Full text of "Birds"
BIOLOGY
LIBRARY
G
THE FAUNA OF BRITISH INDIA,
INCLUDING
CEYLON AND BURMA.
PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR INDIA IN COUNCIL.
EDITED BY W. T. BLANFORD.
BIRDS.-Vol. III.
BY
W. T. BLANFORD, F.R.S.
LONDON:
TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
CALCUTTA : I BOMBAY :
THACKER, SPINK, & CO. THACKER & CO., LIMITED.
BERLIN :
R. FRIEDLANDER & 8OHN, 11 CARL8TRA88E.
1895.
BIOLOGY
:i4/,
G
ALEBE V FLAMMAM.
PRINTED BY T AY LOB AND FRANCIS,
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
» ? ,• * *
^2^^»,r*;* » - **\
PREFACE.
IN the Preface to the second volume, a change in the
original plan of the ' Birds ' was announced. It was still
proposed to complete the work in three volumes, but as the
second was shorter than usual it was announced that the
deficiency would be made good in the third, which would
contain descriptions of all Indian birds except Passeres. As
the work progressed, however, further modification became
necessary, as it was evident that the proposed third volume
would be of inconvenient size, and it has now been decided
to divide it into two. The birds will therefore occupy four
volumes instead of three, and of these the third is herewith
published. The fourth volume is in preparation and a
considerable portion is written. The publishing price of the
last three is reduced, so that the cost of the whole work is
only increased by a very small amount.
Mr. Gates, after writing the two volumes containing the
descriptions of the Passeres, was obliged to return to his
appointment in India, as explained in the Preface to the
second volume. The continuation of the ' Birds ' has been
left in my hands, and I have endeavoured to keep the work
uniform in general plan, and to render the change of author-
ship as little conspicuous as possible ; but I fear there are
many, besides myself, who will see cause for regret that the
able ornithologist who commenced the work was prevented
by circumstances from finishing it.
The birds of which descriptions appear in the present
volume are the Eurylsemi, the various groups known col-
lectively as Picarian or non- Passerine perching birds, the
Parrots, and the nocturnal and diurnal Birds of Prey. Thus
the first three volumes of the present work correspond to
the first two of Jerdon's, and contain the same families of
Birds, though differently arranged.
The question of the system to be employed in dividing the
Birds of India into Orders did not present itself in the first
two volumes, which were occupied by the Passeres, now
IV PREFACE.
regarded by all ornithologists as a distinct order, and the
highest of the class. But in the present volume a general
scheme of classification became a necessity : the arrangement
hitherto adopted in the majority of works on Indian Ornith-
ology— Legge's ' Birds of Ceylon ' and Oates's ' Birds of
Burmah' being the most important exceptions — has been
that of Jerdon's great work, and was taken from G. B.
Gray's, which again was but slightly modified from that of
Cuvier. This classification, proposed in the early part of
the present century, when the anatomy of birds had received
but little attention, was founded exclusively on the characters
of the beak and feet. It was soon found that there were
defects in the Cuvierian system, one of the leaders in the
path of reform being Edward Bly th, the pioneer of Indian
scientific ornithology ; but it was long before a satisfactory
natural system could be devised, and even now birds are by
no means so clearly arranged, or divided into orders so well
defined, as mammals and reptiles are. Still some of the
later attempts to arrange the intricate groups of birds have
been fairly successful in consequence of their depending not
on one or two characters but on several, of their taking into
consideration both internal anatomy and external structure,
and of their making use of such clues to affinity as are
afforded by nidification, oology, and the changes of plumage
in the young.
The system adopted in the present work is, in the main,
identical with those of Sharpe and Gadow, and differs in no
important point from the classifications of Sclater and
Newton. References will be found on page 15. The chief
difference between the plan here followed and those proposed
by the ornithologists named, is that no attempt has been
made in the present work to arrange in larger categories the
groups here termed orders. This is due to the circumstance
that there is a much wider general agreement as to the
distinctness of the smaller ordinal or subordinal groups
than as to their relations to each other.
The principal anatomical characters by which the different
orders are distinguished are furnished by the bones of the
palate, shoulder-girdle and sternum, and the vertebrae ; by
the occurrence of cseca in the intestines, the presence or
absence of particular muscles in the thigh, and the characters
of the deep plantar tendons. Amongst the external cha-
racters, pterylosis, or the disposition of the feathers with
regard to the clad and naked tracts of the body (pteryla and
PREFACE. V
apteria), the presence or absence of an aftershaft on the
body-feathers,, the occurrence of down, the presence or
absence of a uropygial oil-gland, and its being tufted, i. e.
partially surrounded by a circlet of feathers, or naked, and
the number of remiges and rectrices, are amongst the points
of importance. Latterly, since the late Mr. R. S. Wray, in
the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for 1887, showed
that, in several orders, the fifth secondary quill or cubital,
counting from the distal extremity of the ulna, is wanting,
some importance has been attached to the fact, and those
birds have been termed quincubital which retain the remex
in question, whilst those forms in which it is absent are dis-
tinguished as aquincubital.
Most of the terms employed are easily understood, but
four diagrams are added for the explanation of the names
applied to the bones of the palate and the muscles of the
thigh. The two figures illustrative of the former, which are
used by permission of their author, the late Professor Huxley,
and are taken from his classical paper in the f Proceedings of
the Zoological Society' for 1867, serve to explain the two
most important types of palatal structure in carinate birds —
the " schizognathous " and " desmognathous."" In the des-
mognathous palate the maxillo-palatines are united across
the median line, and the vomer is either small and slender
or rudimentary. In schizognathous skulls the maxillo-
palatines are usually elongate and lamellar and do not unite
either with the vomer or with each other. In both the
vomer, if present, is pointed in front, not broadly truncated
as in the segithognathous type, represented by the Raven
(Vol. I. p. 4) . There are other distinctions in these three
types of bony palate, but those mentioned are the most con-
spicuous. The fourth principal type, the dromaeognathous,
is not found in any Indian birds.
The muscles of the thigh are shown in the two figures
taken from the works of Garrod and Forbes, the former of
whom attached great importance to them as evidence of
affinity. The ' ambiens ' muscle was regarded by him as
affording a clue to the whole system, and by means of it he
divided all Carinate birds into Homalogonatse, in which the
muscle (with a few aberrant exceptions) was present, and
the Anomalogonatse, in which it was absent. The other thigh-
muscles, to the presence or absence of which he attached
importance, were the femoro-caudal, accessory femoro- caudal,
semitendinosus, and accessory semitendinosus.
V1 PREFACE.
The parts of the sternum occasionally mentioned in the
descriptions of orders are well known, with perhaps the ex-
ception of the manubrium or manubrial process, called by
some writers the rostrum. This is a simple or compound
process, projecting forward at the middle of the anterior
border, just where the keel of the sternum joins the body,
and in front of the inner terminations of the coracoids. It
comprises a distal spine (spina externa) and a proximal one
(spina internet), either of which may be wanting. The spina
externa is either simple or forked.
The descriptions in this, as in other volumes of the Fauna
of British India, are taken from the magnificent series of
Indian Birds in the British Museum (Natural History), and
every facility and assistance has been afforded to Mr. Gates
and myself by Sir W. H. Flower, the Director of the Natural
History Museum, and Dr. A. Giinther, Keeper of the De-
partment of Zoology. Especially we are under the greatest
obligations to the officers in charge of the bird collection,
Dr. R. B. Sharpe and Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant, for aid of
every kind most freely and kindly afforded during the pro-
gress of the present work. Mr. Gates, when he left England,
made over to me all the notes he had prepared for the con-
tinuation of the work, and they have been of very great
service. I have also to express my obligations to Dr. J. A.
Waddell for a proof in advance of his excellent notes on
Sikhim birds prepared for the ' Gazetteer' of that province; to
Col. C. T. Bingham and Mr. Hauxwell for information about
Burmese species ; and to Dr. Warth and Mr. W. M. Daly
for lists of birds obtained in the Shevroy Hills.
Whilst I regret that this is not the last of the series of
volumes containing the descriptions of Indian Vertebrata, I
hope the final part will not be long delayed.
W. T. BLANFORD.
August 1st, 1895.
Figures to illustrate Structure of Palate.
Pmx.
Under view of the skull of Charadrius plu-
vialis, to illustrate the schizognathous type
of palate.
Under view of the skull of Cuculus canorus,
to illustrate the desmognathous type of
palate.
These two figures are copied by permission from the late Prof. Huxley's paper on the
Classification of Birds (P. Z. S. 1867, pp. 427, 444). — Pmx, the preuiaxilla; MX, the maxilla;
Mxp, its maxillo-palatine process ; PI, the palatine bone ; Vo, the vomer ; Pt, the pterygoid ;
Qu, the quadrate bone ; X the basipterygoid process ; * the prefrontal process .
" In the large assemblage of birds belonging to the Ouvierian orders Gallinae, Grallae, and
Natatores, which may be termed Schizognathous, the vomer, sometimes large and sometimes
very small, always tapers to a point anteriorly; while posteriorly it embraces the basi-
sphenoidal rostrum, between the palatines.
" The maxillo-palatines are usually elongated and lamellar; they pass inwards over the
anterior processes of the palatine bones, with which they become united, and then bending
backwards, along the inner edge of the palatines, leave a broader or a narrower fissure
between themselves and the vomer and do not unite with it or with one another." —
HUXLEY, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 426.
" In Desmognathoiis birds the vomer is often either abortive, or so small that it dis-
appears from the skeleton. When it exists it is always slender and tapers to a point anteriorly .
" The maxillo-palatines are united across the middle line, either directly or by the inter-
mediation of ossifications in the nasal septum.
" The posterior ends of the palatines and the anterior ends of the pterygoids articulate
directly with the rostrum, as in the preceding division" [and not with the diverging posterior
ends of the vomer as in Dromaeognathous birds and generally in Ratitae]. — HUXLEY, /. c. p. 435.
In the JZgithognathous type of palate (figured Vol. I. of the present work, p. 4), " the
vomer is a broad bone, abruptly truncated in front, and deeply deft behind, embracing the
rostrum of the sphenoid between its forks. The palatines have produced postero-external
angles. The maxillo-palatines are slender at their origin, and extend inwards and backwards
obliquely over the palatines, ending beneath the vomer in expanded extremities, which do not
become united by bone, either with one another or with the vomer." — HUXLEY, 1. c. p. 450.
Figures to illustrate Muscles of Thigh.
Outer view of right thigh of Common Fowl, partially dissected. (Copied from
Garrod's figure, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 627.)
s, sartorius ; ve, vastus externus ; bo and bi, biceps, origin and insertion ; tf, tensor fasc
(gluteus primus) ; fc, femoro-caudal ; afc, accessory femoro-caudal ; st, semitendinosus ; c
accessory semitendinosus ; sm, semimembranosus ; Ad, adductor ; P, pubis ; B, rectrices.
f-f-
Thigh of Touraco ( Corythaix) viewed from the inner side, to show the ambiens muse
arising from the prepubic side of the pelvis (P) and running along to blend with c
of the tendons of origin of the flexor perfor. digitorum (f.p.}. — F, femur ; Ft, patel]
I.C., inner condyle of femur ; T, tibia ; b, biceps (cut short) ; s, sartorius (also cu'
e, e, extensor femoris ; sm, semimembranosus ; add, adductores.
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Page
Order EURYLJ3MI 1
Fam. EURYLJEMID^E. . 2
1. Eurylaemus, Horsf 3
1. jaranicus, Horsf. .... 4
2. ochromelas, Raffles . . 5
2. Cory don, Lesson 5
1. sumatranus (Raffles] . . 6
3. Cymborhynchus, Vigors. . 7
1. macrorhynchus (G?n.) 7
2. affinis, Blyth 8
4. Serilophus, Swains 8
1. lunatus (Gould] 9
2. rubripygius (Hodgs.) . 9
5. Psarisomus, Swains 11
1. dalhousiae (Jameson). . 11
6. Calyptomena, Raffles 12
1. viridis, Raffles 12
Order PICI... 14
Fam. PICID^E
1(5
Subfam. Picince 17
1. Gecinus, Boie 18
1. squamatus ( Vigors) . . 19
2. gorii, Hargitt 20
3. striolatus (Blyth) ... 20
4. viridanus (Blyth) ... 22
6. occipitalis ( Vigors) . 22
6. chlorolophus ( Vieill.) . 23
7. chorogaster (Jerdon) . 25
8. puniceus (Horsf.) ... 26
9. nigrigenis, Hume ... 26
2. Chrysophlegma, Gould . 27
1. flavinucha (Gould) . 28
2. humii, Hargitt 28
VOL. III.
Page
3. Callolophus, Salvad 29
1. malaccensis (Lath.) . . 29
4. Gecinulus, Blyth 30
1. grantia (McCkll.) .... 30
2. viridis, Blyth 31
5. Hypopicus, Bonap 32
1. " hyperythrus (Vigors) . 32
6. Dendrocopus, Koch 33
1. himalayensis (Jard. fy
Selby) 34
2. cabanisi (Malh.) 35
3. sindianus (Gould) 36
4. darjilensis (Blyth) 37
•5. cathpharius (Hodgs.) . . 37
6. pyrrhothorax (Hume).. 38
7. macii (Vieill.) 39
8. atratus (Blyth) 40
9. auriceps (Vigors) 40
10. pectoralis (Blyth) 41
11. andamanensis (Blyth) . 42
7. Liopicus, Bonap 43
1. mahrattensis (Lath.). . 43
8. lyngipicus, Bonap 44
1. semicoronatus (Malh.) 45
2. pygmaeus ( Vigors) .... 45
3. canicapillus (Blyth) . . 46
4. hardwickii (Jerdon) . . 47
5. gymnophthalmus
(Blyth) 48
9. Pyrrhopicus, Malh 49
1. pyrrhotis (Hodgs.). ... 50
2. rubiginosus (Swains.) . . 61
10. Miglyptes, Swains 52
1 . grammithorax (Malh.) 52
2. tukki (Lesson) 53
3. jugularis (Blyth) 54
11. Micropternus, Blyth .... 54
1. phaeoceps, Blyth 55
2. brachyurus ( Vieill.) . . 57
3. gularis (Jerdon) 57
b
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
12. Brachypternus, Strickl. . . 58
1. aurantius (Linn.) 58
2. erythronotus ( Vieill.) . . 60
13. Tiga, Kaup 61
1. javanensis (Ljung) . . 61
2. shore! ( Vigors) 62
14. Gauropicoides, Malh 63
1. raffles! ( Vigors) 63
15. Chrysocolaptes, Blyth .... 64
1. festivus (Boddaert) . . 64
2. gutticristatus (Tickett). 65
3. Strickland! (Layard) . . 67
16. Hemicercus, Swains 68
1. sordidus (Eyton) 68
2. canente (Less.) 69
17. Hemilophus, Swains 70
1. pulverulentus (Temm.) 71
18. Thriponax, Cab. $ Heine . 72
1. hodgsoni (Jerdon) .... 72
2. feddeni (Blanf.) .... 73
3. javensis (Horsf.) .... 74
4. hodgii (Blyth) 75
Subfam. Picumnince 75
1. Picummis, Temm 75
1. innominatus, Burton. . 76
2. Sasia, Hodgs 77
1. ochracea, Hodgs 77
Subfam. lyngince 78
1. lynx, Linn 78
1. torquilla, Linn 78
Order ZYGODACTYLI .... 80
Farn. INDICATOBID^E 81
1. Indicator, Vieill 81
1. xanthonotus, Blyth . . 81
Fam.
82
1. Calorhamphus, Lesson . . 83
1. hay! (Gray} 83
2. Megalaema, G. R. Gray . . 84
1. marshallorum, Swinh. . 84
2. virens (Bodd.) 86
3. Thereiceryx, Blanf 86
1. zeylonicus (Gmel.). . . . 86
2. lineatus ( Vieill.) 88
3. viridis (Bodd.) 89
4. Chotorhea, Bonap 90
1. mystacophanes(7'emm.) 91
5. Cyanops, Bonap 92
1 asiatica (Lath.} 92
2. davisoni (Hume) .
3. incognita (Hume).. .
4. flavifrons (Cuvier) . ,
5. cyanotis (Blyth) . ,
6. franklini (Blyth) . .
7. ramsayi ( W olden) . .
6. Xantholaema, Bonap. . ,
1. haematocephala (P.
S. Mull.)
2. malabarica (Blyth) .
3. rubricapilla (Gmel.)
L.
Page
93
94
94
95
96
97
97
98
99
100
Order AN1SOD ACT YLI.... 101
Suborder C o B A c i JE . , . 102
Fam. CORACIAD^E
102
1. Coracias, Linn. 103
1. indica, Linn 103
2. affinis, McClelland . . 105
3. garrula, Linn 106
2. Eurystomus, Vieill. 107
1. orientalis (Linn.) .... 107
Suborder MEBOPES 109
Fam. MEROPIDJE 109
1. Merops, Linn 109
1. viridis, Linn 110
2. philippinus, Linn Ill
3. persicus, Pall 112
4. apiaster, Linn 113
2. Melittophagus, Bole .... 114
1. swinhoii (Hume) .... 114
3. Nyctiornis, Swains 115
1. athertom(Jrtrd. #/&&.) 115
2. amictus (Temm.) 117
Suborder HALCYON ES .. 118
Fam. ALCEDINID^E 118
1. Ceryle, Boie 119
1. varia, Strickl 119
2. lugubris ( Temm.) 121
2. Alcedo, Linn 122
1. ispida, Linn 122
2. beavani, Wald 124
3. meninting, Horsf. .... 125
4. grandis, Blyth 125
5. euryzona, Temm 126
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
XI
Page
3. Ceyx, Lacep 127
1. tridactyla (Pall.) 127
4. Pelargopsis, Gloger 128
1. amauroptera (Pearson) 128
2. leucocephala(G!me/.). . 129
3. gurial (Pearson) 129
5. Halcyon, Swains 131
1. smyrnensis (Linn.) . . 132
2. pileata (Bodd.) 133
6. Callialcyon, Bonap 134
1. lilacma (Swains.) .... 134
7. Sauropatis, Cab 135
1. chloris (Bodd.) 135
2. occipitalis (Blyth) 137
8. Caridagrus, Cab 138
1. concretus ( Temm.) .... 138
9. Carcineutes, Cab 138
1. pulchellus (Horsf.) . . 139
Suborder BUCEROTES.... 140
Fam. BUCEROTIDJE 140
1. Dichoceros, Gloger 142
1. bicornis (Linn.) 142
2. Anthracoceros, Reich. . . . 143
1. coronatus (Bodd.) 144
2. albirostris (Shaw $
Nodd.) 145
3. Rhytidoceros, Reich 146
1. undulatus (Shaw) 147
2. subruncollis (Blyth) . . 148
3. narcondami, Hume . . 149
4. Aceros, Hodys 149
1. nepalensis (Hodgs.) . . 149
0. Anorrhinus, Reich 150
1. galeritus (Temm.) .... 151
6. Ptilolaemiis, Grant 151
1. tickelli (Blyth) 151
2. austeni (Jerdon) 153
7. Berenicornis, Bonap 153
1. comatus (Raffi.) 153
8. Lophoceros, Hemp, fy Ehr. 154
1. birostris (Scop.) 155
2. griseus (Lath.) 156
3. gingalensis (Shaw) .... 157
9. Rhinoplax, Gloger 158
1. vigil (JForster) 158
Suborder UPUP-EJ 159
Fam. UPUPID^E 159
1. Upupa, Linn 159
1 . epops, Linn 159
2. indica, Reich 161
Order MACROCHIRES .... 162
Suborder OYPSELI 162
Fam. CYPSELIDJS 163
Subfam. Cypselince 163
1. Cypselus, Illiger 164
1. melba (Linn.) 164
2. apus (Linn.) 165
3. murinus, Brehm 166
4. pacificus (Latham) 167
5. leuconyx, Blyth 167
6. affinis, Gray 168
7. subfurcatus, Blyth 169
2. Tachornis, Gosse 170
1. batassiensis (Gray) .. 170
2. infumatus (Sclater) . . 171
Subfam. Chteturinee 172
1. Chaetura, Stephens 172
1. nudipes, Hodgs 172
2. indica, Hume 173
3. sylvatica ( Tickell) 174
4. leucopygialis (Blyth) . . 175
2. Collocalia, G. R.^Gray . . 175
1. fuciphaga (Thunb.) . . 176
2. brevirostris (McClel-
land) 177
3. innominata, Hume. . . . 177
4. francica (Gmel.) 178
5. linc-hi, Horsf. $ M. .. 178
Subfam. Macropterygince .... 179
1. Macropteryx, Swains 179
1. coronata (Tickell) 180
2. longipennis(JR«/?we«9Mc) 181
3. comata, Blyth 182
Suborder CAPRIMULGI 182
Fam. CAPBIMULGID^E 183
1. Caprimulgus, Linn 183
1. mahrattensis, Sykes . . 184
2. monticola, Franklin . . 185
3. asiaticus, Lath 186
4. europaeus, Linn 187
5. macrurus, Horsf. .... 188
6. andamanicus, Hume . . 190
7. indicus, Lath 190
2. Lyncornis, Gould 192
1. cerviniceps, Gould .... 192
Ill
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Suborder P o D A B G i
Fam.
