A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

Species.

• a¹. Lower breast, abdomen, and crissum black, glossed with green or blue.
  • b¹. Back strongly glossed with green balicassius (p. [703])
  • b². Back velvety black with little or no gloss.
    • c¹. Smaller; wing, 130 to 135 mm.; tail, 112 to 115 striatus (p.704)
    • c². Larger; wing, 145 to 155 mm.; tail, 133 to 136 suluensis (p. [704])
• a². Lower breast, abdomen, and crissum white mirabilis (p. [705])

716. DICRURUS BALICASSIUS (Linnæus).

NORTHERN DRONGO.

• Corvus balicassius Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 157.
• Dicrurus balicassius Tweeddale, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 180, pl. 31, fig. 1; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 230; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 101 (song); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 107.
• Dicrurus balicassius mindorensis Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1909), 36, 447.[97]

Ba-li-ca-si-ao, Filipino name.

Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindoro[98] (Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Mearns); Polillo (McGregor); Verde (McGregor.)

Adult (sexes alike).—Black, the exposed edges of the feathers glossed with steel-green which changes to dark purple in some lights; lores velvety black; feathers of throat and chest somewhat lanceolate; feathers of sides and flanks white or light gray basally; wing-lining and axillars glossy steel-blue. A male from Lubang Island measures: Length, 267; wing, 145; tail, 126; bill from nostril, 20; depth of bill at nostril, 10; tarsus, 23. A female from Bataan Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 141; tail, 118; bill from nostril, 21; depth of bill at nostril, 11; tarsus, 24.

“The Philippine representatives of this genus are all bold, impudent birds, and invariably appear when there is any disturbance in the woods. If picked up when wounded they bite and scratch viciously. They all feed exclusively on insects so far as our observation goes. Three male birds from Mindoro measure as follows: Wing, 138; tail, 113; culmen, 32; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 24. Three females from Luzon, wing, 131; tail, 116.5; culmen, 31; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 24. Bill, legs, feet, and nails black. Found breeding on the 25th of April.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

717. DICRURUS STRIATUS Tweeddale.