“The first nest was placed in a casuarina tree on the seacoast at some distance from the forest; the second was found in a high tree close to the freshly made nest of the white-breasted sea eagle (Haliætus leucogaster) from which the bird was disturbed. Both nests were of the usually oriole type.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
“After a careful comparison of specimens from Palawan and the Calamianes Islands, we can see no good reason for making distinct species of them. The amount of yellow on the head is extremely variable. We have birds from Luzon and Mindoro which show quite as much as any of our Palawan or Calamianes birds. Nor do we find any constant difference in size between the Palawan-Calamianes birds and those from other parts of the group.
“Nine males average: Length, 290; wing, 155; tail, 107; culmen, 37; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 28.7. Five females, length, 280; wing, 149; tail, 105; culmen, 36; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 28.4. Iris brown; legs and feet dull black; bill pinkish, white along gape and at tip. One of the commonest Philippine birds, found abundantly among the coconut groves and in the scattered trees about open fields, and not infrequently met with in the forest as well. Variously called ‘antu-li-hao’, ‘tu-li-hao’, ‘tu-li-hi-ao’, and ‘ku-li-ao-an’ by the natives, in attempted imitation of its rather musical note.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
708. ORIOLUS ISABELLÆ Grant.
GRANT’S ORIOLE.
- Oriolus isabellæ Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 4, 2; Ibis (1895), 108; (1899), 101; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 101 (habits); McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 7 (description of male); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 106.
Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor, Celestino).
Adult (sexes alike).—Upper parts, lores, face, ear-coverts, and sides of neck dark, rich olive-yellow, slightly more olive on crown and exposed edge of wing-feathers; a circle of light yellow around eye; entire under parts, wing-lining, and axillars rich lemon-yellow, slightly darker on chest; thighs slightly olive; wing-quills, primary-coverts, and greater secondary-coverts narrowly edged with lemon-yellow; inner webs of quills dusky brown, broadly edged with lemon-yellow; rectrices edged with lemon-yellow on the tips and inner webs; shafts brown above, lemon-yellow below. A male from Bataan Province, Luzon, measures: Length, 215; wing, 114; tail, 82; culmen from base, 25; bill from nostril, 18; tarsus, 22.5. In a female the iris was brown with an inner darker and outer lighter ring; bill, legs, and nails bluish horn-color. Length, 215; wing, 107; tail, 79; culmen from base, 26; bill from nostril, 19; tarsus, 22.