Page
193
193
1. Batrachostomus, Gould . . 194
1. hodgsoni (G. R. Gray}. 194
2. affinis, Blyth ........ 196
3. moniliger, Layard. ... 196
Order TROGONES ........ 198
Fam. TBOGONID^: .......... 198
1. Harpactes, Swains ...... 199
1. fasciatus (Pennant] . . 199
2. erythrocephalus(£0wW) 200
3. duvauceli (Temm.) . . 201
4. orescius (Temm.) .... 202
Order COCCYGES ........ 203
Fam. CUCTJLID^E .......... 203
Subfam. Cuculince .......... 204
1. Cuculus, Linn ......... 204
1. canorus, Linn ....... 205
2. saturatus, Hodgs ..... 207
3. poliocephalus, Lath. . . 208
4. micropterus, Gould . . 210
2. Hierococcyx, 8. Mull. . . 211
1. sparverioides (Vig.) .. 211
2. varius(F«/*/) ........ 213
3. nisicolor (ffodffs.) .... 214
4. nanus, Hume ....... 215
3. Cacornantis, 8. Mull, ____ 216
1. passerinus (Vahl) .... 216
2. merulinus (Scop.) .... 218
4. Penthoceryx, Cab ....... 219
1. sonnerati (Lath.) .... 219
5. Chrysococcyx, Boie .... 220
1. xanthorhynchus
(Hartf.) .......... 221
2. maculatus (Gmel.) ____ 222
6. Surniculus, Lesson ...... 223
1; lugubris (Horsf.) ____ 223
7. Coccystes, Gloger ...... 224
1. jacobinus (Bodd.) .... 225
2. coromandus (Linn.) . . 226
Subfam. Phoenicophaincs
227
1. Eudynamis, Vig. $ Horsf. 228
1. honorata (Linn.) 228
2. Zanclostomus, Swains. . . 230
1. javanicus (Horsf.) 230
Page
3. Rhopodytes, Cab. $ Heine. 230
1. viridirostris (Jerd.) . . 231
2. tristis (Less.) 232
3. diardi (Less.) 233
4. sumatranus (Raffl.) . . 233
4. Phcenicophaes, Vieillot . . 234
1. pyrrhocephalus
(Forster) 234
5. Rhamphococcyx, Cab. . . 235
1. erythrognathus (Hart-
laub) 235
6. Rhinortha, Vig 236
1. chloropheea (Raffl.) . . 236
7. Taccocua, Less 237
1. leschenaulti, Less 237
8. Gentropus, Illu/er 239
1. sinensis (Steph.) 239
2. chlororhynchus, Blyth. 242
3. andamanensis, Tytler. . 242
4. bengalensis (Gmel.} . . 243
Order PSITTACI.
Fain. PSITTACID^;
1. Palaeornis, Vig ,
1. eupatria (Linn.)
2. nepalensis, Hodgs
3. indoburmanicus,
Hume
4. magnirostris, Ball. . . ,
5. torquatus (Bodd.) . . .
6. cyanocephalus (Linn.)
7. rosa (Bodd.)
8. schisticeps, Hodgs. . . .
9. tinschi, Hume
10. columboides, Vig
11. calthropse, Layard. . . .
12. fasciatus (Mull.)
13. caniceps, Blyth
14. erythrogenys, Blyth . .
15. tytleri, Hume
2. Psittinus,,%^
1. incertus (Shaiu)
3. Lorieulus, Blyth
1. vernalis (Sparrm.) . .
2. indicus (Gmel.)
Order STRIGES
Fam. STRIGUD^E . .
1. Strix, Linn
1. flammea, Linn.
2. Candida, Tickell
245
245
246
247
248
249
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
256
258
258
259
259
260
260
261
262
263
264
264
264
266
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Xlll
Fam.
Page
267
Subfam. Photodilina 268
1. Photodilus, Is. Geofr. . . 268
1. badius (Horsf.) 268
2. assimilis, Hume 269
Subfam. Asionince 270
1. Asio, Briss 270
1. otus (Linn.) 270
2. accipitrinus (Pall.) . . 271
2. Syrnium, Savigny 273
1. nivicola (Hodgs.) 273
2. biddulphi, Scully 274
3. indrani (Sykes) 276
4. ocellatum, Less 277
5. seloputo (Horsf.) 278
6. butleri (Hume) 279
Subfam. Eubonina 280
1. Ketupa, Less 280
1. zeylonensis (Gmel.) ,. . 281
2. flavipes (Hodgs.) 282
3. javanensis, Less 283
2. Bubo, Dumeril 283
1. ignavus, Forster 284
2. bengalensis(.Fnm&/.). . 285
3. coromandus (Lath.) . . 286
3. Huhua, Hodgs 287
1. nepalensis (Hodgs.) . . 287
2. orientalis (Horsf.) 289
4. Nyctea, Stephens 289
1. scandiaca (Linn.) .... 290
6. Scops, Savigny 290
1. eiu (Scojj.) 291
2. brucii (Hume) 294
3. spilocephalus (Blyth). . 295
4. balli (Hume) 296
5. sagittatus (Cass.) 296
6. bakkamcena (Pennant) 297
7. semitorques (Schl.) . . 300
6. Athene, Boie 300
1. brama (Temm.) 301
2. blewitti (Hume) .... 303
• 3. bactriana, Blyth 303
7. Glaucidium, Boie 304
1. cuculoides ( Vig.) 305
2. radiatum (Ttdb.) .... 306
3. castanonotum (Blyth) . 307
4. brodiei (Burton) 307
8. Ninox, Hodgs 309
1. scutulata (Raffi.) 309
2. obscura, Hume 311
VOL. III.
Page
Order ACCIPITRES 312
Fam. PANDIONID^J 313
1. Pandion, Savigny 313
1. haliaetus (Linn.) 314
Fain. VULTUHIDJE 315
1. Vultur, Linn 316
1. monachus, Linn >317
2. Otogyps, G. R. Gray 318
1. calvus (Scop.) ... 318
3. Gyps, Savigny. 319
1. fulvus (Gmel.) 320
2. himalayensis, Hume . . 321
3. indicus (Scop.) 322
4. tenuirostris, Hodgs. . . 323
4. Pseudogyps, Sharpe .... 324
1. bengalensis (Gmel) . . 324
5. Neophron, Sav 325
1. ginginianus (Lath.) .. 326
2. percnopterus (Linn.) . . 327
Fam. FALCONIDJE 327
Subfam. Gypaetince 328
1. Gypaetus, Storr 328
1. barbatus (Linn.) 328
Subfam. Falconina 330
1. Aquila, Briss 332
1. chrysaetus (Linn.} 333
2. heliaca, Sav 334
3. bifasciata, Gray 336
4. vindhiana, Franklin . . 337
5. fulvescens, Gray .... 339
6. maculata (Gmel.) 340
7. hastata (Less.) 341
2. Hieraetus, Kaup 342
1. fasciatus ( Vieill.) 343
2. pennatus (Gmel) 344
3. Lophotriorchis, Sharpe . . 345
1. meneri (Sparre) 345
4. Ictinaetus, Jerd 346
1. malayensis (Reinw.) . . 347
5. Spizaetus, Vieill 348
1. cirrhatus (Gmel) 349
2. limnaetus (Horsf.) 351
3. nepalensis (Hodgs.) . . 352
4. kelaarti, Legge 854
6. albiniger (Blyth) 354
6. Circaetus, Vieill 355
1. gallicua (Gmel.) 355
c
XIV
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
Page
7. Spilornis, G. JR. Gray 357
1. cheela (Latham) 357
2. minimus, Hume 361
3. elgini (Tytler) 361
8. Butastur, Hodgs 362
1. teesa (Franklin) 362
2. liventer ( Temm.) 364
3. indicus (Gmel.) 365
9. Haliaetus, Sav 366
1 . leucoryphus (Pall.) . . 366
2. leucogaster (Gmel.) . . 368
3. albicilla (Linn.) 369
10. Polioaetus, Kaup 369
1. ichthyaetus (Horsf.) . . 370
2. humilis (Mull. fySchl.) 371
11. Haliastur, Selby 372
1. Indus (Bodd.) 372
12. Milvus, Cuv 374
1. govinda, fykes 374
2. melanotis, Temm. fy
Schleg 377
3. migrans (Bodd.) 378
13. Elanus, Sav 379
1. CEeruleus (Desf.) 379
14. Circus, Lacep 380
1. macrurus (S. G. Gmel.) 381
2. cineraceus (Montagu) . 383
8. cyaneus (Linn.) 384
4. melanoleucus (Forster). 385
5. aeruginosus (Linn.) . . 387
6. spilonotus, Kaup .... 388
15. Buteo, Cuv 389
1. ferox (8. G. Gmel.) . . 390
2. leucocephalus, Hodgs. . 392
3. desertorum (Laud.) . . 393
16. Archibuteo, Brehm .... 395
1. hemiptilopus, Blyth . . 395
17. Astur, Lacep 396
1. palumbarius (Linn.) . . 397
Page
2. badius \Gmel.) 398
3. soloensis (Horsf.) 400
18. Lophospizias, Kaup 400
1. trivirgatus(7emr>?.) .. 401
19. Accipiter, Briss 402
1. nisus (Linn.) 402
2. virgatus (Reinw.) .... 404
20. Pernis, Cuv 405
1. cristatus (Cuv.) 406
21. Machaerhamphus, Wes-
terman 408
1. alciuus, Westerm 408
22. Baza, Hodgs 408
1. lophotes (Temm.) 409
2. jerdoni (Blyth) 411
3. ceylonensis, Legge .... 411
23. Falco, Linn 412
1. peregrinus, Tunst 413
2. peregrinator, Sundev. . 415
3. barbarus, Linn 417
4. jugger. Gray 419
5. cherrug, Gray 420
6. milvipes, Hodgs 42]
7. subbuteo, Linn 422
8. severus, Horsf. 423
24. Eiythropus, Brehm 424
1. amurensis, Gurney . . . . 424
25. ^Esalon, Kaup 426
1. regulus (Pall.) ...... 426
2. chicquera (Daud.). . . 427
26. Tinnunculus, Vieill. ... 428
1. alaudarius (Gmel.) . 428
2. cenchris (Naum.) . . . 430
27. Microhierax, Sharpe . . . 431
1. eutolmus, Hodgs. . . . 432
2. melanoleucus, Blyth . 433
3. fringillarius (Drap.) . 434
28. Poliohierax, Kaup 434
1. insignis, Wald 435
Fig. 1. — Psaruomus dalhousice and nest (from Hodgson's drawing).
Order II. EURYL^MI.
Palate aegithognathous (Vol. I, p. 4). The deep plantar tendons
differ from those of the Passeres in the flexor longus hallucis being
connected by a vinculum with the flexor profundus digitorum, as
shown in the accompanying figure (fig. 2). Syrinx mesomyodian
(Vol. I, p. 6) and oligomyodian as in Pittidce (Forbes, P. Z. S.
1880, p. 384). The sternum, as in the Passeres, has but one notch
on each side of the hinder border (Sclater, Ibis, 1872, p. 179, also
p. 370), but the manubrium sterni (spina externa) is unforked, as
in most non-Passerine birds. Oil-gland present but nude.
VOL. in. B
•'•
ETTETLJEMIDjE.
The relations of the Eurylmmi or Broadbills to other birds have
long been in dispute. At one time members of the present group
were referred to the neighbourhood of Coracias. But, chiefly
through the researches of Blanchard, Grarrod, and Forbes, the close
alliance between the Eurylcemi and Passerine birds has now been
Fig. 2. — Left foot of Cymfjorkynchus macrorki/nehus, from behind. The skin
has been turned aside and the superficial flexors removed, so as to show the
deep plantar tendons. I, II, III, IV, first, second, third and fourth toes ;
f.l,h., flexor longus hallucis • f.p.d., flexor prof undus digitorum ; V, vinculum.
(Forbes, P. Z.S. 1880, p. 38*2.)
ascertained, and the only question remaining is whether the
Broadbills should be included in the Passerine group as a distinct
section, or whether they should form a suborder or order apart.
The latter is the view advocated by Seebohm and Sharpe, and
accepted, as a provisional arrangement, in the present work.
There is but a single family, confined to the Oriental region.
Family EURYL^EMID^E.
Bill normally broad and flat as in some Muscicapidce. Feet
adapted for perching ; hind toe large, anterior toes joined at the
base, the outer and middle toes (third and fourth) having only the
last phalanx free (fig. 2). Tarsi reticulated behind, transversely
scutellated in front, the scutellation often ill-marked and in some
genera disappearing entirely on the inner anterior side of the
tarsus. Tail generally rounded, often graduated.
El'KYLJ-MUS. 3
The Broadbills are forest birds living generally in small flocks
amongst high trees, and feeding as a rule on insects. They are
often remarkably tame, some of them being, it is said, so unwilling
to move that several out of the same flock may be shot one after
the other, without the survivors being alarmed. They build large
round nests of grass and fibres, somewhat resembling those of the
Nectariniidce, suspended from a fine twig and with an opening at
the side (fig. 1). The eggs as a rule are white or cream-coloured,
much speckled, especially towards the larger end, but occasionally
they are spotless.
The genera in this family are more distinct than is usually the
case amongst Birds, each being distinguished by a peculiar type of
coloration. No species occur in the Peninsula of India, nor in
Ceylon, but the range of the family extends from the Western
Himalayas to the Philippines and Borneo, the majority inhabiting
the Malay Peninsula.
Key to tlie Genera.
a. Nostrils exposed.
a'. Tail shorter than wing.
a". Sides of upper mandible convex and
overhanging.
«3. Region below eye feathered EURYL^MUS, p. 3.
53. Region below eye nude; bill very
broad CORYDON, p. 5.
b". Sides of upper mandible straight, not
overhanging.
c3. Nostrils elongate, about £ length
of bill from forehead CYMBORHYNCHUS, p. 7.
d?. Nostrils rounded, at base of bill . . SERILOPHUS, p. 8.
b'. Tail longer than wing PSARISOMUS, p. 11.
b. Nostrils concealed by loral plumes CALYPTOMENA, p. 12.
Genus EURYLJEMUS, Horsfield, 1821.
Bill large, broad and flat, culmen very blunt, sides of upper
mandible overhanging and convex near the gape. Nostrils rounded,
exposed, at base of bill. Wings and tail rounded, the wing much
longer than the tail. Rictal bristles present but small. Scutellation
of tarsus in front almost obsolete, inside of tarsus covered with an
undivided lamina.
Upper plumage chiefly black and yellow ; lower plumage wholly
or in part vinaceous red. Two species are known, ranging from
Tenasserim to the Malay Archipelago.
Key to tlie Species.
Larger ; head and neck dark vinaceous red E.javanicus, p. 4.
Smaller ; head and throat black E. ochromelas, p. 5.
B2
937. Eurylaemus javanicus. Horsfield's BroadUll.
Eurylaimus javanicus, Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 170 (1821) f
Blyth, Cat. p. 195 ; Horsf. 8? M. Cat. p. 116.
Eurylsemus javanicus, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 125 ; Hume, S. F. ii,
p. 470 ; id. Cat. no. 139 ter ; Damson, S. F. v, p. 456 ; Hume $
Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 89, 499 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 157 j Gates, B. B.
i, p. 427 ; id. in Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. p. 294 ; Sclater, Cat.
B. M. xiv, p. 463.
Fig. 3. — Head of E. javanicus.
Coloration. Male. Whole head and neck deep purplish red,-
lores blackish, crown and nape very dark, ear-coverts much
brighter ; a very narrow white line below the eye ; hind neck
brownish, back and upper tail-coverts mixed black and bright
yellow, basal portion of interscapulary feathers white ; wings
black, each primary with a yellow spot at the base, each secondary
with a long yellow spot on the outer web, inner webs of all quills
whitish near the base ; tail black, all feathers except the middle
pair with a subterminal fulvous white spot or band. Lower parts
vinaceous red, the throat washed with dusky bronze, a narrow
black band across the breast and a distinctly bronzed gorget behind
it, lower breast and abdomen brighter red ; under wing-coverts
mostly yellow, edge of wing the same, thigh-coverts dark brown.
Female. Similar, but without the black pectoral band.
Young birds have the head and nape yellowish brown, the shafts
of the feathers brighter yellow; lower plumage yellowish throughout.
Upper mandible bright blue to within one-third of tip ; rest
of upper mandible pale sea-green ; lower mandible pale greenish
blue ; both mandibles edged and tipped with brownish red ; irides
bright blue ; legs and feet fleshy ; claws brown (Davison).
Length 9 inches ; tail 2-9 ; wing 4'3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape
1*6. The female is slightly smaller.
Distribution. Karennee; Tenasserim as far north as Moulmeiu,
probably farther north on the hills to the eastward; Malay
Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
Habits, Sfc. This species feeds on insects and small reptiles, and
has the typical habits of the family, living in forests in small
parties. Davison found it breeding near Bankasun in March ; the
COETDON. 5
nest was a massive structure composed of moss, fibres, roots, dry
leaves, bits of wood, and small twigs, suspended to the eitreme tip
of a very tall bamboo overhanging a stream. Two fresh eggs were
in the nest, dull white, thickly .speckled with minute spots of dusky
brown, more thickly towards the large end : size 1*09 by *76.
938. Eurylaemus ochromelas. The Blaclc-and-yellow Broadbill.
Eurylaimus ochromalus, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Sac. xiii, p. 297 (1822) ;
JJlt/th, Cat. p. 195 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 116.
Eurylflemus ochromelas, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 125 ; Hume, S. F. ii,
p. 470 ; id. Cat. no. 139 ter A ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 91 ;
Oates, B. B. i, p. 426 ; Sclatcr, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 465 ; Hartert,
J.f. Orn. 1889, pp. 358, 391.
Coloration. Male. Whole head black, except a few white fea-
thers below each eye ; a white collar round the neck, narrow
behind; upper parts from neck black, with a bright yellow stripe
down the middle of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, and a
shorter stripe on each side on the outer scapulars ; basal portion
of interscapulary feathers white ; middle of outer webs of secondary
quills yellow ; near the base almost all wing-feathers have a
whitish inner border; a small yellowish spot on each primary
nrar the base; tail-feathers with a subterminal yellowish- white
spot on inner web, becoming a band on the outer feathers; a
broad black gorget below the white collar, lower breast and abdo-
men pale vinous purple ; under wing- and tail-coverts, vent, flanks,
and edge of wing yellow ; thigh-coverts black.
Female. Similar, but the black gorget is interrupted in the
middle.
The young have the forehead and supercilia yellowish white ;
the throat whitish, breast and abdomen yellowish grey.
Lower mandible and base of upper bright smalt-blue, rest of
upper mandible bright green ; edges of both mandibles black ;
irides bright yellow; legs and feet dark but fleshy-pink; claws
brown (Davison).
Length 6?-5 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape !•!.
Distribution. South Tenasserim as far north as Yay, Malay
Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
Genus CORYDON, Lesson, 1828.
Bill very large, much deeper, broader at the base and more
hooked than that of Etirylcemus, the upper mandible more over-
hanging, and with the edge more convex near the gape ; but the
culrnen is comparatively much shorter and more prominent. Eictal
bristles replaced by plumules, which are situated in a nude area
between the eye and bill. Wings and tail rounded; wing
longer than tail. Tarsus distinctly scutellated in front. Sexes
alike.
The plumage is mostly black. Only a single species is known.
EUKYL/EMID^E.
939. Corydon sumatranus. The Duslcy Broadbill.
Coracias sumatranus, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 303 (1822).
Corydon sumatranus, Strickl. A. M. N. H. vi, p. 417 (1841) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 195; id. Birds Burma, p. 125 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 117;
Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 97 ; Hume, Cat. no. 139 sex ; Binoham,
S. F. ix, p. 157 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 430 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xivr
p. 466.
Fig. 4. — Head of C. mmaframi*.
Coloration. Black throughout with the following exceptions : — a
concealed interscapulary patch crimson (or occasionally yellow)
and white, consisting of the basal parts only of the feathers, the
tips being black ; a broad white band across the primaries close to-
the coverts ; a subterminal white spot or band on all tail-feathers
except the middle pair ; the throat and upper breast, which are
dirty brownish white, the edges of the feathers in places darker.
Female the same.
Young duller black, without an interscapulary patch, and with
the white of the throat ill-defined.
Upper mandible varying from dark reddish brown to. pale horny
brown, lower mandible pale fleshy-pink with a dark median streak,
tips of both whitish ; orbital skin and gape dark fleshy-pink • legs,
feet, and claws black ; irides deep brown.
Length 10'5 ; tail 4'2 ; wing 5-4 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1*6,
Distribution. Apparently throughout Tenasserim, except in the
deciduous forests, as far north as Karennee ; also the Malay Penin-
sula, Sumatra and Borneo.
Habits, fyc. This bird is found in pairs or small parties in forests.
