Jardine, Monogr. Sun-Birds (1842), 274.
• Chalcostetha insignis Shelley, Monogr. Nect. pt. 4, (1877), 87; pl. 30; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1884), 9, 12; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98.

Balabac (Everett); Palawan (Everett, Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White). Tenasserim, Cochin China, Sunda Islands, Malay Peninsula, Siam, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes.

Male.—Forehead, crown, and nape metallic green; mantle dull black; median and lesser wing-coverts, back, and tail-coverts metallic purple when held away from the light, changing to dark green when held toward the light; tail black, some of its feathers edged with violet; wings blackish brown, the greater secondary-coverts edged with violet; middle of throat and breast with a large metallic copper-colored patch; chin, a line down each side of the copper-colored patch, and lower breast metallic violet; abdomen and under tail-coverts black; pectoral tufts bright lemon-yellow. Length, about 140; wing, 61; tail, 52; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 16; tarsus, 14. Description and measurements from a specimen taken by C. B. Kloss in Singapore.

“Female.—Crown and nape ashy brown; rest of upper parts yellowish olive; tail black, largely tipped with white; under parts whitish, strongly washed with pale yellow. Wing, 51.” (Gadow.)

“Iris, bill, legs, feet, and nails black. Food insects.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus ÆTHOPYGA Cabanis, 1850.

Bill as long as head, strongly curved, the tip very sharp; nasal opercles unfeathered; males with the rectrices narrow and graduated, the middle pair usually much produced and often acuminate. Males brightly colored, largely red or yellow or both; females greenish.

Species.

• a¹. Much larger; wing more than 50 mm.; bill from nostril more than 15.
  • b¹. Central rectrices lengthened, their tips rounded (males).
    • c¹. Chin, throat, breast, head, and mantle bright red magnifica (p. [644])
    • c². Chin and throat with a narrow median stripe of citron-yellow changing to orange on breast; mantle dark green boltoni (p. [645])
  • b². Central rectrices not lengthened (females).
    • c¹. Tail-feathers edged with dull crimson; under parts dull green. magnifica (p. [644])
    • c². Tail-feathers edged with green; chest gray; abdomen yellow. boltoni (p. [645])
• a². Much smaller; wing less than 50 mm.; bill from nostril less than 15.
  • b¹. Mantle and sides of neck dark red; chin, throat, and breast yellow (males).
    • c¹. Breast streaked with vermilion.
      • d¹. Chin, throat, and breast paler, sulphur-yellow.
      • d². Chin, throat, and breast darker, more gamboge-yellow.
    • c². Breast pure yellow, or very faintly streaked with vermilion.
      • d¹. Breast gamboge-yellow and slightly darker than chin. flavipectus (p. [649])
      • d². Breast, throat, and chin more nearly uniform and lighter yellow. rubrinota (p. [649])
  • b². Upper parts bright olive-green; under parts whitish, more or less washed with pale yellowish green (females).
    • c¹. Rump olive-green like the back shelleyi (p. [646]); arolasi (p. [648])
    • c². Rump lemon-yellow bella (p. [647]); bonita (p. [648]); flavipectus (p. [649]); rubrinota (p. [649])