It is somewhat crepuscular according to Tickell, and during the
day very sluggish. It has an oft-repeated mellow, rather musical
note ; also a clear whistle, which it utters when flying from tree
to tree. The nest and eggs do not appear to have been recorded.
CYMBORHYNClItlS. 7
Genus CYMBORHYNCHUS, Vigors, 1830.
Bill not differing much in form from that of Eurylcemus, but
narrower, with a somewhat higher culmen, and with the upper
mandible straight-edged, not overhanging. The nostrils are
elongate, and open in a longitudinal depression a considerable
distance from the frontal feathers, about 5 to 3 the length of the
bill from the base. Rictal bristles long. Tarsi indistinctly scu-
tellated in front. Coloration above mostly black, below deep
crimson.
Two species are known, ranging from Arrakan to Borneo.
Key to the Species.
Wing about 4 ; no red spots on tertiaries . . C. macrorhynchus, p. 7.
Wing about 3-6 ; red terminal spots on ter-
tiaries C. affinis, p. 8.
940. Cymborhynchiis macrorhynchus. The Black-and-red
Broadbill.
Todus macrorhynchus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 446 (1788).
Todus nasutus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 268 (1790).
Cymborhynchus macrorhynchus, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 66 ; Horsf.
8f M. Cat. p. 119; Blyth, Birds Burma, p. 126 j Stoliczka, J. A.
S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 285 ; Davison, S. F. v, p. 457 ; Hume #>
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 92 ; Hume, Cat. no. 139 quint. ; Sharpe, Ibis,
1876, p. 48 ; 1877, p. 22 ; 1879, p. 264 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 157 ;
Oates, B. B. i, p. 428 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 468 ; Hartert,
J.f. Orn. 1889, pp. 358, 393 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 294.
Cymbirhynchus nasutus, Vigors, Mem. Raffles, p. 654 (1830) ;
Blyth, J.A.S. B. xv, p. 311 ; id. Cat. p. 195.
Cymborhynchus malaccensis, Salvad. Atti R. Ac. Sc. Tor. ix, p. 425
(1874) ; Oates, S. F. iii, p. 336.
Coloration. Upper parts except the scapulars, rump, and upper
tail-coverts black ; chin, upper throat, and a broad pectoral band
also black ; a white longitudinal band on each side of the back,
formed by the outer half of the scapulars ; rump and upper
tail-coverts, ear-coverts and the throat bet ween them, lower breast,
abdomen, flanks, and lower tail-coverts deep crimson, sometimes
mixed with orange on the belly ; wings black, the edge orange-
yellow, under wing-coverts in part, and basal portion of inner
web of most wing- feathers white, axillaries yellowish white ; tail
black, a variable number of the outer feathers with a white sub-
terminal spot on the inner web.
Young dusky instead of black, white spots on tips of wing-
coverts, rump mixed red and black ; lower plumage dark brown
with traces of transverse bars.
Upper mandible and a bordering along the edge of the
lower mandible brilliant blue, remainder of the latter yellowish,
.8
edges of both transparent white ; irides emerald-green, shot with
fold ; legs and feet ultramarine-blue ; claws horny (Bingham).
nside of mouth bright blue (Davison).
Length 9*5 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '95 ; bill from gape 1*25.
Females rather smaller.
Distribution. From Tenasserim through Siam, Cambodia, and
the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo. This Broadbill
was obtained as far north as the Dawna range near Kokarit, east
of Moulmein, by Binghain.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of Eurylcemus, except that this
species, according to Davison, is found in gardens and near villages.
It lives entirely on insects. It breeds in Tenasserim from April
to June, making the usual large globular BroadbilPs nest of grass,
roots, &c., suspended to the end of a bough, and containing 3 or
4 eggs varying from white to salmon-buff in colour, and densely
spotted or speckled, especially about the larger end, with black or
brownish red. The eggs measure about 1-06 by '75.
941. Cymborhynchus affinis. The Arrakan Black-and-red
Broadbill.
Cymborhynchus affinis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 312 (1846) ; id.
Cat. p. 195 ; id. Birds Burma, p. 126 ; Gates, S. F. iii, p. 336 ; x,
p. 188 ; id. B. B. i, p. 429 ; Hume, Cat. no. 139 quat. ; Sclater,
Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 470.
Coloration. Similar to the last except that the red of the rump is
mixed with black ; there are always white subterminal spots on all
tail-feathers except the middle pair, and these spots become bars
on the three outer rectrices on each side ; the white at the base of
the primaries appears from beneath the outer wing-coverts, and
each tertiary has a long red spot at the end.
Length 8*2 ; tail 3 ; wing 3'6 ; tarsus *86 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. Arrakan from about lat. 19° southward to Cape
Negrais, also the Irrawaddy delta as far east as Rangoon. Nothing
is known of the habits.
Genus SEBILOPHUS, Swainson, 1837.
Bill very much smaller than in Eurylcemus, sides of upper
mandible straight, not overhanging. Tail much rounded. Second-
aries and inner primaries truncated, and emarginate at the ends
of the shafts. Eictal bristles present. Nostrils and tarsi as in
Eurylcemus.
Plumage soft, greyish or brownish above, ashy below ; a white
gorget in females only. Two species, ranging from the Himalayas
to Tenasserim.
Key to tlie Species.
Head above pale greyish brown S. lunatus, p. 9.
Head above dark ashy grey iS. rubripygius, p
SE1ULOPHUS. y
1)42. Serilophus lunatus. Gould's Broadbill.
Eurylaimus lunatus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 133.
Serilophus lunatus, Swainson, Class. B. ii, p. 262 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xv, p. 311 ; id. Cat. p. 196; id. Birds Hurm. p. 125; Horsf. 8fM.
Cat. p. 118; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 470 ; iii, p. 53; id. Cat. no. 139
bis ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1875, p. 352 ; Damson, S. F. v, p. 455 ;
Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 89, 499 ; Oates, S. F. viii, p. 164 ; x,
p. 188 ; id. B. B. i,p. 424 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 157 ; Salvadori,
Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 574 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 460 ;
Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 291.
Primary quills, especially 3rd and 4th, sharply pointed, the
worn inner web of the two feathers named having the edge
concave near the tip.
Coloration. Male. Forehead pale ashy, crown and nape pale
greyish brown, back darker, passing into chestnut on the rump
and upper tail-coverts ; a broad black supercilium extending back
to the nape ; lores pale rufous with black hairs intermixed, ear-
coverts greyish rufescent ; wings black, basal portion of outer
webs of almost all quills greyish blue, a large white spot on the
inner web of each, 3rd and 4th primaries with broad white tips,
tertiaries and tips of inner webs of all quills except the first five
pale chestnut, tips of the outer webs of the same feathers and of
the fifth primary white ; tail-feathers black, the outer 3 pairs with
broad white tips ; lower parts ashy grey, whitish on the throat
and abdomen ; lower wing-coverts and thighs black, edge of wing
white.
Female similar, but with a glistening silvery white gorget.
Bill light blue, paler on the culmen ; gape and base of both
mandibles orange ; mouth orange ; eyelids greenish vellow ; iris
dark brown ; legs greenish orange ; claws light blue (Oates).
Length 7 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 3'4 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape -92.
Distribution. Evergreen forests of Pegu hills, also Karennee
and throughout Tenasserim. JS"ot at present recorded outside
British territory.
Habits, #c. This Broadbill occurs in small flocks in forests, and
is apparently strictly arboreal. It feeds chiefly on insects. It is
described as very stupid and not easily alarmed. It breeds from
April to July inclusive, making a globular nest, about six inches
in diameter, of coarse grass, vegetable fibres, twigs, moss, rootlets,
cocoons, and similar materials. The nest is lined with broad
leaves, some of them occasionally green ; it has a side entrance
protected by a rude porch, and hangs from the end of a small
branch. The eggs, generally four in number, are thin and
delicate, pure white with a slight gloss, marked with purplish-
black specks and minute spots towards the larger end, and measure
-95 by -67.
943. Serilophus rubripygius. Hodgson's Broadbill.
Raya rubropypria, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. viii, p. 36 (1839).
Serilophus ruteopyghu, Bp. Cowp. i, p. 169; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv,
10
p. 311 ; id. Cat. p. 196 ; id. Birds Burm. p. 125 ; Horsf. & M.
Cat. i, p. 119 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 238 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxixr
pt. 2, p. 95 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 69 ; Hume, Cat. no. 139 ; id. S. F. ix,
p. 247 ; xi, p. 49 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 425 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xiv,
p. 461 ; Hartert, J. f. Orn. 1889, p. 395 ; Oates in Hume's
N. $ JE. 2nd ed. ii, p. 293.
The Red-backed Broadbill, .Terdon ; Ra-i-suya, Nepal : Rab-kyul,
Lepcha.
Fig. 5. — Head of <S'. rubripygius, % •
Tips of outer primaries rounded.
Coloration. Male. Head above, nape, and upper back dark
ashy grey ; a long black supercilium to the nape ; back browner,
passing into the ferruginous-red tertiaries, rump, and upper tail-
coverts. Wings black, outer webs of almost all feathers dull blue
near the base, corresponding to a white spot on the inner web ;
extreme tips of first 5 primaries white, of the remaining primaries
chestnut, bordered inside with bluish grey ; most of the wing-
feathers except the first five with a small white spot on the outer
web near the tip. Tail black, the three outer pairs of feathers
with broad white tips. Lower parts ashy grey, under wing-coverts
and thighs black ; edge of wing whitish.
Female with pure white tips to some of the neck-feathers,
forming a narrow collar at each side but interrupted in the
middle.
Bill blue, paler towards the tip, a green spot, in the male only,
in the middle of the lower mandible ; iris greyish brown, naked
skin round the eye dark yellow, narrow ring of the eyelid green ;
feet yellowish green, whitish-blue spots on the toes, nails whitish
blue (Hartert) ; iris brown speckled with gold (Hume).
Length 7'25 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from gape -9.
Distribution. Eastern Himalayas, below about 5000 feet, as far
west as Nepal ; Assam and the hills to the southward as far as
Arrakan and Manipur.
Habits, $c. Very similar to those of S. lunatus, but this bird is
less tame. It feeds on insects, and Hume shot one in Manipur
that had eaten small land mollusca. The nest and eggs, which
PSARISOMUS. 11
resemble those of the last species, have been described by Mr.
Gammie in Sikkim, aiid by Mr. Baker in Cachar. The eggs
measure about -95 by '66.
Genus PSAKISOMUS, Swainson, 1837.
Bill similar to that of Eurylcwnus, but smaller, edge of upper
mandible straight, not overhanging ; no rictal bristles ; loreal
feathers directed forward. Tarsi indistinctly scutellated in front
outside, the scutellation becoming obsolete inside. Tail greatly
graduated, longer than the wing. General colour bright green.
Sexes alike.
A single species.
944. Psarisomus dalhousiae. The Long-tailed Broadbill.
Eurylaimus dalhousise, Jameson, Edinb. N. Ph. J. xviii, p, 389
(1835) ; Royle, III. Bot. Him. i, p. Ixxvii, pi. vii, fig. 2.
Psarisomus dalhousise, Blyth, Cat. p. 195 j id. Birds Burma, p. 126 ;
Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 117 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 236 ; Godioin-Austen,
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 95 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 69 ; Walden, Ibis,
1875, p. 460; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 52 ; v, p. 19 ; xi, p. 48; id. Cat.
no. 138 ; Hume £ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 88, 499 ; Biiigham, S. F. viii,
p. 193 ; ix, p. 156; Gates, S. F. x, p. 188 ; id. B. B. i, p. 423;
Salvadot-i, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 574 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M.
xiv, p. 458; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 289.
Raya sericeogula, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. viii, p. 36 (1839).
Psarisomus assimilis, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 53.
The Yellow-throated Broadbill, Jerdon ; Rai-i, Nepalese ; Dang-mo-
mith, Lepcha.
Fig. (>. — Head of P. aaikonsief.
Coloration. Crown and nape with the sides of the head behind
the eyes black ; a large bright blue patch on the crown ; a narrow
frontal line, an elongate spot behind the eye, lores and chin bright
yellow, passing into orange-yellow on the throat ; this colour is
continued behind the black cap as a collar, the nuchal portion of
which, sometimes difficult of detection in skins, is bright blue.
Upper plumage from neck to tail-coverts inclusive bright grass-
green ; tertiaries and outer webs of secondaries the same ; inner
webs of wing-feathers black, outer webs of primaries bright blue
near the base, dark bluish green towards the tip, a large white spot
12 EURYL^EMID.E.
on inner web of each primary near the base ; tail blue above, black
below ; lower plumage from breast bright bluish green. Female
the same. In some skins the spot behind the eye is greenish
yellow or white ; the collar, too, has in many birds a satin-white
hinder border.
Bill green in general, but sometimes brownish yellow, gape and
tip bluish or whitish; iris brown; orbits yellow or greenish; legs
and feet dull light green ; claws horny.
Young birds have the whole head green or greenish.
Length 10-5 ; tail 5 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from gape 1*3.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Dehra
Dun and Mussooree, from a low level to about 6000 feet elevation ;
also Assam, Manipur, Cachar, and Burma generally, in hilly parts
of the country, and through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and
Borneo.
Habits, <$fc. This beautiful Broad bill is found usually solitary or
in pairs, but sometimes in small flocks, and is restricted to thick
forest. It feeds entirely on insects, which it sometimes captures
on the wing. The nests (fig. 1) are like those of other Broadbills,
large globular structures of grass, roots, fibres, &c., with a lateral
entrance, which is sometimes protected by an overhanging portico.
This nest is suspended from a fine twig ; the egg-cavity is lined
with green leaves ; the eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are laid in April
or May, and are of two types — the one pure white and glossy, the
other white or pinkish, blotched, chiefly about the large end, with
red and pale reddish purple, and almost without gloss. Average
size 1 by '7.
Genus CALYPTOMENA, Baffles, 1822.
Bill smaller than in other Eurylcemidce, and the culmen higher.
Nostrils at the base of the beak, and concealed, as is the greater
part of the upper mandible, by the feathers of the lores, which are
large and directed forward. JS"o rictal bristles. Tail short and
nearly square. Tarsi distinctly scutellated in front. Plumage
harsh, bright green nearly throughout.
This is the most aberrant member of the group, and has been
by many writers placed in a different family or subfamily. Three
species are now known, two of which are peculiar to Borneo.
945. Calyptomena viridis. The Green Broadbill.
Calyptomena viridis, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 295 (1822) ;
myth, Cat. p. 196; id. Birds Burm. p. 124 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. p. 120 ;
Stolictka. J. A. 8. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 284 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,
pp. 86, 499; Hume, Cat. no. 137 bis ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 422 ; Sclater,
Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 456 ; Oates in Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 288.
Coloration. Male. Bright green throughout, slightly paler on
the abdomen ; a minute yellow spot in front of the eye ; sides of
forehead (greatly concealed by loral feathers), a large spot behind
CALYPTOMENA. I'd
the ear-coverts, three bands across the wing-coverts, and the wing-
feathers (except the outer webs of the secondaries and the basal
portion of the outer webs in the primaries) black.
Female duller and paler green throughout, especially below ;
no black marks ; wing-feathers brown. Young birds are like the
females, but duller in colour.
Fig. 7. — Head of C. viridi-.
Upper mandible pale horny to brown or even black, the tip and
the lower mandible light reddish horny or brownish orange ; gape
orange ; iris dark brown ; legs pale dirty or horny green, sometimes
tinged with bluish, sometimes with purplish grey.
Males, length about 7'5 ; tail 2 ; wing 4*2 ; tarsus -8 ; bill
from gape 1*1. Females are rather larger, wing about 4f4.
Distribution. Tenasserim from Ainherst southward, also the
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
Habits, 6fc. According to Davison this beautiful Broadbill lives
entirely on fruit. It keeps to the forests and frequents the tops
of the trees singly, in pairs, or in small parties. It is only active
in the mornings and evenings. The note is a soft whistle.
Several nests have been taken in Tenasserim by Mr. J. Darling,
and are egg-shaped, measuring about 9 inches by 4, pinched flat
at the top, along the twig from which each is suspended, and
ending in a tail, sometimes 3 feet long. The nest is large, com-
posed chiefly of fine grass, sometimes mixed with roots &c., and
contains about 3 very pale yellow or creamy eggs, unspotted, with
little or no gloss, and measuring about 1*15 by 'S.
Fig. 8, — Brachypternus aurantiits and nest-hole.
Order III. PICI.
With the Woodpeckers we commence a series of bird-families
sometimes combined under the general name of Picarice, but
exhibiting such complicated relations with each other and with
other groups of birds that their classification is by no means finally
settled. In the present work it appears best to leave them in a
number of small orders, each frequently consisting, as in the
present instance, of a single family.
The Woodpeckers were formerly associated under the name
Scansores with Barbets, Cuckoos, Parrots, and other birds having
two hind and two fore toes, the fourth digit being directed back-
wards as well as the first or hallux. But the Parrots have long been
known to differ from the others widely in structure, and were classed
apart by Blyth in his Catalogue in 1849. Huxley, in his important
paper ''On the Classification of Birds ' (P. Z. S. 1867, pp. 448,
467), distinguished the Woodpeckers as a group called Celeo-
morphce, equal in rank to the Accipitrine birds or the Parrots, and
P1C1.
15
the distinction was emphasized by Kitchen Parker, who separated
Woodpeckers and Wrynecks as Saurognathce, on account of what
he regarded as the reptilian characters presented by the bones of
the palate. The view that Woodpeckers and Wrynecks form a
separate group has been accepted by many recent writers, notably
by Sundevall *, Sclater t, Newton J, Sharpe §, and Gadow ||, though
not by Garrod % by Eiirbriuger **, nor by Seebohm ft. The
following are the principal characters : —
Vomer represented by several distinct paired lateral rods;
maxillo-palatines small, widely distant from each other (fig. 9).
fmx
\'o
Fig. 9.— Palate of Gecinus viridis (Huxley, P.Z.S. 1867, p. 448). Pma;
premaiillae ; Mxp, maxillo-palatine ; PI, palatine ; Vo, trie ossicles which
appear to represent the voraer.
The flexor lonyus hallucis, after sending off a vinculum to
the flexor perforans diyitorum, is divided, one branch going to
the fourth toe, the other being again divided to supply the first
and second, whilst the flexor perforans digitorum runs to the third
alone (see fig. 22, p. 80). The same arrangement is found in
the Barbets, Indicators, Toucans, and some other families.
Sternum with two notches behind on each side of the keel ;
the manubrial process bifurcate as in the Passeres. The femoro-
caudal and semitendinosus muscles present ; ambiens and accessory
femoro-caudal absent. Caeca wanting or quite rudimentary. In
pterylosis, the spinal feather-tract is well defined on the back and
forked on the lower, not on the upper back. Oil-gland tufted, not
nude as in Passeres.
* 'Tentaraen,' p. 7± t 'Ibis,' 1880, pp. 350, 402.
* Article " Ornithology," Encyclopaedia Brit. p. 47.
§ ' Review of Recent Attempts to Classify Birds,' p. 84. (The Neotropical
Buccones and Galbulae are here associated.)
|| Bronn, Klassen u. Ordn. des Thier-Reichs, vi, 4, p. 301.
t P. Z. S. 1878, p. 935. ** ' Untersuchungen,' ii, p. 1392.
tt ' Classification of Birds,' p. 6 ; Supplement, p. 23.
1 6
Family PICID.E.
Tail-feathers always 12, the outermost pair in the majority of
the genera short and often completely concealed by the coverts, so
that these two feathers are difficult to find. Bill generally strong
and in many forms modified into a cutting weapon, the end of
the upper mandible being vertical and chisel-shaped. With this
weapon "Woodpeckers cut away the bark of trees to look for
insects, and make holes in the trunks or branches for nests,
Many species by tapping on trees make a noise that may be heard
a considerable distance. The nostrils are basal; above them, in
several genera, a ridge known as the nasal ridge commences, and
runs, parallel to the culmen, to join or nearly to join the com-
missure. The tongue is excessively long, worm-like, and capable
of great protrusion ; it is supplied with viscid mucus from the large
salivary glands, so that insects, their larvae and eggs adhere to it.
The point of the tongue is horny and barbed. The hyoid cornua,
which are of enormous length, slide round the skull, passing in a
sheath from the side of the gullet round the occiput to the base of
the upper mandible.
All Indian Picidce are insectivorous, a large proportion of them
feeding mainly and some entirely on ants. All lay glossy white
eggs, and all, with the exception of one genus, make holes in trees
and lay their eggs in them, the eggs resting on the chips without
any other lining to the hole. The exception is the genus Micro-
pternus, which lays its eggs in ants' nests.
The Picidce are not found in Madagascar, Australia, or Poly-
nesia, but range through all other temperate and tropical regions.
They are divided into three subfamilies, thus distinguished: —
Shafts of tail-feathers stout and rigid Picince, p. 17.
Shafts of tail-feathers flexible. Tail (in Indian
forms) less than f length of wing ;
nostrils concealed by plumes Picumnince, p. 75,
Shafts of tail-feathers flexible. Tail j wing or
more ; nostrils not concealed by plumes,
but partly covered by a membrane .... lyngince, p. 78.
Woodpeckers are known as Kat-toJcra, H., in Northern India,
LakhoT-phor in the South ; Kat-barya at Mussooree ; Katparwa
in Oude ; Lohdr, Marathi ; Manu-tolachi, Telugu ; Marram-tolas7iir
17
Tainul; Tatchan-kuruvi, Tarn, in Ceylon; Koerella, Cingalese;
Tint-ionic, Burmese ; these names being applied to all kinds. The
Lepchas of Sikhim, as Jerdon observes, alone appear to have
names for different species.
Subfamily PICIN^E.
This contains the true Woodpeckers, with very stout shafts to-
the tail-feathers, the points of which are pressed against the bark
of trees when the birds are climbing or tapping to get at
insects. The tail is frequently much worn, and hence varies
considerably in length. Woodpeckers seldom perch, they cling
to the stems and branches of trees with the tail always downward,
and they usually ascend and descend diagonally. They have a
peculiar undulating flight easily recognized. The Indian genera
are numerous.
Key to the Genera.
a. Primaries spotted or banded.
«'. Nostrils concealed by plumes.
a". Toes 4.
«3. Mantle wholly or partly green,
back not barred.
«4. Culmen nearly straight, a dis-
tinct nasal ridge GBCINUS, p. 18.
i4. Culmen curved, nasal ridge ob-
solete CHRYSOPHLEGMA, p. 27,
63. Mantle chiefly crimson, back
barred across CALLOLOPHUS, p. 29.
c3. Mantle black and white.
c4. Nasal ridge less than half
length of bill, and at base
nearer commissure than cul-
men HYPOPICUS, p. 32.
#. Nasal ridge half length of bill
or more, and at base not nearer
commissure than culmen.
a5. Second primary shorter than
sixth.
ac. Primaries exceed second-
aries by length of culmen
or more DENDROCOPUS, p. 33.
V'. Primaries, exceed second-
aries by less than length
of culmen LIOPICUS, p. 43.
65. Second primary longer than
sixth IYNGIPICUS, p. 44.
b". Toes 3.
d?. Mantle green or red GECINULUS, p. 30.
e3. Mantle golden olive GAUROPICOIDES, p. 63,
YOL. III. C
18 PICIDJE.
b'. Nostrils exposed.
c". Mantle rufous or crimson, more or
less banded.
f3. Culrnen nearly straight, tip trun-
cated PYBBHOPICUS, p. 49.
g3. Culmen curved, tip pointed MICBOPTEBNTJS, p. 54.
d". Mantle wholly or partly golden
olive or crimson, not banded,
fa. Toes 4.
e4. Hallux well developed, half
length of second digit CHBYSOCOLAPTES, p. 64.
/"4. Hallux small, about •§• second
digit BBACHYPTEBNUS, p. 58.
is. Toes 3 TIGA, p. 61.
e". Mantle black or brown and buff. . . . MIGLYPTES, p. 52.
b. Primaries without spots or bands.
c'. Tertiaries with large spots ; size small. HEMICEBCUS, p. 68.
d'. All quills unspotted ; size large.
/". Plumage mostly ashy grey HEMILOPHUS, p. 70.
"g". Plumage mostly black THBIPONAX, p. 72.
Genus GECINUS, Boie, 1831.
Nostrils concealed by harsh plumes ; culmeii slightly curved,
a distinct nasal ridge, nearer to the culmen than to the commissure
at the base of the bill. Four toes to each foot, the 3rd (outer
anterior) toe longer than the 4th (outer posteriorj ; tail less than
two-thirds the wing in length ; outermost tail-feather on each side
very short, not nearly so long as the upper tail-coverts. Upper
plumage green wholly or in part : sexes distinguished by portions
of the head, generally of the crown, being red in males and not in
females.
This genus, of which the type is the common European G. viri-
dis, ranges almost throughout the Palsearctic and Oriental regions,
and is represented by nine species within our area. Members of
this genus obtain their insect-food more frequently on fallen trunks
of trees and on the ground than Woodpeckers in general are wont
to do.
Key to the /Species.
a. Rump green or yellow.
a'. Lower parts with longitudinal markings ;
male with crimson, female with black
cap.
#". Tail barred throughout.
a3. Dark bars on middle tail-feathers
broader than white bars G. squamatus, p. 19.
b3. Dark bars narrower than white .... G. yorii, p. 20.
b". Tail not barred throughout.
c3. White predominating on lower parts. G. strwlatus, p. 20.
d3. Dark predominating on lower parts. G. viridanus, p. 22.
b'. Lower parts almost uniformly coloured ;
crown crimson and occiput black in male,
both black in female G. occipitalis, p. 22.
GECINUS. 19
c'. Lower parts with transverse bars or spots ;
;t yellow nuchal crest.
c". Outer surface of wing green, tinged
with red.
c3. Whole occiput never crimson ; wing
about 5-4.
a*. Forehead, each edge of crown and
of occiput and malar stripe crimson. G. chlorolophus c? , p. 23.
bl. Sides of occiput only crimson . . G. chlorolophus $,p. 23.
f3. Whole occiput crimson ; wing about
4-6.
c4. Crown and malar stripe crimson. G. chlorogaster $ , p. 25.
d*. Only occiput crimson G. chlorogaster $ , p. 25.
d" . Outer surface of wing red G. puniceus, p. 26.
b. Rump bright red G. nigrigenis, p. 26.
946. Gecinus squamatus. The West-Himalayan Scaly-bellied
Green Woodpecker.
Picus pquamatus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; Blyth,J. A. S. B. xii,
p. 998.
Gecinus squamatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 57 ; Horsf. Sr M. Cat. p. 659 ;
Jcrdon, B. I. i, p. 286 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Tytler, Ibis, 1868,
p. 202 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20 ; Beavan, Ibis,
1869, p. 414 ; Cock $ Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350 ; Hume. Cat. no 170 ;
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 49 ; Sadly, Ibis, 1881, p. 430 ; Hargitt,
Ibis, 1888, p. 153 ; id Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 43 ; Oates in Humes
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 297 ; Skarpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 108.
The Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Tuktola, Chamba.
Coloration. Male. Crown and occipital crest crimson ; mantle,
including sides of neck, back, scapulars, and secondary wing-coverts,
green, rump aud upper tail-coverts strongly tinged with yellow ; a
broad yellowish-white supercilium extending to the nape with
a black line above continued across the forehead, and another
black line below from the eye to the nostril ; a black spot behind
the eye ; another broad yellowish-white streak from the base of the
bill below the eye, below this streak the malar region is black
mixed with greenish white ; ear-coverts greenish grey ; wing-
feathers brownish black, inner webs of all with imperfect white
bands, in the primaries towards the base only; outer webs of
primaries with equidistant yellowish- white spots ; outer webs of
secondaries and tertiaries greenish dusky barred with whitish ;
primary-coverts dusky, with white spots ; tail-feathers above
brownish black with white bars rather narrower than the inter-
spaces ; below, the dark bars are pale and the whole feathers
tinged with yellow ; throat and breast pale greyish green, some-
times varying to pale ashy ; abdomen and flanks with lower wing-
and tail-coverts greenish white, each feather with a black intra-
marginal band producing a scale-like marking, and with sometimes
a black shaft-stripe.
Female. Crown and occiput black instead of crimson, the bases
of the feathers leaden grey, and the sides of the frontal and coronal
feathers greenish grey.
c2
20 PICIDjE.
In young birds the upper plumage is dusky, the feathers being
edged with green, and the breast-feathers bear scale-like marks
like those of the abdomen.
Iris a circle of darkish pinkish red surrounded by a second ring
of light pink ; upper mandible horn-coloured at the base, the tip
and the whole lower mandible brightish yellow (Beavari); legs
greenish plumbeous (Jerdon).
Length 14 ; tail 5*3 ; wing 6'5 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1'9,
Distribution. The Himalayas from Grilgit and Kashmir to
Kumaun and probably Western Nepal, at elevations from about
5000 to 9000 feet. A skin was obtained in Afghanistan by
Griffith.
Habits, fyc. This Woodpecker is often seen feeding on the ground.
It lays generally five, sometimes six eggs in a hole excavated in the
stem of a tree, in March, April, or May. The eggs are white and
very glossy, and measure on an average 1*28 by '93. The nest-
hole is generally placed at a considerable height from the ground,
as a rule more than 20 feet.
947. G-ecinus gorii. Hargitt's Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker.
Gecinus gorii, Hargitt, Ibis, 1887, p. 75, 1888, p. 159 ; id. Cat. B.
M. xviii, p. 45 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 158 ; Aitchison, Trans.
Linn. Soc. (2) Zool. v, p. 83, pi. vi, fig. 1.
This is paler throughout than G. squamatus, but otherwise very
similar. The pale spots and bars on the wing- and tail-feathers
are larger, the pale bars on the tail-feathers and the white spots 011
the outer webs of the primaries being broader than the dark
interspaces ; the scale-like markings on the abdomen are narrower
and fainter. Dimensions the same.
Distribution. South Afghanistan. Only known from two speci-
mens, one from Quetta, the other from the Helm and River. Sir
O. B. St. John saw G. gorii on the Kwaja Amran hills, and
probably in the juniper forests of Ziarat.
I suspect that this is merely a pale variety of G. squamatus.
948. Gecinus striolatus. The Little Scaly-bellied Green
Woodpecker.
Picus striolatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1000 (1843) ; Jerdon, Mad,
Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 138.
Gecinus striolatus, Blytli, Cat. p. 57 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 660 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 287 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 21 ;
Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Legge, S. F. i,
p. 488; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 194 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 391 ; v, p. 413 ; vii,
p. 206 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 76 : Hume $ Gates, S. F.
iii, p. 68 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 458 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv,
pt. 2, p. 70; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14 ; Inalis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; Fairbank,
S. F. v, p. 396 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 585 ; Cripps,
S. F. vii, p. 262 ; Hume, Cat. no. 171 ; Scully, S. F. vtii, p. 247 ;
flutter, 8. F. ix, p. 38(J ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 191; id. B. B. ii,
p. 49; Davison, S. F. x, p. 3o5 ; Terry, ib. p. 471 ; Barnes, Birds
Horn. p. 116; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 62 ; Haryitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 171 ;
id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 50; Oates in Hume's N. fy J2. 2nd ed. ii,
p. i>98.
The Small Green Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Crown and occipital crest crimson, posterior
-crest-feathers sometimes orange ; mantle olivaceous green ; rump
bright gamboge-yellow or sometimes orange ; a greyish-white
superciliary stripe bordered with black above, beginning above the
£ye and extending back to the nape, the black extends forward
to the base of the forehead and to the brownish-black plumes over
Fig. 10. —Head of G. stnolatus.
the nostrils ; lores and a stripe under the eye and ear-coverts
brownish white ; ear-coverts grey, faintly streaked with whitish ;
malar band white, streaked with black ; wing-feathers as in G.
*i n.f (matus brownish black with white spots ; tail-feathers brownish
black, imperfectly barred towards the base with light brown,
outermost pair but one barred throughout ; lower parts greenish
white, bivn^t UTCIMKT and with a yellowish tinge; chin and throat
striped; feathers of remainder of lower parts with intramarginal
bands and occasional shaft-stripes of olive or brown.
Female. The crown and occiput black, the sides of the crowii-
feathers brownish ashy. Otherwise like the male.
Iris red, surrounded by white ; eyelids plumbeous ; upper man-
dible and tip of lower horn-colour, remainder of lower mandible
yellow ; legs olive-green (Oate*\
Length 11-5 ; tail 3-8 ; wing 5-2 : tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1'4.
Distribution. The range of this Woodpecker is somewhat peculiar.
It is found throughout the Himalayas as far west as Mussooree,
and is generally distributed throughout the countries south of the
Eastern Himalayas as far south as the Irrawaddy delta and
Toungngoo. Anderson obtained it at Momein. There is also in
the British Museum a skin from Siam. It also occurs, though
sparingly, throughout the forest country between the Ganges and
Godavari, east of long. 80° East, and in the forests of Malabar and of
22 PICID^E.
the Western Ghats as far north as the neighbourhood of Belgaum,
in Mysore, and in other forest-clad tracts of Southern India ; also,
but rarely, in Ceylon. In the Bombay Presidency north of Bel-
gaum and in Central and North-western India it is excessively
rare or wanting except on the Aravalli Eange near Abu.
Habits, §c. Breeds from March to May, in holes in the stems or
branches of trees, laying generally five glossy porcellanic white eggs,
that measure on an average T05 by -8.
949. Gecinus viridanus. The Burmese Scaly-bellied Green
Woodpecker.
Picas viridanus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1000 (1843) ; xiii, p. 394.
Gecinus dimidiatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 58, nee Temm.
Gecinus viridanus, Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 660 ; Walden, P. Z. S.
1866, p. 539 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 414 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 76 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 48 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 166 ;
id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 47 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v,
p. 566; vii, p. 432.
Gecinus vittatus, apud Hume $ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 68 ; Armstrong,
S. F. iv, p. 310 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 136 ;' Hume, Cat.
no. 171 bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 163, nee Vieill.
Very similar to G. striolatus, but larger, the bill and tail longer,
the malar band much more marked, owing to the feathers having
much broader black median stripes, the scale-like markings on the
lower parts much broader, so that the lower coloration is alto-
gether darker, the greenish brown predominating over the white
on the abdomen and especially on the lower tail-coverts, whilst the
reverse is the case in G. striolatus. As a rule in the present
species the rump is greenish yellow, not clear yellow or orange.
The upper parts are generally green as in G. striolatus, but are
sometimes darker and sometimes bronzy green.
Irides dull lake; bill above dark, below yellowish, orbits slate-
lavender ; legs greenish ( Wardlaw Ramsay).
Length 13; tail 4-2 ; wing 5'6 ; tarsus^l'l ; bill from gape 1-6.
Distribution. Throughout Arrakan, Pegu and Tenasserim, and
down the Malay Peninsula to Salanga and into Siam.
950. Gechms occipitalis. Tlie Black-napped Green Woodpecker.
Pirns occipitalis, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. x,
p. 922 ; xii, p. 1002; xiv, p. 191.
Picus barbatus, Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool i, pi. xxxi, fig-. 2
(1830-32).
Gecinus occipitalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 58 : Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 661 ;
Jerd. B. I. i,
xlv,
V, ^ , ^ _.,/ ^
p. 76 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 137 ; 'bates, S. F. viii, p. 165 •
Scully, ibid. p. 248 ; Bingham, 8. F. ix, p. 164 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 51 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ
<;I:CINUS. 23
Gen. (2) iv, p. 570 ; v, p. 5GO ; Haryitt, Ibis, 1888, p. G ; id. Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 50; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 299 ;
Skarpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 109.
Mong-chok, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown crimson ; plumes over
nostrils, upper lores, a line above the grey superciliuin, occiput
and short occipital crest, and a broad malar stripe from the lower
mandible black ; the occiput and malar stripe more or less mixed
with grey ; sides of head, including lower lores, supercilia, area
below eye, and ear- coverts, ashy grey : sides of neck, hind neck,
and back moderately bright green, generally tinged with bright
yellow on the rump and occasionally with orange, but sometimes
only brighter green ; secondary wing-coverts, tertiaries, and outer
webs of secondaries yellowish olive ; quills dark brown, the inner
webs, except near the tips, with imperfect white bars, the outer
webs of the primaries with equidistant white spots, primary-coverts
barred ; tail-feathers black, with greenish edges near the base, the
median pair with imperfect greenish-drab bars; breast green,
duller and more olivaceous than the back, passing into greyish
white on the throat and chin, and into ashy grey or sometimes
brownish grey on the abdomen ; lower wing-coverts banded white
and brown.
Female. Whole forehead, crown, and nape black, the sides of
the feathers grey, producing a striped appearance.
The young is duller in colour and the lower plumage and tail-
feathers are barred.
Bill dull blackish brown ; eyelids purplish brown ; iris dull red ;
legs dull green ; claws greenish horn-colour (Oates).
Length 12-5; tail 4'7 (3'8 to 5-1); wing 5*6 ; tarsus 1-2; bill
from gape 1'7.
Distribution. From Murree and Kashmir throughout the Hima-
layas to Assam and Yunnan at moderate elevations, up to about
8000 feet to the westward and 5000 in Sikhim ; also the countries
between Assam and Burma, throughout Burma and in Siam.
Habits, $'c. Breeds in the Himalayas from the middle of May to
the middle of June, laying four, five, or sometimes six white eggs,
moderately glossy or very polished, in a hole, usually bored in the
stem of a tree, but much nearer the ground than in the case of
G. sqiMmatus. The average size of the eggs is 1-14 by '88.
951. Gecinus chlorolophus. The Small Himalayan
Yellow-naped Woodpecker.
Picus chlorolophus, VicilL Nouv. Diet. (THist. Nat. xxvi, p. 78 (1818).
Picus uepaulensis, Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxi, fig. 1
(1830-32).
Gecinus chloropus, Blyth, Cat. p. 58 ; Tytkr, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii,
p. 367 (1854;.
Chrysophlegma clilorolophus, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. p. 662; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 289 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; xlv,
24 PICID.E.
pt. 2, p. 70 : Hume, S. F. ill, p. 71 ; v, p. 26 ; xi, p. 62 ; id. Cat.
no. 174 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 76 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 138; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 206; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 249;
Binyham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; Gates, B. B. ii,'p. 45 ; (7. ^. T. Mar-
shall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Salvador*, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 2, iv,
p. 578 ; v, p. 565 • vii, p. 379.
Gecinus chlorolophus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 184 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 59 ; Gates in Humes N. 8f E. ii, p. 300.
The Lesser Ydlow-naped Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes and a line above lores black ;
forehead, a stripe from the forehead on each side of the crown to
the nape, and the tips of the feathers forming a malar stripe on
each side of the lower mandible crimson ; crown of head olive-
green, some of the occipital feathers occasionally tipped crimson ;
nuchal crest of loose-textured feathers ending in filaments golden
to orange-yellow ; back, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts
bright yellowish green ; lores and a band beneath the eye and
ear-coverts, also a narrow line over the eye, whitish ; ear-coverts
pale olive; quills dark brown, the inner webs, except near the
tips, with squarish white spots ; outer webs of primaries near
their base, and outer webs of secondaries throughout red bordered
with green ; a few small white spots (sometimes wanting) on
outer webs of primaries : tail black, the median feathers with
bronzy-green edges near the base ; lower parts olive ; chin, throat,
abdomen, under wing-coverts, and lower tail-coverts barred with
wThite or greenish white.
Female. No crimson on the forehead, sides of head above the
eye, nor on malar stripe, but there is a band on each side of the
occiput ; otherwise the plumage resembles that of the male. The
young are duller, the lower parts dusky, not green, and barred or
spotted throughout.
Bill yellowish-green horny, culmen and tip dark plumbeous ;
irides carmine-red ; orbital skin bluish plumbeous ; tarsi dingy
green ; claws pale horny (Scully}.
Length 10-5 ; tail 4 ; wing 5'4 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-25.
Distribution. The lower Himalayas up to about 10,000 feet, as far
\vestas Chamba, also Assam, Cachar, Tipperah, Manipur, Arrakan,
Burma generally, and Tenasserim. A specimen referred to this
species has been obtained from Perak. This Woodpecker has been
reported from Orissa, but its occurrence in the Indian Peninsula
must be regarded as doubtful.
Habits, <$fc. Like other members of the genus, this green Wood-
pecker sometimes feeds on the ground. In Burma it is found
both in thick forests and open tree-jungle. The nest has been taken
in Sikkim in April, and contained three eggs, one measuring 1-14
by 72. The nest-hole was 14 feet from the ground in the stem
of a dry tree, the eggs white and glossy.
..I.. 'I NUB. 20
">2. Gecinus chlorogaster. The South-Indian Yellow-naped
Woodpecker.
Hrarliyloplm.s iiH'iitalis, ajmtl Jrrdo/i, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 214
(1S40), nee Picas mentalis, Tcnim.
Picas chlorigaster, Jcrdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 139
(1844).
Picas (Chloropicus) xanthoderus, Malherbe, Rev. Zool. 184o, p. 402.
Gecinus chlorigaster, Bh/th, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 16; Haryitt, Ibis,
1888, p. 180 ; id. Cat. '/>'. M. xviii, p. 62.
Gecinus chlorophanes, Blyth, Cat. p. 59 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 448 (1854).
Chrysophlegma chlorophanes, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 290 ; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428: Leyye, Ibis, 1874, p. 15, 1875, p. 283;
Ilourditton, S. F. iv, p. .°>90.
rhrysophli'gma xanthoderas, Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 197.
Chrysophlegma chlorigaster, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 517 ; id. Cat.no. 175 ;
Butler, ,SC F. ix, p. .180 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 298 ; Davison, ibid.
p. ; J.")") ; Tat/lor, ibid. p. 457 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 117.
The Southern Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Jerdon; Pachcha kceralla,
Cingalese.
Coloration. Malt'. Xasal plumes brownish black ; forehead,
crown, occiput (feathers elongated), and inalar stripe crimson, only
the tips of the feathers red and the dusky bases conspicuous ;
nuchal crest yellow, the feathers loose-textured ; back, scapulars,
rump, and upper tail-coverts green ; wing-coverts yellow bronze-
green, tinged with red towards the shafts ; quills brownish black,
the inner webs, except near the tips, with round white spots :
outer webs of primaries near base and of secondaries throughout
red, bordered with bronze-green, a few small white spots on outer
webs of primaries ; tail black or brownish black ; lores whitish ;
sides of head and neck and all lower parts dull olive, spotted or
barred with white ou the chin, throat, and abdomen, or in the
young almost throughout, but generally the breast is unspotted.
Female. Forehead and crown dark olive, the occiput alone being
crimson, and there is no malar stripe; otherwise as in the male.
Bill slaty greenish, yellow beneath ; legs dull green ; irides
reddish brown (Jerdon}.
Length 9*5 ; tail 3*25 (varying from 2-9 to 5'5) ; wing 4'65 ;
tarsus '85 ; bill from gape 1*05.
Distribution. The hills in the neighbourhood of the Western
coast of India as far north as Khandesh, also in the greater part
of Ceylon. This Woodpecker is not found above 5000 feet on the
Nilgiris. It occurs in the Wynaad and Mysore, but not to the
east ward.
Habits, $c. This bird has a plaintive call, which it frequently
utters when perched on the upper branch of a high tree. It
often, like other Gecini, feeds on fallen trees on the ground,
and according to Layard breaks into dried cowdung in search of
insects. Legge found ants besides coleoptera in the stomach of
those he examined.
ZG PICIM.
953. Gecinus puniceus. The Crimson-wim/ed Green
Woodpecker.
Picus puniceus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 176 (1821).
Gecinus puniceus, Blyth, Cat. p. 59 : Hargitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 176; id.
Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 64.
Venilia punicea, Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 664.
Chrysophlegrna puniceus, Blyth, Birds Burin, p. 77 ; Hume, S. F.
iii, p. 324 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 44.
Callolophus puniceus, Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 139 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 175ter.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes and a line over the lores
brownish black ; forehead, crown, nape, and broad malar stripe
crimson, this colour descending for some distance behind the ear-
coverts ; nuchal crest of loose-textured feathers yellow ; back and
scapulars green, more or less olivaceous ; lower back and rump
the same, the feathers edged with pale yellow ; wing-coverts,
whole outer webs of secondaries, and basal portion of outer webs
of primaries deep crimson; tips of secondaries and tertiaries
green ; remainder of quills dark brown, outer webs of primaries
sometimes with a few white spots ; inner webs of all with larger
white spots or imperfect bars ; tail black ; sides of head dull olive ;
chin and throat light brown or brownish olive ; sides of neck
and lower parts olive-green ; the flanks spotted with white.
The female has no malar band, but otherwise precisely resembles
the male. Young birds are duller in colour and have the lower
parts browner and spotted more or less throughout.
Upper mandible black ; lower mandible and edges of upper at
gape dark greenish yellow ; iris crimson ; orbital skin lavender-
blue ; legs and feet pale green (Davison).
Length 10-5; tail 3-75; wing 5-15; tarsus -9; bill from
gape 1*4.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, extending into Southern
Tenasserim as far north as Tavoy ; and to the southward to
Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
Habits, $c. According to Davison this Woodpecker inhabits
evergreen forests. It is very noisy in the evening and has a
peculiar note, which it utters from the top of a high tree. It is
usually seen singly and has not been observed on the ground.
954. Gecinus nigrigenis. The Eed-rumped Green Woodpecker.
Gecinus erythropygius, apud Ward I. Ramsay, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 212,
pi. xxxv ; Walden, Ibis, 1875, pp. 148, 463 ; id. in BlytJis Birds
Burm. p. 76 ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 191 ; id. B. B. ii, p. 52 ; Hargitt,
Ibis, 1888, p. 189, nee Elliot.
Gecinus nigrigenis, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1874, p. 106 ; id. S. F. ii,
pp. 444, 471 ; id. Cat. no. 171 ter ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,p. 136;
Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 163 ; Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 67 ; Oates
in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 300.
Coloration. Male. Cap including the sides of the head and
CHBYSOPHLEGMA. 27
nuchal crest black, except an area of variable size on the crown,
which is crimson ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and upper tail-
coverts yellowish green ; rump bright scarlet, sometimes mixed
with yellow (the latter may sho\v immaturity); quills dark
brown, the inner webs with white bands, outer webs of
primaries with white spots, outer webs of secondaries through-
out and of primaries near the base yellowish green ; tail black,
the median feathers with green edges towards the base ; chin,
throat, sides of neck, and upper breast yellow, shading off
on the lower breast into the colour of the abdomen, which is whitish
with scale-like brown markings formed by intramarginal bands and
shaft-lines to the feathers, these markings being broader on the
lower tail-coverts.
The female wants the red of the crown, but otherwise resembles
the male. In some specimens of both sexes there is a white or
yellow line behind the eye.
Bill dark horny : iris sulphur-yellow ; legs and feet dark green;
claws horny (Bingltam). The basal portion of the lower mandible
is yellow to a variable extent.
Length 12-75 ; tail 5 ; wing 6-3 ; tarsus T2 ; bill from gape 1'6.
Distribution. From Karennee and Toungngoo in the north to
Southern Tenasserim. A specimen has also been received at the
British Museum from Siam. The true G. erytliropygius^ from
Cochin China and Laos, has a white bill.
Habits, fyc. This beautiful green Woodpecker keeps to the drier
and more thinly wooded Tenasserim hills, and is chiefly found in
eng- (Dipterocarpus) and bamboo-jungle. According to Bingham
its note is peculiar and consists of 12 to 15 whistled notes, the
first high and shrill, the others descending in the scale. The nest,
containing two glossy white eggs measuring 1'18 by '93, was
found by the same observer in a pynkado-trec (Xylia) on
March 18th.
Genus CHRYSOPHLEGMA, Gould, 1849.
Bill more curved than in Gecinus ; culmen blunt, nasal ridge
almost obsolete. A moderately long nuchal crest. The coloration
above is similar to that of Gecinus, green being the prevailing tint,
the crest is yellow and the quills barred with rufous. Below,
except on the throat, the colour is nearly uniform. The sexes are
distinguished by difference of colour in the chin and malar region,
not on the crown. This genus ranges from the Himalayas to
Borneo and Java.
Key to the Species.
Upper surface of wings green C. flamnucha,) p. 28.
Upper surface of wings red = C. humii, p. 28.
28 PICID^E.
955. Chrysophlegma flavinucha. The Large Yellow-naped
Woodpecker.
Picus flavinucha, Gould, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 120; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xii, p. 1003.
Dryotomus flavigula, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. 106.
Gecinus flavinucha, Blyth, Cat. p. 58.
Chrysophlegma flavinucha, Gould, B. Asia, vi, pi. xxxvi ; Horsf. $• M.
Cat. ii, p. 662 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 289 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Hume $
Oates, 8. F. iii, p. 71 : Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; Godw-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; Blyth % Wald. Birds Burm. p. 76 ;
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 137 ; Hume, Cat. no. 173 ; id. S. F. xi,
p. 62 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 43 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1886, p. 262 ; id. Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 127.
Mong-hli-ong, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head olive, more or less
passing into rufous-brown on the forehead and crown and some-
times on the occiput, ear-coverts a little paler ; nuchal crest of
loose-textured feathers orange or golden yellow ; whole back and
outer surface of wings glossy yellowish green ; quills dark brown,
broadly banded on both \vebs, except towards the tips, with pale
chestnut ; tail black, the middle feathers with olive fringes towards
the base ; malar region, chin, and throat pale yellow ; sides of neck
deep olive ; feathers of fore neck white, each with a large terminal
olive spot, forming a mixed pattern of olive and white ; breast
olive, passing on the abdomen into ashy grey or ashy brown.
Female. The malar region, chin, and throat rufous brown instead
of yellow.
Bill dusky bluish white; iris red; eyelids and gape greenish
blue ; legs dusky blue ; claws horn-colour (Oates).
Length 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 6'5 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from gape 1'6.
Distribution. The Himalayas as far west as Mussooree, chiefly
between about 2000 and 7000 feet. This bird has not been
recorded further west, but to the eastward it ranges through
Assam, Cachar, Arrakan, Pegu, Karennee, and Northern Tenasserim
to a little south of Moulmein.
Habits, $c. This Woodpecker inhabits forests and feeds fre-
quently on the ground. The nidification has not been observed.
956. Chrysophlegma hnmii. The Chequered-throated
Woodpecker.
Gecinus mentalis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 59 (nee Picus mentalis, Temm.).
Chrysophlegma mentalis, apud Blyth, Birds Burma, p. 76.
Callolophus mentalis, apud Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 138; Hume, Cat.
no. 175 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 46.
Chrysophlegma squamicolle, apud Hargitt, Ibis, 1886, p. 269 (nee
Picus squamicollis, Lesson).
Chrysophlegma humii, Hargitt, Ibis, 1889, p. 231 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 126.
Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head olive-green ; occipital
( AhLOLOPHUS. 29
crest of loose-textured feathers bright yellow; back, scapulars,
tertiaries, and rump olive-green, paler than the head ; wing-coverts,
outer borders of secondaries throughout, and of primaries near
base dull red ; remainder of wing-feathers brown, secondaries
broadly barred on the inner webs and primaries on both webs,
except near the tips, with rufous ; tail black ; a broad malar band
from the lower mandible dark olive, sometimes brown, spotted
with white ; feathers of the chin and throat white, each with a
broad brown shaft-stripe ; sides of neck, fore neck, and upper
breast bright chestnut, this colour passing round to the hind neck
behind the crest ; lower parts from breast olive-green, rather more
olive than the back. Under wing-coverts barred brown and pale
rufous or dirty orange.
In the female the chin and malar band are chestnut like the
breast and not spotted.
Upper mandible dull black, lower mandible and edges of upper
near nostrils pale plumbeous ; irides deep red ; orbital skin green :
legs and feet green ; claws plumbeous.
Length 11 ; tail 3-9 ; wing 5-25 ; tarsus -9; bill from gape 1-5.
Distribution. Malayan Peninsula, Borneo arid Sumatra, extend-
ing north into the southern extremity of the Tenasserim provinces,
where this Woodpecker is rare. The true C. mentale, long sup-
posed to be identical with the present species, is peculiar to Java.
Genus CALLOLOPHUS, Salvadori, 1874.
This genus was proposed for three species : C. puniceus, which
belongs to Gecinus, C. mentalis (Chrysophlegma humii), and
C. malaccensis, no type being named. The last-named species has
been placed in Chrysopldeyma by Hargitt, but it and its near ally
C. mtmdfti*, which is confined to Java, exhibit a widely different
coloration from that characteristic of Chrysoplileyma, the plumage
being barred both above and below. This is, I think, especially
amongst AVoodpeckers, a more important generic distinction than
slight differences in the form of the bill.
Callolophus has a long and broad occipital crest, and the bill is
shorter, more curved, and broader at the base than that of
Chrysoph legma.
957. Callolophus malaccensis. The Banded Red Woodpecker.
Picus malaccensis, Lath. 2nd. Orn. i, p. 241 (1790) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xiv, p. 192.
Gecinus malaccensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 59.
Chrysophlegma malaccensis, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 324.
Callolophus malaccensis, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. v, p. 50 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 140, 601 ; Hume, Cat. no. 175 quat. :
Gates, B. B. ii, p. 47.
Chrvsophlegma nmlaccense, Haryitt, Ibis, 1886. p. 276 ; id. Cat
B. M. xviii, p. 122.
30 PICID^E.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes brown ; forehead, lores, crown,
occiput, and upper part of long occipital crest dull crimson ; lower
and longer feathers of the crest pale yellow ; on the sides of the
head the feathers are brown, tipped with crimson, sometimes
with terminal whitish spots ; hind neck and back dull olive-green
with wavy buff or yellow cross-bars ; the feathers of the lower
back and rump edged with pale yellow ; upper tail-coverts brown
with a few buff spots ; sides of neck and of back more or less tinged
with crimson ; scapulars and whole outer surface of wing dull
crimson like the head ; quills dark brown, the inner webs of all
with pale rufous bars, outer webs of primaries with rufous spots ;
chin, throat, and sides of neck light rufous brown, sometimes
speckled with buff and dusky, and passing on the breast into the
colour of the remaining underparts, which are marked with alter-
nate undulating bars of dark brown and rufous white.
In the female there is no crimson on the forehead or on the sides
of the head in front of the ear-coverts, these with the chin and
throat are dark brown and speckled, each feather tipped dusky
with a terminal white spot. Young birds are dull pale brown
beneath with ill-marked dark bars.
Upper mandible black, lower bluish white ; irides red ; eyelids
grey ; legs and feet pale dingy green (Davison).
Length 10 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-2.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, extending
into Southern Tenasserim as far north as Tavoy.
Habits, fyc. According to Davison this Woodpecker is found
in evergreen forests and mangrove swamps. It is never seen on
the ground, and is generally solitary.
Genus GECINITLUS, Blyth, 1845.
Only three toes present, the hallux or inner posterior digit
wanting. Bill short, compressed ; culmen blunt, nearly straight ;
nasal ridge obsolete ; nostrils close to base of bill ; nasal plumes
short. Tail-feathers broad, not acuminate ; outer pair longer than
coverts, but much shorter than the rest, which are regularly
graduated. Crest short, inconspicuous.
Plumage of head pale and yellowish, of upper parts red or green,
of lower parts uniform olive or brown. Males with a red crown,
females without. Two species, both within our area.
Key to the Species.
Above dull red G. grantia, p. 30.
Above green G. viridis, p. 31.
958. Gecinulus grantia. The Northern Pale-Tieaded Woodpecker.
Picus (Chrysonotus) grantia, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 165.
GECINULUS. 31
Gecinulus m antia, h'li/th, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 192 ; id. Cat. p. 60 ;
Horsf. # M. Cat. ii, p. 663 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 292 ; Bulger, Ibis,
1869, p. 157; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155; xlv,
pt. 2, p. 70 ; Hume $ Incjlis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; Hume, Cat. no. 177 ;
id. S. F. xi, p. 63; Hanjitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 134.
The Pale-headed Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Ka-ter, Lepclia ; Koria, Dafla.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, lores, cheeks, and chin light brown ;
crown pink, the feathers edged with deeper red ; occiput and nape
with the ear- co verts dull olivaceous yellow ; upper parts from
neck dull red, tail-feathers edged with the same ; primary-coverts
dull yellow ; quills and tail-feathers brown, barred or spotted on
both webs with rufous white ; lower parts dark olive, paler and
yellower on throat and light brown on the chin ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries dusky brown with rufous spots.
I n the female the red of the crown is wanting, and the whole
head is dull yellow.
Bill bluish white, darker blue at the base ; irides red ; legs pale
dusky green (Jerdon).
Length 10 ; tail 3*7 ; wing 5 ; tarsus *95 ; bill from gape 1*1.
Distribution. Common in the Eastern Himalayas, chiefly between
2000 and 5000 feet as far west as Nepal ; found also in Assam,
the hill-ranges to the south, Cachar and Manipur. A specimen is
also recorded from Laos (Siam).
Habits, fyc. According to Jerdon this Woodpecker has a squeaking
note. Hume met with it in Manipur in pairs.
959. Gecinulus viridis. Tlie Southern Pale-headed Woodpecker.
Gecinulus viridis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxi, p. 341 (1862) ; Hume,
S. F. ii, p. 472, ix, p. 112 ; id. Cat. no. 177 bis ; Hume $ Gates,
S. F. iii. p 71 ; Blyth # Wald. Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 144 ; Binaham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 41 j
Hnryittj Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 136.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, lores, and sides of head yellowish
brown ; sides of neck more yellow, this colour extending round
the neck behind the occipital crest, which, with the crown, is bright
crimson ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and outer margins of wing-
feathers, except of primaries towards their tips, yellowish olive,
the rump-feathers the same, but narrowly edged and tipped with
scarlet or orange ; quills brown, with white spots on the inner
webs, and sometimes indistinct pale spots on the outer ; tail-
feathers brown, the outer webs bordered with olive-yellow near"
the base, the inner webs of all but the middle pair spotted with
white ; lower parts dark olive-green to greenish brown ; throat
more yellow.
Female. No red on head, which is yellowish brown throughout,
much yellower on the nape, so as to have a broad yellow collar.
Bill pale bluish white, strongly tinged with blue at base ; irides
brown ; legs, feet, and claws pale dirty green (Davison).
32
Length 10-5 ; tail 3-9 ; wing 5'2 : tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1'2.
Distribution. Common in the Pegu hills between Thayet Myo-
and Toungngoo, also throughout Tenasserim. The most southern
locality recorded is Kussoom, a little north of Junk Ceylon.
Habits, fyc. This "Woodpecker inhabits both deciduous and ever-
green forest, but is chiefly found on and amongst bamboos.
According to Davison it occurs singly or in pairs, never hi parties.
Genus HYPOPICUS, Bonap., 1854.
Bill slender, compressed, truncated ; culmen straight, angulate ;
nasal ridge strongly marked, but low down near the commissure
and not extending more than halfway along the bill; nostrils
basal, nasal plumes short ; gonys long, chin-angle near to
the gape, much concealed by bristles ; fourth (outer posterior) toe
slightly longer than third (outer anterior). Head scarcely crested.
Outer pair of tail-feathers shorter than coverts. Plumage soft,
black and white above, chestnut below ; crown of head red in
males, black spotted with white in females.
Only two species are known, one inhabits the Himalayas, the
other Northern China.
960. Hypopicus hyperythrus. TJte Ritfous-lellied Pied
Wooclpecker.
Picus hyperythrus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 23 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xiv, p!" 196 ; id. Cat. p. 63 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 43.
Hypopicus hyperythrus, Bonap, Comp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 8 ; Horsf. <§•
M. Cat. ii, p. 675 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 276 : 'id. Ibis, 1872, p. 7 ;
Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; Hume, Cat. DO. 161 ;
id. 8. F. xi, p. 59 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 199 ; Oates in
Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 301 : Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves,
p. 109.
Fig. 11.— Head of H. hyperythrus,
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black, white at the base ; base
of forehead, sides of face, and chin grey (mixed black and white) :
lores, a stripe below the eye and a spot above and behind the eye
pure white ; crown and nape crimson ; upper plumage from neck
to rump broadly barred black and white ; quills black, spotted
on both webs and tipped with white, inner webs of primaries
unspotted near the tips ; four middle tail-feathers black, the next
DBNBBOCOPUS. 33
pair black with fulvous-white spots on the outer webs ; the two
outer large feathers on each side barred black and fulvous white ;
sides of neck and lower parts from throat bright chestnut ; vent
and lower tail-coverts light crimson ; thigh-coverts and under
wing-coverts banded black and white ; axillaries white.
Female. The crown and nape black, spotted with white. In
young birds there are bars on the lower plumage.
Bill black above, whitish beneath ; legs plumbeous (Jerdori).
Bill pale yellow beneath (Godwin- Austen).
Length 8 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 5 ; tarsus O85 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Murree to Sikhim
and probably to Eastern Tibet, also in the Khasi, Naga, and Manipur
hills, at 4000 to 5000 feet elevation. This Woodpecker has been
obtained in Cochin China, but not in Burma. It ranges to a con-
siderable elevation on the Himalayas, and is the commonest
Woodpecker in the pine-forests of Sikhim, at 9000-12,000 feet
above the sea.
Habits, $c. The nest has been observed by Col. C. H. T. Marshall
at Murree, and the eggs taken towards the latter end of April.
The nests were as usual mere holes in trees, and the eggs, de-
posited on the bare wood, were regular ovals, pure white, measuring
about -87 by -67.
Genus DENDROCOPUS, Koch, 1816.
Bill wedge-shaped, upper mandible compressed towards the end ;
culmen angulate, straight or very slightly curved, nasal ridge com-
mencing halfway between culmen and commissure and extending
more than half the length of the bill ; nostrils concealed by plumes,
chin-angle similarly concealed ; gonys sharply angulate ; fourth
(outer hind) toe longer than third (outer fore) ; occiput slightly
crested, more in some species than in others ; wing rather pointed,
the primaries exceeding the secondaries by about the length of the
culmen. Upper plumage black and white, more or less in bars ;
lower plumage white or fulvous, generally streaked brown or black.
Crown and occiput wholly or partly red in males, black or brown in
females.
A large genus, of which the type is the European Picus major,
and which ranges over almost the whole of Europe, Asia, and
North America. Ten species occur within Indian limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Middle tail-feathers entirely black, outer
barred white.
a'. Back entirely black.
a". Lower parts not striated.
«3. Scapulars black.
a4. Under tail-coverts red, not ab-
domen ; crown red in tf , black
in $ D. himalayensis, p. 34.
VOL. III. D
34 PICIDJE.
b1. Abdomen and under tail-coverts
red; crown always black; occi-
put red in males only D. cabanisi, p. 35.
b3. Scapulars white D. sindianus, p. 36.
b". Lower parts striated ; occiput red in tf ,
black in <j> .
c3. Larger, wing 5 ; no red gorget .... D. darjilensis, p. 37.
d3. Smaller, wing 4 ; no red gorget . . D. cathpharius, p. 37.
e3. Smaller, wing 4 ; a red gorget .... D. pyrrhothorax, p. 38..
b'. Back transversely barred with white,
c". Crown and occiput crimson in tf ,
black in $ .
y3. Throat and fore neck uniform ; breast
spotted D. macii, p. 39.
ff3. All lower parts except chin striated D. atratus, p. 40.
d'1. Crown umber-brown in both sexes ;
occiput crimson and yellow in d,
dull yellow in $ D. auriceps, p. 40.
b. All tail-feathers parti-coloured black and
white,
c'. Small spots on breast.
e". Crown red D. pectoralis J , p. 41.
/". Crown black D. pectoralis $ , p. 41.
d'. Spots on breast broader than white spaces
between.
f". Crown and occiput red D. andamanemis <$ , p. 42.
". Crown and occiput brown D. andamanensis $ , p. 42.
961. Dendrocopus Mmalayensis. The Western Himalayan
Pied Woodpecker.
Picus himalayensis, Jard. 8f Selby, 111. Orn. iii, pi. cxvi (c. 1835) ;
Hume, Cat. no. 154 ; Wardl. Rams. Ibis, 1880, p. 50 ; Biddulphr
Ibis, 1881, p. 48 ; id. S. F. ix, p. 313 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 429 :
id. S. F. x, p. 101 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410.
Picus himalayanus, Gray, Gen. B. ii, p. 435 (1845) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xvi, p. 466 ; id. Cat. p. 62 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p.' 670 ; Adams,
P. Z. S. 1858, p. 475, partim ; 1859, p. 173 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 269 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20 ; Cock $ Marsh. S. F. i,
p. 350; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 412; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 6;
Hume $ Senders. Lah. to Yark. p. 179 ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 232 ;
Wardl. Rams. Ibis, 1879, p. 447.
Dendrocopus himalayensis, Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 220 ; Oates
in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 301 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves,
p. 110.
The Himalayan Pied Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Turkdn, Chamba.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black, white at base ; forehead
brownish white ; crown and occiput crimson, the feathers dark
grey at the base, then black and tipped with red ; lores, a narrow
supercilium, and the sides of the face and neck white, often ful-
vescent, and the ear-coverts in part black ; a black band from the
lower mandible down each side of the neck, joined to the nape by
a cross black band behind the ear-coverts ; hind neck, back, sca-
pulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts glossy black ; wings and most
of the wing-coverts black, the innermost median and greater
DKximocopTis. 35-
coverts wholly or chiefly white, and the quills spotted with white
on both webs, the spots forming interrupted bands ; the four
median tail-feathers black ; the others banded fulvous white and
black, and sometimes having the outer webs almost or entirely
Fig. 12.— Head of D. himalayensis <$.
white ; lower parts light brownish grey, sometimes almost white ;
the lower abdomen more fulvous ; vent and lower tail-coverts pah"
crimson.
In the female the crown and occiput are black, like the back.
Bill leaden grey ; upper mandible blackish ; irides red-brown ;
legs and feet dark greenish brown.
Length 9*5 ; tail 3'5 ; wing 5'2 ; tarsus *9 ; bill from gape 1*35.
Cashmere birds are much paler beneath than those from other
localities, and are often almost white below. A male skin in the
Hume Collection from Kotgarh has the lower parts from the
breast suffused with red.
Distribution. The Western Himalayas from Kumaun to Murree,
also Gilgit to the north, and Kuram in Afghanistan to the west.
This Woodpecker breeds according to Hume between 3000 and
8000 feet, but Jerdon found it common up to 10,000, Biddulph
met with it between 9000 and 10,000 in Gilgit, and Stoliczka up
to 11,000 in Chini.
Habits, fyc. Breeds from the middle of April to the end of May
in holes in trees as usual, trunks of oaks being often selected.
The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, glossy and white, and measure
about 1 inch by -75.
962. Dendrocopus cabanisi. The Chinese Pied Woodpecker.
Picus cabanisi, Malherbe, J.f. Orn. 1854, p. 172.
Picus mandarinus, Malh. Bull. Soc. d'Hist. Nat. Moselle, viii, p. 17
(1857) ; Godw.-Amt. J. A. S. S. xlv, pt. 2, p. 194; Hume, S. F. v,
p. 53, xi, p. 50 ; id. Cat. no. 155 bis.
Dendrocopus Ctibanisi, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 218.
This resembles D. himalayensis on the upper surface, except in
having the crown of the male black and the crimson confined to
D2
36
the occiput. Below there is more difference. In the present
species the black malar band is much broader, and continued to
the side of the breast, the feathers of the breast between the ends
of the black bands are tipped with red ; the chin, throat, and
breast are fulvous brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson ;
edge of wing, under wing-coverts, and axillaries white.
Bill dark plumbeous (G.-A.}. Length 8; tail 3-4; wing 5;
tarsus "95 ; bill from gape 1*3.
Distribution. Throughout China ; two male specimens were ob-
tained by Godwin- Austen at G-onglong in the Manipur hills. This
Woodpecker appears not to have been observed elsewhere within
Indian limits.
963. Dendrocopus sindianus. The Sind Pied Woodpecker.
Picus assimilis, Natt., Bonap. Consp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 8 (1854 ;
descr. nulla).
Picus scindeanus, Gould, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii. p. 671 (1856-58) ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 273 ; Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 529 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872,
p. 7 ; Hume $ Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 179, pi. ii ; Hume, S. F. i,
p. 170 ; Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 215, 453 ; Murray, Vert. Zool Sind,
p. 113 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157.
Picus eindianus, Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 132 ; Hume, Cat. no. 158 ;
Doig, S. F. viii, p. 370; ix, p. 279; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 102 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 112 ; Oates in Humes N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 303.
Dendrocopus scindeanus, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 227.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes white with black tips ; forehead
white, sometimes buff or light brown ; crown and occiput crimson ;
a malar band from lower mandible down the neck, back of neck,
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black ; lores, supercilia, sides
of head and neck, scapulars and innermost median and greater
wing-coverts, together with the lower parts from the chin to the
abdomen, under wing-coverts and axillaries, white ; lower abdomen,
vent, and under tail-coverts crimson. Wings and tail similar to
those of D. Tiimalayensis, except that the wing-feathers are brown,
that the white spots on both webs are much larger, and the unspotted
tips of the primaries shorter. In some specimens too the three
middle pairs of tail-feathers are entirely black. The wing is
differently shaped, being shorter and rounder.
In the female the crown and occiput are black.
Bill bluish plumbeous ; irides dark maroon ; legs and feet
greyish plumbeous (Butler) • irides crimson (Barnes).
Length 8*5 ; tail 3*1 ; wing 4'5 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape I'l.
Females slightly smaller, and with a somewhat shorter bill.
Distribution. Throughout Sind, Baluchistan, and the Western
Punjab as far north as Peshawar, Murree, and Sirsa, and westwards
to Bampur in S.E. Persia. St. John obtained specimens, now in
the British Museum, in the Khwaja Amran range north-west of
Quetta.
DEXDIIOCOPUS. 37
Habits, <Sfc. This species is chiefly found in tamarisk scrub,
which abounds in Si nd and the neighbouring countries. It breeds
in holes in tamarisk and babul {Acacia arabica) trees in March
and April.
964. Dendrocopus darjilensis. The Darjeeling Pied Woodpecker.
Dendrocopus maj oroides, Hodys. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844 f
descr. nulla).
Picus (Deudrojopus) darjellensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 19$
(J845).
Picus darjellensis, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xvi, p. 466; id. Cat. p. 62.
Picus majoroides, Gray, Cat. Mamm. $c. Coll. Hodys. pp. 115, 155
(1846) ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. \\, p. 671 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 270 ; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 7 ; Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 156 ; Godw.-Anst. J. A. S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; 'Scully, S. F. viii, p. 244 ; Hume, Cat. no. 155.
Dendrocopus daijilensis, Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 221.
The Darjeeliny Black Woodpecker, Jerdon; Sadyer-monff-prek,Leycha,.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black ; forehead, lores, narrow
supercilium, and sides of face, including the ear-coverts, whity
brown ; sides of neck behind the ear-coverts the same, washed with
orange or golden yellow ; crown and upper surface generally
glossy black, except the occiput and nape which are light crimson,
and the innermost median and greater wing-coverts which are
mostly or wholly white; wing-feathers black with white spots on
both webs ; tail-feathers black, the median two pairs uniform, the
others more or less barred with fulvous white ; chin whitish, ends
of bristles black, throat light brown unstriped ; breast and abdomen
yellowish fulvous, with longitudinal black streaks, becoming bars
on the flanks ; vent and under tail-coverts light crimson.
In the female the occiput and nape are black instead of red. In
a young male, described by Scully, all the feathers of the crown
were tipped with dull crimson.
Upper mandible slaty black, lower grey horny ; orbital skin
plumbeous; irides reddish brown to deep crimson; feet dingy
green (Scully).
Length 9-5 ; tail 375 ; wing 5 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from gape 1'5.
Distribution. Himalayas in Sepal and Sikhim, from about 3000
to 12,000 feet elevation, and eastward to Moupin and Western Se-
chuan. This Wood pecker was also obtained in the North Cachar
and Anghami Naga hills by Godwin- Austen.
Habits, $c. The breeding does not appear to have been recorded.
This species was observed by Scully on moss-covered oaks, usually
singly or in pairs high up on the trees.
965. Dendrocopus cathpharius. The Lesser Pied Woodpecker.
Picus (Dendrocopus) cathpharius, Hodys., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiir
p. 100(5 (lsi:;>.
Picas c.!itli|.!i:irius, lih/th, Cttf. ]>. 63; Horsf. % M. Ca/T. ii, p. 673.
38
Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 271 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 155 ;
Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154; Hume, Cat. no. 156;
id. S. F. xi, p. 57.
Dendrocopus cathpharius, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 223 ; Gates
«Vz Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 302.
7%e Lesser Black Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Upper parts glossy black with the following
exceptions : — the forehead is brownish white, the ends of the nasal
bristles being black ; the occiput, nape, and sides of the neck are
orimson, and some of the innermost greater and median coverts
are in great part white ; quills black, with white spots on both
webs and generally a spot at the tip ; inner webs of primaries
unspotted near the tip ; tail-feathers black, the two median pairs
unspotted, the remainder more or less barred with buff; sides of
head buffy white ; chin the same with some black mixed, a black
malar band from lower mandible below ear-coverts and red of the
neck to side of breast; throat uniform light brown, remainder of
lower parts isabelline with longitudinal black streaks, that are
broadest and most marked on the breast ; feathers in middle
of breast and under tail-coverts sometimes tipped with red ; under
wing-coverts black and white, axillaries white.
The female has no red on the nape, but there is some on the
sides of the neck, it is, however, fainter than in the male ; rufous
gorget generally faint or wanting.
Bill bluish white; irides brown ; legs plumbeous (Jerdon).
Length 7 ; tail 2'7 ; wing 4 ; tarsus *7 ; bill from gape '75.
This species is very similar to D. darjilensis, but much smaller.
Distribution. Eastern Himalayas ; not rare in Sikhim, where the
range in elevation is similar to that of D. darjilmsis, and extending
into Nepal. This Woodpecker has only once been recorded from
any locality out of the Himalayas ; a single specimen was obtained
by Godwin-Austen in the Naga hills.
Habits, fyc. The eggs, which are pure white and fairly glossy, and
measure about *77 by "61, are laid in April, as usual in a hole
-excavated in a tree.
966. Dendrocopus pyrrhothorax. The Red-breasted Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus cathpharius, apud Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154.
Picus pyrrhothorax, Hume, 8. F. x, p. 150 ; xi, p. 57.
Dendrocopus pyrrhothorax, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 224,
pi. iv.
Khupi-woi-ru, Anghami Naga.
This only differs from D. cathpliarius in having a distinct broad
crimson gorget on the breast, and the under tail-coverts much more
deeply tinged with red. The other differences prove to be merely
individual. It was supposed from the only pair originally de-
scribed that the sexes were alike and that both had the occiput
DENDROCOPUS. 39
Crimson, but a female in Col. Godwin- Austen's possession from the
same locality as the types has the occiput black as in D. cathpliarius.
There appears to be a passage from true catfipharius into the
present form, some specimens of the former from Sikhim and
Bhutan having a considerable amount of red on the breast.
Bill leaden dusky, paler at base of lower mandible ; irides lac-
red ; legs and feet dull sap-green in the male, dusky lavender in
the female (Hume).
Size rather less than that of D. cathpliarius. Length 6'8 ;
tail 2-6 ; wing 3*8 ; tarsus -65 ; bill from gape -8.
Distribution. Mr. Hume obtained two specimens (the types) at
Aimole, in the Eastern Manipur hills. Col. Godwin-Austen also
obtained a specimen at Aimole and two others in the Anghami
Naga hills. No others are known to me.
967. Dendrocopus macii. The Fulvous-breasted Pied Woodpecker.
Picus macei, Vieill. Noui\ Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. 80 (1818); Gray,
in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxii ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 196 ;
id. Cat. p. 62 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 672 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 272;
id. Ibis, 1872, p. 7; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 354; Layard, Ibis, 1868,
p. 249; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97; xlv, p. 70;
xlvii, p. 22 ; Blanf. J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 155 ; Cock # C. H. T.
Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 123 ; Cripps, S. F.
vii, p. 261 ; Hume, Cat. no. 157 ; Scully, S.F. viii, p. 245; Inqlis,
S. F. ix, p. 247 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 57 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 33'.
Picus westermani, Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 163 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 411 ;
id. Cat. no. ? 157 quint.
Dendrotypes macei, Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 77.
Dendrocopus macii, Harqitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 260 ; Oates in Hume's
N. $E. 2nded. ii, p. 303.
The Indian Spotted Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black towards the tips ; narrow
forehead brownish buff; crown and occiput crimson; sides of
head and neck, including lores, supercilia, and ear-coverts, brownish
white ; a black stripe from the lower mandible to each side of the
neck not joined to the black of the dorsal region ; hind neck,
upper back, and upper tail-coverts uniform black ; remainder of
upper parts barred black and white ; wings and their coverts
black ; median and greater coverts and quills with white spots,
the latter on both webs ; tail black, the two outer pairs of large
feathers barred with buffy white, and sometimes a few white spots
on the next pair ; chin, throat, and fore neck uniform light rufous
brown; breast and abdomen isabelline, with black longitudinal
spots on the breast, faint stria3 on the abdomen, and bars on the
flanks ; vent and lower tail-coverts bright crimson ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries white, the former barred or spotted with
black.
In the female the crown and occiput are black.
Bill dusky plumbeous, reddish beneath ; irides brown ; feet
plumbeous (Jerdon).
40 PICID^E.
Length 7*5 ; tail 3 ; wing 4'3 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape !•!.
Distribution. Along the base of the Himalayas from near Murree
to Upper Assam, ascending the outer hills to an elevation of 5000
or 6000 feet in the Western Himalayas. This species occurs also
throughout Lower Bengal; it is common around Calcutta, and
was obtained by Mr. Brooks at Mudhupur in the Sonthal Pergun-
nahs ; it also occurs in Tipperah and as far south as Akyab, where
it is common, and in Cachar and Manipur. Its occurrence farther
south is doubtful ; it was said by Lord Walden to have been
obtained by Wardlaw Bam say in Karennee, but there are no
specimens in his collections now in the British Museum ; and it
was formerly reported from Tenasserim, the Malay Peninsula, and
Ceylon, but the reports are discredited by later writers.
Habits, $c. Breeds in March, April, and May, laying about
three white eggs in a hole in a tree as usual. Eggs measure about
•9 by -67.
968. Dendrocopus atratus. The Stripe-breasted Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus atratus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 803 (1849) ; xxviii, p. 412;,
id. Cat. p. 313 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 471 ; xi, p. 58 ; id. Cat.
no. 157 quat. ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 343, pi. ix ; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 193; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 123,.
500 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 34 ; Sahad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2 a) \,
p. 564 ; vii, p. 378.
Dendrotypes atratus, Blyth fy Wold. Birds Burm. p. 77.
Dendrocopus atratus, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 263.
Similar to D. macii, except that the sides of the head and neck
are purer white, and that all the lower parts except the chin are
boldly streaked longitudinally with black, the breast especially ;
the abdomen, too, is yellower.
Upper mandible dull black, dark brown, or horny brown ; lower
mandible pale plumbeous or bluish white; irides light wood to'
deep brown ; legs and feet dark plumbeous (Davison).
Length 8-25 ; tail 3 ; wing 4-75 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape 1*2.
Distribution. Manipur; Karennee and Tenasserim hills as far
south as Muleyit, east of Moulrnein, also Laos. Only found on
hills, and not below about 3000 feet elevation.
969. Dendrocopus auriceps. The Brown-fronted Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus auriceps, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 44 (published Apr. 6, 1831),
Picus brunnifrons, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 176 (Mar. 2, 1832) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 62 ; Jerdon, ibis, 1872, p. 7.
Leiopicus brunnifrons, Horsf. $• M. Cat. ii, p. 674.
Picus brunneifrons, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 273 ; Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B,
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 412; Hume. [Cat.
no. 159; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410.
DENDROCOPUS. 41
Dryobates brunneifrons, Tytler, Ibis, 1868, p. 202.
Picus incognitas, Scully, S. F. viii, p. 246.
Dendrocopus brimneifrons, Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 264 ; Oates
in Humes N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 304 ; Shwpe, Yark. Miss., Avest
p. 110.
The Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown umber-brown ; occipital
crest golden yellow in front and crimson behind ; sides of the
head and neck and the chin white finely mixed with black ; ear-
coverts very pale brown ; a brown malar band on each side passing
into a broad black stripe that breaks up into black spots on the
sides of the neck ; upper parts from the nape, wings, and tail as
in D. modi ; lower parts, from throat to abdomen inclusive,
fulvescent white, longitudinally streaked with black, middle of
abdomen tinged with yellow ; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts
pale crimson ; under wing-coverts white with black spots.
The female has no golden yellow nor red on the occiput, which
is, however, much yellower than the crown.
Base of lower mandible pale plumbeous, rest of bill bluish horny
brown ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet pale glaucous green
(Davison) ; irides crimson (Seutty),
Length 8 ; tail 3-3 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. Throughout the Western Himalayas as far east as
Nepal, chiefly between 2000 and 6000 feet but sometimes as high
as 9000. This species has been found in Northern Afghanistan,
Hazara (Agror), and Kashmir, and is common about several hill-
stations.
Habits, $c. D. auriceps is said to come into gardens, and to
have a soft rolling whistle. It breeds in April and the first half
of May, chiefly in oak and fir-trees, making holes sometimes
in the stems, sometimes in branches, at varying heights from
the ground, and laying 4 or 5 white eggs that measure about -92
by -68.
970. Dendrocopus pectoralis. The Spotted-breasted Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus pectoralis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 15 (1846) ; xviii, p. 804 ;
id. Cat. p. 63.
Picus analis, Temm. Horsfield, Res. Java (1824), descr. nulla ;
Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 137 (1850) ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 672 ;
Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 7 ; Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 57 ; Arm-
strong, S. F. iv, p. 309 ; Hume fy Dav.' S. F. vi, p. 123 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 157 ter ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 190 ; id. B. B. ii, p. 35.
Dendrotypes analis, Cab. Sf H. Mus. Hein. iv, 2, p. 47 ; Walden, Ibis,
1875, p. 463 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78.
Dendrocopus analis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 266.
Coloration. Male. Forehead brownish white ; nasal plumes
partly black ; crown crimson ; sides of face and neck white, the
42 PICID^E.
latter with a few black specks ; ear-coverts brownish; a black malar
band on each side from the base of the lower mandible to the side
of the neck ; nape and hind neck black, all the rest of the upper
plumage barred black and white ; quills brownish black, with large
white spots on both webs ; all the tail-feathers barred black and
f ulvescent white ; chin and throat white ; breast and abdomen
brownish white, the former distinctly spotted, the latter indis-
tinctly; flanks barred brown and whitish; vent and under tail-
coverts spotted with brown and faintly tinged with pink.
In the female the crown is black.
Bill bluish black, paler at the base ; iris brown ; legs and feet
plumbeous (Oates).
Length 7 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus '7 ; bill from gape I'O.
Distribution. Locally distributed in Pegu ; common near Thayet
Myo, rare to the southward, though this species has been procured
near Rangoon. It has been found at Toungngoo and in Karennee,
but nowhere in Tenasserim. Outside Indian limits it occurs in
Siam, Cochin China, Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and some other
islands.
Habits, fyc. This Woodpecker according to Oates frequents brush-
wood and thin tree-jungle, but not heavy forest. The eggs have
not been recorded.
971. Dendrocopus andamanensis. The Andaman Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus andamanensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 412, note (1859) ;
Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 321 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 279 ;
id. S. F. i, p. 62 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 300 ; Hume, S. F. ii,
p. 187 ; id. Cat. no. 157 bis.
Dendrocopus audamanensis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 267.
Very similar to D. pectoralis, especially above, except that on
the crown and occiput the feathers are dark grey, tipped with
crimson in the male, with brown in the female, the red in the male
extending farther back than in D. pectoralis ; the present species is
also distinguished by the greater prevalence of black, the white
bars on the back being narrower, and the white spots on the wing-
feathers smaller, whilst the tail-feathers are spotted with white on
both webs, not completely banded ; the malar band is broken into
spots near the mandible ; 'below, the difference from D. pectoralis is
greater, as the breast is nearly covered with large spots, the breast-
feathers being blackish brown with whitish edges ; the abdomen is
light fulvous brown; the flanks paler and barred with dark brown;
lower abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson ; under wing-
coverts barred.
Bill dark slate-colour, darkest on upper mandible; iris dark
brown; legs and feet dark olive-green (W. Ramsay}.
Length 7 ; tail 2-7 ; wing 3-8 ; tarsus -7 ; bill from gape '9.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands.
i.ioi'icus. 43
Genus LIOPICUS, Bonaparte, 1854.
This genus closely resembles Dendrocopus, but has a more
rounded wing, the primaries exceeding the secondaries by less
than the length of the culrnen. A small occipital crest is present.
The upper plumage is black, spotted not barred with white.
Only one species is known, and this is peculiar, or nearly so, to
the Indian area.
972. Liopicus mahrattensis. The Ydloiv-fronted Pied
Woodpecker.
Picus mahrattensis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. xxxi (1801) ; Gray in
Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxiii; Blyth, Cat. p. 62; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 274 ; Kiny, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 214 ; Blanford,
J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2,
p. 232 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. IS. 1872, p. 426 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 373 ;
Ball, S. F. ii, p. 390 ; Hume 8f Gates, S. F. iii, p. 58 ; Blanford,
x. F. v, p. 245 ; Murray, S. F. vii, p. Ill ; Butler, ib. p. 181 ;
Ball, ib. p. 205; Hume, Cat. no. 160; Leyye, Birds Ceyl p. 184;
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Butler, ib. p. 385 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 24 ;
Davidson, ib. p. 297 ; Damson, ib. p. 354 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 37 ;
C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 112.
Picus aurocristatus, Tickett, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 579 (1833).
Leiopicus mahrattensis, Bonap. Consp. Volucr. Zyyod. p. 8 ; Horsf. $
M. Cat. ii, p. 674.
Liopipo mahrattensis, Cab. fy H. Mus. Hein. iv (2), p. 44 ; Blyth Sf
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78.
Picus blanfordi, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 75 (1863).
Liopicus mahrattensis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 290 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 305.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes, forehead, and sinciput pale
brownish yellow, occiput scarlet, sides of face and neck white,
ear-coverts with a brownish tinge ; nape and hind neck smoky
brown ; back and scapulars brownish black and white mixed, not
in bars nor distinct spots ; greater and median coverts black with
large white spots ; smaller coverts black ; rump and upper tail-
ooverts white, the feathers with broad dark shaft-stripes, which
are generally concealed on the former but not on the latter ; quills
and tail-feathers spotted white on both webs, the spots on the
latter white above, fulvescent below, and sometimes forming bars
on the outer tail-feathers ; chin, throat, and fore neck white ; no
malar band, but a broad brown stripe runs from beneath the ear-
coverts on each side to the side of the breast and then breaks up
into brown longitudinal streaks ; breast, flanks, and under tail-
coverts streaked with brown ; middle of abdomen bright scarlet.
In the female the whole forehead, crown, and occiput are pale
dull brownish yellow.
Bill clear plumbeous, darker on the culmen and tip of both
mandibles ; irides deep red ; legs and feet bright plumbeous ; claws
horny blue (Oates).
44 PIOID^E.
Length 7 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape 1 to 1'2.
The bill is generally shorter in females.
Distribution. Generally spread, but only common locally, through-
out the Peninsula of India and Northern Ceylon from the sea-
level to about 2500 feet, or higher in places, and found at low
elevations in the valleys of the Western Himalayas, but only out-
side the base of the Eastern. Eare in the Western Punjab, Sindr
and Rajputana ; not found in Southern Ceylon, Lower or Eastern
Bengal, Assam, Cachar, or Arrakan, but reappearing in the dry
parts of Upper Burma, being common about Thayet Myo and
farther north, and at Toungngoo. Also obtained in Cochin
China.
Habits, <$fc. This is chiefly an inhabitant of low jungle and scrub,
not of thick forest. It is often seen on Palas (Eutea frondoaa), and
on species of Acacia and Euphorbia. It breeds in February, March,
and April, and lays usually three white eggs measuring about '87
by '68. The nest is the usual hole, generally in a dead trunk or
branch.
The variety called P. blanfordi by Blyth inhabits Upper Burma,
and has the white markings of the upper plumage more developed,
especially on the wings and tail. Similar birds are found in
North-western India.
Genus IYNGIPICUS, Bonaparte, 1854.
This is but little more than a small form of Dendrocopus, distin-
guished by a rather more pointed wing and a shorter tail. The
primaries greatly exceed the secondaries in length ; the first pri-
mary is quite small, and the second is only exceeded in length by
the third, fourth, and fifth, which are subequal. The coloration
above is black or brown, with white cross-bars ; beneath brownish
white with, almost always, longitudinal brown or black streaks.
lyngipicus ranges throughout the Oriental region, and one
species is found in Africa. Five closely allied species or geogra-
phical races are found within Indian limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Upper tail-coverts and median rectrices
entirely black.
a'. Whole occiput red in males /. semicoronatus, p. 45.
V. A red stripe on each side of occiput
in males J. pygm&us, p. 45.
b. Upper tail-coverts fringed and banded
with white ; median tail-feathers
generally spotted white.
c'. Crown ashy grey /. canicapillus, p. 4(5.
d'. Crown light brown, lower parts
striated I. hardivickn, p. 47.
e. Crown blackish brown, lower parts
plain I, gymnophthalmus, p. 48.
1YNGIPICUS. 45
973. lyngipicus semicoronatus. The Darjeeling Pigmy
Woodpecker.
Picus semicoronatus, Malherbe, Bull. Soc. d'Hist. Nat. Moselle, v,
p. 21 (1848) ; id. Picida, i, p. 148, pi. xxxiv, fig;. 8.
Picus rubricates, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 804 (1849) ; id. Cat.
p. 63.
Picus meniscus, Malh. Picida, i, p. 151, pi. xxxv, figs. 2, 3, 4 (1861).
Yungipicus rubricates, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 276 ; Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 60 ;
id. Cat. no. 162 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 585.
lyngipicus semicoronatus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 25 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 312 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 59.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown ashy with a brownish
tinge, occiput scarlet (feathers slightly elongated) ; nasal plumes
and lores fulvescent white ; broad superciliary stripe extending
back to the side of the neck white, speckled with black, a black
line forming a border to the crown above the supercilium, and a
brown band, becoming black behind, from the eye to the side of
the neck over the lower ear-coverts ; nape and upper back and
the upper tail-coverts velvety black ; remainder of back, rump,
scapulars, and wings black with white transverse bars ; quills with
white spots on both webs, greater and median coverts with white
spots or bars, smaller coverts unspotted ; the two middle pairs of
tail-feathers black throughout as a rule, the two outer large pairs
black barred with white above and with fulvescent below, third
pair from the middle varying but generally bordered with white ;
malar region dusky, chin and throat whitish ; under surface from
throat very light fulvescent brown, with narrow blackish longitu-
dinal streaks ; under wing-coverts and axillaries mixed white and
black.
The female has no occipital red band.
Occasionally there are white markings on the upper tail-coverts
and small white spots on the median tail-feathers, but this is
-exceptional. The same occurs in other species of lyngipicus, in
which the feathers mentioned are normally black throughout.
Bill plumbeous ; irides red ; feet brown (Jerdon).
Length 5*5 ; tail 2 ; wing 3*3 ; tarsus *6 ; bill from gape *65.
Distribution. Sikhim, Bhutan, the Khasi and JSTaga hills, Eastern
Manipur, and Yunnan at elevations above about 3500 feet.
974. lyngipicus pygmaeus. The Himalayan Pigmy Woodpecker.
Picus pygmams, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 44 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xiv, p. 197 (partim) ; id. Cat. p. 63.
Picus mitchellii, Malh. Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 530.
Yungipicus pygmseus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 676 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 277 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. no. 163 ; Scully, S. F.
viii, p. 247.
lyngipicus pygmaeus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 30; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 315 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 306.
46 PICID^E.
The only important distinction from /. semicoronatus is that in
the male of the present species there is no red band across the-
occiput, but merely a few scarlet feathers forming a short, very
narrow, longitudinal stripe bordering the occiput on each side.
There is no constant difference in the females, but as a rule the
dimensions of /. pygmceus are rather larger, and the white bands
and spots on the upper surface are more developed.
Bill grey horny ; irides dark red ; feet dingy green (Scully}.
Length 5'6 ; tail 2'1 ; wing 3-5 ; tarsus -65; bill from gape '7.
Distribution. Forests of the base and lower valleys of the Western
Himalayas from around Katmandu in Nepal to Mussooree.
Habits, 6fc. According to Mr. E. Thompson this Pigmy Wood-
pecker breeds in the dense forest districts of the bhabar and lower
valleys of Kumaun in April and May, laying 4 or 5 eggs. The
birds migrate into cultivated districts in winter.
975. lyngipicus canicapillus. The Burmese Pigmy Woodpecker.
Picus camcapillus,.£/3/a, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 197 (1845) ; xvi, p. 467?
xviii, p. 805 ; id. Cat. p. 64 ; dates, B. B. ii, p. 36.
Yungipicus canicapillus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 677 ; Blyth $ Wald,
Birds Burm. p. 78 ; Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 59 ; Armstrong,
S. F. iv, p. 309 ; Hume 8f Inglis, S. F. v, p. 25 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 125, 500 ; Hume, Cat. no. 163 bis.
lyngipicus pumilus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1881, p. 599, 1882, p. 37 ; id. Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 321 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2 a) v, p. 565 ;
vii, p. 432.
Picus pumilus, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 37.
lyngipicus canicapillus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 39 ; id. Cat. B. M^
xviii, p. 322 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2 a) iv, p. 578 ;
Hume, S. F. xi, p. 60.
Precisely like /. pygmceus except that the upper tail-coverts are
banded and fringed with white, and that as a rule all the tail-
feathers are spotted or banded with white above and fulvous
below ; sometimes, however, the two median pairs are unspotted.
The lower parts in general are paler in tint in /. canicapillus, the
streak behind the eye darker brown and broader, but these dis-
tinctions cannot be depended on. Two red streaks border the
occiput, one on each side, in males, as in /. pygmceus.
Upper mandible horny brown, lower plumbeous ; irides red-
brown ; legs, feet, and claws plumbeous (Davisori).
Length 5-5 ; tail 1/8 ; wing 3'25 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape -75.
Distribution. Throughout Burma, ranging north to Tipperahy
Cachar, and Manipur, and probably to the ranges south of the
Assam valley, and extending to the south throughout the Malay
Peninsula, from the sea-level to about 5000 feet elevation.
Habits, $c. Brushwood, low or thin tree-jungle, groves in culti-
vation, or old clearings are the usual haunts of this bird, which
is often seen on the smaller branches of trees. It is but seldom
lYNGIPICL'S. 47
met with in thick jungle or on bamboos. The nest has not been
observed.
I cannot separate from the present species /. pumilus, which is
said to be distinguished by smaller size and by having the four
middle tail-feathers without spots. Many specimens of /. cani-
capillus have unspotted or almost unspotted median rectrices, and
I find that the wings of seven specimens in the British Museum,
marked as adults of /. pumilus, from Pegu and Tenasserim,
measure from 3 to 3*15 inches, which is well within the limits of
variation for /. canicapillus, as may be seen by Hume's measure-
ments (S. F. vi, p. 126).
976. lyngipicus hardwlckii. The Indian Pigmy Woodpecker.
Picus (I)endrocopus) hardwickii, Jerdon, Madr. Jour* L. S. xiii.
pt. 2, p. 138 (1844).
Picus cinereigula, Malh. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 531.
Picus variegatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 64 (nee Wagler).
Yungipicus hardwickii, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 278 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 8 :
Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168; McMaster, J. A. S. B.
xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Hume, S. F. hi, p. 458 ; iv, p. 36 ; Fairbankj
S. F. iv, pp. 255, 265.
Yungipicus nanus, apud Ball, S. F. ii, p. 390 ; vii, p. 205 ; Hume,
S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. no. 164 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Butler,
ib. p. 385 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 297 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 113 ;
Littledale, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i, p. 197 (nee Vigors).
lyngipicus nanus, Reid, S. F. x, p. 24.
lyngipicus hardwickii, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 45 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 328 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 306.
The Southern Pigmy Woodpecker, Jerdon; Chitta siruti pachi, Tel.
Fig. 13.— Head of /. hardwickii.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown light umber-brown,
nape darker ; no dark border at the side of the crown but a narrow
scarlet streak on each side of the occiput ; lores and some of the
nasal plumes brownish white ; a white stripe from above the eye to
the side of the neck ; a broad umber-brown band from the eye over
the ear-coverts, and a second white stripe beneath the brown
band ; upper parts from nape dark brown with white cross-bands,
rump and upper tail-coverts mostly white ; quills, greater and
48
median coverts with white spots, smaller coverts unspotted ; all tail-
feathers with spots on both webs white above, fulvous below ; malar
region and chin grey, the feathers tipped white but the ashy bases
showing ; remainder of lower parts brownish white with brown
longitudinal streaks.
The female wants the occipital scarlet streaks.
Bill and legs plumbeous ; orbital skin lake ; irides pale yellow
(Jerdon).
Length 5 ; tail 1-7 ; wing 3 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from gape -65.
Distribution. The greater part of the Indian Peninsula, from
the base of the N.W. Himalayas to Mysore, and from Mount Abu
to Chutia Nagpur, wanting in the open plains of Rajputaua, the
Deccan, &c. The Southern forms from the Western Ghats near
Belgaum and from Mysore have darker heads, and thus show a
passage towards /. gymnophthalmus.
Habits, $c. This Wojdpecker is found chiefly in forest, but also
in groves and gardens in well- wooded districts, and is frequently
seen in parties of three or four, on the stems and branches of trees,
generally climbing, but sometimes, as Jerdon observes, perching,
and hopping from bough to bough. It breeds in the N."W. Pro-
vinces in March ; its nest-hole has been several times recorded in a
dead branch of a mango-tree, also in siris (Acacia catechu), and
the eggs, usually 3 or 4 in number, are white and somewhat
spherical, and measure about '7 by '52.
977. lyngipicus gymnophthalmus. The Ceylon Pigmy
Woodpecker.
Picus gymnophthalmos, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 804 (1849) ; id.
Cat. p. 64 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 448 (1854).
Yungipicus gymnophthalmus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 427 ; Legge, S. F. i, p. 433 ; id. Birds Ceijl.
p. 186 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. DO. 164 bis ; Hume $
Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 389 ; Fairbank, S. F. v, p. 396 : Davison,
S. F. x, p. 354 ; Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 183.
lyngipicus gymnophthalmus, Harqitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 47 ; id. Cat. B.
M. xviii, p. 330 ; Gates in Hume's N. 8f E. ii, p. 308.
lyngipicus peninsularis, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 48 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 331.
Coloration. Very similar to that of /. TiardiuicJcii, but much
darker above and almost or quite streakless beneath in adults.
Head above and stripe behind eye blackish sepia-brown. Upper
parts dark brown with white cross-bars. Long supercilium ex-
tending to neck, cheeks below eye-stripe, chin, and throat white ;
no malar stripe ; lower parts unstriped, sullied white in adults,
and faintly streaked in the young ; flanks generally streaked in
all, and lower tail-coverts with dark shaft-stripes. There are
the usual scarlet occipital stripes in males ; the white spots are
often small and sometimes wanting on the outer webs of the
primaries.
PTREHOPICUS. 49
Bill brownish olivaceous, somewhat paler beneath ; iris white,
greyish white, yellowish white, or reddish white ; eyelid and orbital
skin dull mauve or purplish ; legs and feet greenish plumbeous
(Legge).
Length 4-8 ; tail 1-6 ; wing 2-9 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from gape -65.
Distribution. Throughout Ceylon up to about 3000 feet above
the sea, also the Malabar coast and the ranges near it as far north
as the Palni hills, and perhaps farther. Malabar specimens have
the heads rather paler than Ceylonese, and are the race called
/. peninsularis by Hargitt, and the specimens thus labelled by him
in the British Museum include the Malabar skins of /. yymno-
phtlialmus and the Belgaum and Mysore specimens already men-
tioned of /. Tiardwickii. There is evidently in this, as in many
similar cases, a passage between two well-marked forms.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of other lyngipici. This bird is
thoroughly arboreal and frequents the uppermost branches of trees,
picking up small insects, and often perching. It has considerable
powers of flight, and its note, according to Legge, is a prolonged
trill. It breeds in February and March, and also in July, nesting
in holes in small branches, and the white eggs measure about '62
by -53 *.
Genus PYRRHOPICUS, Malherbe, 1861.
Bill long and stout, culmen angulate, almost straight ; nasal
ridge strongly developed, nearer to the culmen than to the com-
missure at the base of the bill ; nostrils open, not concealed by
plumes; chin-angle nearly halfway from gape to tip of bill; no
crest. Wings rounded, primaries scarcely exceeding secondaries
* IYNGIPICUS NANUS.
? Picus nanus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 172 (1832).
lyngipicus nanus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 38 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 327 ;
Gould, B. Asia, vi, pi. xxxiv.
Coloration. Crown and eye-stripe dark brown, nape very dark ; supercilium
extending to neck and a band below the eye-stripe white ; upper parts dark
brown with white cross-bands ; all tail-feathers spotted, the spots on the outer
webs of the primaries small ; chin and throat pure white, bordered on each side
by a brown malar stripe; rest of lower parts sullied white with indistinct
rather broad brown streaks. Male with, as usual, a red streak on each side of
the occiput.
Wing 3'05 inches; tail 1'6; tarsus -65 ; bill from gape '7.
Distribution. Three specimens collected by Captain Stackhouse Pinwill, one
at Dharnisala, the other two in North-western India, are in the British Museum,
and have been referred by Hargitt to Vigors's species, which was said to be from
the N.W. Himalayas, and with the description of which they agree fairly. At
the same time they are, as Hargitt points out, only just separable from the
Malay /. auritus, and it is difficult to believe that all the ornithologists who have
ransacked the N.W. Himalayas of late years can have overlooked this bird,
which is easily distinguished from /. pygmceus and I. hardwickii, if it inhabits
the area.
VOL. III. E
50 PICIDJE.
in length ; tail short ; outer pair of tail-feathers longer than the
coverts ; first toe well- developed ; fourth (or reversible) toe a
little longer than third. Colour bay above more or less banded
with black, very dark brown beneath, a partial red collar in
males.
Only two species are known.
Key to the Species.
Larger : wing 575 ; back barred P. pyrrhotis, p. 50.
Smaller : wing 4*8 ; back not barred P. rubiginosus, p. 51.
The oldest name for this genus, Venilia (of which the type
appears to have been V. porpliyromelas, Bp. Consp. i, p. 128) can-
not be used, as it h;;d previously been employed in both Lepidoptera
and Mollusca. Lcpocestes of Cabanis (1863) has been adopted by
Hargitt, but Pyrrhopicus and Plinthopicus of Malherbe date from
1861, and I accept the first. Blythipicus of Bonaparte (1854) is
generally regarded as too absurd a term to be admitted. '
978. Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis. The Red-eared Bay Woodpecker.
Picus pyrrhotis, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 108 (1837).
Gecinus pyrrhotis, Btyth, Cat. p. 59.
Blythipicus pyrrhotis, Bonap. Consp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 9; Hume,
S. F. vii, p. 520 ; xi, p. 63 ; id. Cat. no. 176.
Venilia pyrrhotis, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 666; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 291 ;
Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ;
Walden in BlytJis Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ;
Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 142 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 39.
Lepocestes pyrrhotis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 380.
Fi-ing, Lepcha.
Fig. 14.— Head of P. pyrrhotis.
Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, the forehead, sides of
head, and chin paler ; feathers of forehead and crown pale-shafted ;
a bright crimson half-collar behind the ear-coverts extending more
or less completely round the nape ; all upper parts from the nape,
with wing-feathers and coverts, barred rufous and black, the rufous
bars broadest on the quills, back-feathers fringed with deeper red ;
PYRRHOPICUS. 51
tail-feathers rufous with black spots, forming imperfect bars, ou
both webs, shafts of quills and tail-feathers light red ; lower parts
from throat olive-brown, reddish on the breast, dusky on the abdo-
men ; a few narrow rufous bands on the lower flanks and under
tail-coverts.
The female wants the crimson half-collar. The young have pale
shaft-lines throughout the head and neck, and traces of bars on
the breast and abdomen.
Bill pale greenish yellow ; irides reddish orange to brownish
red ; legs and feet very dark green (Davison).
Length 1T5 ; tail 4; wing 5'75 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from gape
1-9.
Distribution. From the Eastern Himalayas (Nepal, Sikhim,
Dafla hills) to the Malay Peninsula, throughout Burma and other
intervening countries.
Habits, <$fc. An inhabitant of dense underwood, keeping very
much to the ground, and rarely ascending a tree unless disturbed.
This bird is generally found in pairs or small parties, is very voci-
ferous and has a loud screeching call. The eggs do not appear to
have been observed.
979. Pyrrhopicus rubiginosus. The Malay Bay Woodpecker.
Henn'circus rubiginosus, Swainson, Birds W. Afr. ii, p. 150 (1837).
Picus melanogaster, Hay, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2. p. 163
(1844).
Gecinus rubiginosus, Blytk, Cat. p. 59.
Venilia porphyromelas (Boie),Bonap. Consp. i, p. 128; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 143 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 40.
Venilia melanogaster, Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 665.
Lepocestes porphyromelas, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 48 ; Hume, S. F.
iii, p. 319 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 382.
Blvthipicus porphyromelas, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 520 j id.
bis.
Cat. no. 176
Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, paler in front all round
the base of the bill ; feathers on each side of the neck behind the
ear-coverts tipped with bright crimson, forming blood-red patches ;
some of the malar feathers tinged red in some specimens ; whole
upper plumage from nape, including the edges of the quills, dull
crimson ; feathers of rump and upper tail-coverts, quills and tail-
feathers very dark brown with narrow bars of pale rufescent
brown, well marked on outer webs of all wing-feathers, but
except on the tertiaries faint on the inner webs ; lower plumage
from throat very dark olive-brown, the breast with a reddish
tinge.
The female wants the red patches behind the ears.
Bill chrome-yellow, tinged with green towards the base ; irides
red ; legs and feet dark, varying in shade, generally purplish or
purplish brown (Davison).
Length 9 ; tail 3 ; wing 4-8 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape T45.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, extending into Tenasserim as far
E2
52 PICIDJB.
north as Bopyin, south of Mergui, and also into Sumatra and
Borneo. Common in the extreme south of Tenasserim.
Habits, &fc. Like P. pyrrhotis, this species is said by Davison to
be very shy and to keep much to the underwood of the evergreen
forests ; it avoids the larger trees, is generally found in pairs and
utters incessantly a sharp metallic note.
Genus MIGLYPTES, Swainson, 1837.
Bill of moderate length, culmen much curved ; no nasal ridge ;
nostrils round, exposed ; chin-angle halfway between gape and
tip ; fourth or outer hind toe longer than third or outer front toe ;
first toe (hallux) short. A nuchal crest. Wing rounded ; all tail-
feathers pointed, the outer pair just extending beyond the lower
coverts. Plumage brown or black and buff, more or less in
alternating bars.
This genus is restricted to Burma and the Malay countries,
three species being found in British Burma. The coloration is
peculiar and the habits are imperfectly known, the nest not having
hitherto been found.
Key to the Species.
a. Back with buff cross-bands ; tail-feathers
spotted.
a'. Head barred above ; rump uniform buff. M. grammithorax, p. 52.
b'. Head not barred above; rump barred
like back M . tukki, p. 53.
1. Back without cross-bands, tail unspotted. M.jugularis, p. 54.
980. Miglyptes grammithorax. The Fulvous-rumped Barred
Woodpecker.
Meiglyptes tristis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 60 ; Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 294 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 131, 501 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 ter (nee Picus tristis,
Horsf.).
Phaiopicus grammithorax, Malh. Picidce, ii, p. 12, pi. xlviii, figs. 4-6
(1862).
Mig-lyptes grammithorax, Nicholson, Ibis, 1879, p. 165 ; Hume,
S. F. viii, p. 497 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 59 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1884,
p. 191 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 385.
Coloration. Male. Lores, anterior half of orbital region, point
of chin, lower back, and rump uniform buff ; a malar stripe pale
crimson ; remainder of the bird blackish brown barred with buff,
very closely on the head and neck all round and on the breast,
the barring becoming wider behind and still wider on the abdomen,
but the bars are broader still on the back, scapulars, wing-coverts,
tertiaries, and upper tail-coverts ; wing and tail-feathers with
buff spots on both webs ; under wing-coverts and axillaries buff
with a few dark brown spots.
MIGLYPTES. 53
Female. No malar stripe.
Bill black ; irides deep brown or dull red ; edge of eyelids black;
legs and feet dirty green (Davison).
Length 7 ; tail 2 ; wing 3-9 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape '9.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ex-
tending north into Tenasserim as far as the base of Nwalabo
mountain, near Tavoy.
Habits, <$fc. As described by Davison, this species is usually
found in dense tree-jungle, and generally in pairs ; it is never
seen on the ground, but always oil trunks and branches of trees.
The note of all three species of Miylyptes is similar, a rolling
Tcirr-r-r.
The true M. tristis is confined to Java and has the middle
of the breast and abdomen black without bars. Specimens of
M. gratnmithorax from Nwalabo, Tenasserim, have the breast and
abdomen brown, almost without bars, but not black.
981. Miglyptes tukki. The Buff-necked Barred Woodpecker.
Picus tukki, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 167.
Hemicercus brunneus, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 106.
Meiglyptes pectoralis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 60 (nee Picus pectoralis,
Latham).
Meiglyptes brunneus, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 668.
Meiglyptes marginatus, Iteinw., Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 294.
Mig-lyptes tukki, Hume, S. F. in, p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 165 quint. ;
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 132 ; Oates, B. $. ii, p. 61 ; Haryiti,
Ibis, 1884, p. 193 j id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 888.
Coloration. Male. Dull dark olive or brownish olive, head
uniform and unbarred above and on the sides ; a crimson malar
band ; a large buff patch on each side of the neck ; back, scapulars,
rump, tail, and wing-coverts with narrow buff cross-bars through-
out ; quills with small marginal buff spots on the outer, and larger
spots on the inner webs ; tail-feathers with narrow bars inter-
rupted near the shaft ; chin and throat very finely barred with
buff ; fore neck uniform blackish brown ; breast and abdomen dark
brown with narrow buff bands ; middle of breast almost uniform ;
lower wing-coverts and top of wing buff.
Female. No crimson malar band.
Upper mandible black, lower mandible plumbeous blue, in some
greenish ; irides brown ; legs and feet dull or brownish green.
Length about 8'6 ; tail 2'7 ; wing 4'1 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from
gape M.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
ranging into the extreme south of Tenasserim.
Habits, <f'c. Very similar to those of the last species, this Wood-
pecker being found in dense forest.
'54
982. Miglyptes jugularis. The Blade -and- Buff Woodpecker.
Picus (Meiglyptes) jugularis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 195 (1845).
Meiglyptes jugularis, Myth, Cat. p. 60 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 669 ;
Hume Sf Gates, S. F. iii, p. 63 ; Blyth S> Wald. Birds Barm. p. 77 ;
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 132, 501 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 60.
Miglyptes jugularis, Hume, Cat. no. 165 quat. ; Bingham, S. F. ix,
p. 16] : Hargitt, Ibis, 1884, p. 197 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 391.
Fig. 15. — Head of M. jugularis.
Coloration. Male. Black or brownish black, except two large
patches, ore on each side o£ the neck, extending round the hind
neck, and forming a demi-collar, the ramp, but not the tail-coverts,
a large space on each wing consisting of all the minor coverts
and of the innermost major and median coverts and tertiaries,
the edge of the wing and wing-lining, which are pure buff; a
malar stripe on each side with the feathers tipped red ; forehead,
crown, and sides of head narrowly barred across with buff ; chin
black and buff mixed in small subequa] spots ; quills with small
submarginal spots on the outer webs and large spots on the inner,
the latter wanting near the tip and increasing in size near the
base ; a few buff bars on the flanks and thigh-coverts ; tail
uniform.
The female wants the red malar stripe.
Bill black ; iris dark brown ; eyelids dark plumbeous ; legs dull
bluish, claws horny brown (Oates).
Length 7'5 ; tail 2 ; wing 4 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. The greater part of Burma (rare in the Arrakan
and Pegu hills, and near Toungngoo, more common in Tenasserim),
as far south as Tavoy ; also Siam and Cochin China.
Habits, Sfc. This Woodpecker is found in high forests, but has
also been observed by Davison in large clearings, open jungle, and
even in bamboo-jungle. It closely resembles Hemicercus canente
in coloration.
Genus MICROPTERNUS, Blyth, 1845.
Bill like that of Miglyptes, curved above, without nasal ridge,
but the chin-angle is nearer to the tip than to the gape ; nostrils
rounded and exposed ; wing rounded ; tail-feathers pointed, the
outer pair just exceeding the tail-coverts in length ; first toe very
MICEOPTEENUS. 55
short, its claw very small, third and fourth toes subequal. Plumage
throughout pale chestnut with black bars, which vary greatly in
development in different species.
The genus Micropternus extends throughout the Oriental region ;
three species, which are merely geographical races, separated by
very slight characters, and tending greatly to pass into each other,
being found within our area. They are birds of very singular
habits, having a peculiar, strong, unpleasant smell, and living
chiefly or entirely on tree-ants. Their plumage is almost always
smeared with a gummy substance derived from ants' nests, and
the heads of ants are often found attached to their tail-feathers.
Moreover, they lay their eggs in holes made in the large ants' nests
that are so common in India attached to branches of trees or
bamboos.
Key to the Species.
a. Central part of pale-edged chin and throat-
feathers of same colour as breast M. phceoceps, p. 55.
b. Central part of chin and throat-feathers darker
than breast.
a'. Pale-bordered throat-feathers extend to
nialar region M. brachyurus, p. 57.
b'. Pale-edged throat-feathers do not extend
to malar region M. gularis, p. 57.
983. Micropternus phseoceps. The Northern Rufous Woodpecker.
Picus rufus, Gray in Hardw. Ill 2nd. Orn. i, pi. xxix, tig. 2 (1830-
32), nee Gmel.
Micropternus phaioceps, Blyth, J. A. S. S. xiv, p. 195 (1845) ; id.
Cat. p. 60 ; Tytler, A.M.N. H. (2) xiii, p. 367 (1854) ; Horsf. $
M. Cat. ii, p. 667 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 294 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 267 ; xliii, pt. 2, p. 176 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 392 ;
vii, p. 206 ; Hume $ dates, S. F. lii, p. 72 ; Blyth % Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 77 ; Gammie, S. F. iv, p. 511 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 480 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 145, 501 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 262 ;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 249.
Phaiopicos blythii, Malherbc, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 534.
Meiglyptes rufmotus, Malh. Bonap. Consp. i, p. 113 (1850).
Micropternus barmanicus, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 71.
Micropternus rufinotus, Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 70.
Micropternus phaeoceps, Hume, Cat. no. 178; id. S. F. ix, p. 112;
xi, p. 64 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Oaten,
B. B. ii, p. 57 ; Salvador?', Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 580 ;
v, p. 568 ; vii, p. 380 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 3 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 393 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 308.
The Bengal Rufous Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Fi-ing, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. The whole plumage dull rufous (light chest-
nut) ; top of the head and occiput tinged with dusky brown, the
feathers slightly paler at the edges, feathers of the chin and throat
with much more distinct pale edges ; feathers beneath the eye and
for a short distance forwards and backwards tipped with crimson ;
upper parts from the neck and the wing and tail-feathers with black
56 PICID.E.
transverse bars, which sometimes disappear completely on the
back, and are very narrow on the tail-feathers ; lower surface
rather duller in colour than the back, and without black bars
except occasionally on the flanks, thigh- and under tail-coverts.
In females there is no red below the eye. The young generally
have crescentic black or dusky marks on the tinderparts.
Bill very dark brown, plumbeous at the base of the lower
mandible ; irides brown, eyelids plumbeous ; legs and feet greyish
brown (Oates).
Length 10 ; tail 3 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -95; bill from gape 1'25.
Fig. 16. — Plead of M. ph&oceps.
Distribution. The forests at and near the base of the Himalayas
as far west as Dehra Dun ; the greater part of Bengal and parts
of the forest-region between the Ganges and Godavari, east of the
meridian of 80° or 82° * ; Assam, Cachar, Manipur, and Burma as
far south as Moulmein ; also Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China.
Habits, fyc. A quiet bird, generally silent but far from shy, and
where common, as in parts of Burma, found in both evergreen
and deciduous forest, in bamboo-jungle, and occasionally in culti-
vation. It feeds chiefly on the ants t that form nests in trees, and
has been several times found by Mr. Gammie in Sikhim, and by
Major Bingham in Tenasserim, to make a hole in the middle of
one of these ants' nests, and to lay its eggs in a cup-shaped cavity
in the middle. The eggs, generally three in number, are laid in
April and May ; they are thin, fragile, without gloss, and measure
about 1-16 by '7. The ants' nests are well known ; they are a foot
or more in diameter, and are composed of the leaves and twigs of
the tree cemented together by a felt-like substance.
* Barnes in the ' Birds of Bombay ' includes M. ph&oceps, because according
to Jerdon it is found in some of the forests of Central India. The mistake
has been repeatedly made of supposing that Jerdon. by the words ' Central
India,' meant the region go-called at the present day, whereas in the Introduc-
tion to the ' Birds of India,' p. xl, he defined the area, which as understood by
him comprised Chutia Nagpur and the forest-tracts extending southward to
Bastar. M. phaoceps is not known to occur anywhere within 300 miles of the
Bombay Presidency.
t Species of Cremastogaster, Jour. Bombay N. H. Sec. vii, p. 198.
MICROPTERXUS. 57
984. Micropternus brachyurus. The Malay Rufous Woodpecker.
Picus brachyurus, Vieill. Nouv. Did. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. 103 (1818).
Picus badius, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 289 (1822).
Micropternus badius, Blyth, J. A.S. B. xiv, p. 194 ; id. Cat. p. 61 :
Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 066 ; Hume, S. F. in. p. 319.
Micropternus brachyurus, Hume, S. F. v, p. 481 ; id. Cat. no. 178
bis ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 145 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 58 ;
Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 10 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 396.
This is very similar to M. phceoceps, but distinguished by being
smaller, by the crown not being as a rule darker than the back,
by the central portions of the pale-edged feathers of the chin,
throat, and malar region being much darker than the breast, and
by the black bars on the upper surface, and especially on the lower
plumage, being more developed, and those on the tail-feathers
broader. Most Tenasserim birds, except from south of Tavoy, are
intermediate between M. brachyurus and M. phceoceps.
Length about 8 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 4'5 ; tarsus '85 ; bill from
gape 1.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java, ex-
tending north into Tenasserim, where this Woodpecker appears to
pass into M. phceoceps.
985. Micropternus gularis. The Malabar Rufous Woodpecker.
Picus (Micropternus) gularis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2,
p. 139 (1844).
Micropternus gularis, Blyth, J. A.S. B. xv, p. 17 ; id. Cat. p. 61 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 294; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 297; Holdsicorth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 434 ; v, p. 481 ; id. Cat.
no. 179 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1874, p. 92 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, pp. 255,
265 ; Laird, S. F. vii, p. 470 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 200 ; Vidal,
S. F. ix, p. 53 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 356 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 331 ;
Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 7 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 399 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 118; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 335.
Phaiopicos jerdonii, Malh. Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 535 ; id. Picidce,
naiopicos i<
ii, p. 3, pi.
xlvii.
Coloration and sexual distinctions similar to those of the two
preceding species, except that the feathers of the chin and throat
which, as in M. brachyurus, are darker, except on their whitish
edges, than the breast-feathers, are confined to a tract in the
middle of the throat and do not extend to the malar region.
The head is usually dusky above, as in M. phceoceps. Upper parts
generally barred with black, lower parts seldom barred in adults,
the flanks alone showing some traces of barring.
Length 9 ; tail 2-75 ; wing 4'75 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from gape 1*2.
Distribution. Ceylon, and the forest tracts near the Malabar
coast, both below and above the Ghats, as far north as the
neighbourhood of Bombay.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of M. phceoceps ; this species has
been observed by several writers to feed on ants, and both Davison
58 PICIDJE.
and Aitken found the eggs laid in ants' nests. According to Legge,
it often feeds on the ground, and he has seen it breaking up the
dried dung of cattle. He also says it has a loud note, often heard
very early in the morning.
Genus BRACHYPTERNUS, Strickland, 1841.
Bill scarcely longer than head, the culmen curved ; nasal ridge
close to the culinen, but subobsolete ; nostrils exposed. First
(hind) digit and claw very small, together scarcely as long as one
of the claws of the other digits ; third and fourth toes subequal.
"Wings and tail longer than in Micropternus ; outer tail-feathers a
little longer than the coverts. A red occipital crest in both sexes ;
crown red in males, black with white spots in females ; back
yellow or red, lower parts black and white or fulvous.
This genus is peculiar to India and Ceylon.
Key to the Species.
Back yellow or orange B. aurantius, p. 58.
Back crimson B. erythronotus, p. 60.
986. Brachypternus aurantius. The Golden-backed Woodpecker.
Picus aurantius and P. bengalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, pp. 174, 175
(1766).
Malacolophus melanoehrysos, Hodgs. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 109 (1837).
Brachypternus aurantius, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 56; Horsf. & M. Cat. ii, p. 654; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858,
p. 475 ; 1859, p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 295 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 206; Cripps, ib. p. 263; Hume, Cat. no. 180; Reid, S. F. x,
p. 25 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 309.
Brachypternus micropus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 194 (1845).
Brachypternopicus chrysonotus (Less.), apud Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845,
p. 404.
Brachypternopicus puncticollis, Malh. t. c. p. 405.
Brachypternus dilutus, Blyth, Cat. p. 56 (1849); id. Ibis, 1866,
p. 356 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 297 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 171 ; id. Cat.
no. 182 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 370.
Brachypternus chrysonotus, apud Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 656 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 296; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209; Fair-
bank, S. F. iv, p. 255.
Brachypternus puncticollis, Holdsivorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 181 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 205, pi. ix ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 53 ;
Butler, ib. p. 386 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi. p. 336.
Brachypternus intermedius, Legge, S. F. iv, p. 242 ; White, S. F. v,
p. 201 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 479.
Brachypternus aurantius and B. puncticollis, Davison, S. F. x, p. 356 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. pp. 118, 119; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii,
pp. 404, 407.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown black, the feathers
tipped with crimson ; occipital crest bright crimson, the feathers
with whitish shaft-stripes ; a narrow stripe on each side of the
crown, and a broad band through the eye to the nape, including
upper lores and ear-coverts, mixed black and white ; remainder of
BEACHYPTERXUS. 59
sides of head, above and below the eye, and sides of neck white,
often tinged yellowish ; hind neck, upper back, rump, and upper
tail-covi'Hs velvety black; scapulars and interscapulary region
golden yellow, sometimes tinged with orange-red ; most of the
greater wing-coverts and some of the inner median coverts with
the outer webs of the secondary quills golden olive, the other
coverts black, nearly all coverts except along the forearm with a
subterminal yellowish or olivaceous white spot, varying much in
size; both webs of primaries and inner webs of secondaries
brownish black, with large white spots; tail-feathers entirely
black ; malar region, chin, throat, and fore neck black, with nume-
rous short white stripes or spots, this pattern passing gradually
into that of the breast, where the feathers are buffy white with
broad black borders, that become narrower on the abdomen ;
flanks and under tail-coverts white with broad black bars, or black
with large white spots (fig. 8, p. 14).
Female. Forehead and crown black, each feather with a terminal
spot]; a crimson occipital crest as in the male. Nestling birds are
sooty black and sullied white below, and the females want the
white spots on the head.
Bill slaty black ; irides red-brown ; orbital skin dusky green ;
feet dark green ; claws dusky (Jerdon).
Length 11/5 ; tail 3*75 ; wing 5*5 ; tarsus *95 ; bill from gape 1*5.
Distribution. Throughout India and Ceylon, ranging throughout
Sind and the Punjab, ascending the lower Western Himalayas to
about 3000 feet, and extending on the eastward to Eastern Bengal
and Cachar, but not to Assam.
The pale form from Sind, distinguished by Blyth as B. dilutus,
is a well-marked geographical race, paler yellow on the back, all
the interscapulary feathers with white shaft-stripes and dusky tips,
with white spots along the shafts of the scapulars, and large
white spots on the wing-coverts.
The dark Ceylon and Malabar and S. Indian form called
B. micropus by Blyth and B.puncticollis by Malherbe, and wrongly
identified with Picus chrysonotus of Lesson by several naturalists,
has much smaller and more rounded white spots on the throat and
fore neck, together with frequently a white bar near the base of
each feather in those parts. Occasionally the fore neck (not the
throat) is unspotted black. The black and white band through
the eye is connected by a black stripe with the nape. The black
edges of the breast-feathers are wider. But both in this case and
in that of B. dilutus not only are intermediate forms between them
and B. aurantius common, but there are in the Hume Collection
characteristic skins of B. dilutus from Bengal and of B. puncti-
collis from Lucknow.
B. intermedius has a red back, and is probably a hybrid between
the present "Woodpecker and B. eryihronotus ; and B. puncticollis
itself, especially the very dark Ceylon birds, may result from an
occasional cross with the red-backed species.
Habits, fyc. By far the commonest and most familiar of Indian
Woodpeckers, this is often seen about villages where there are
60 PICID^E.
trees, and especially in mango-groves. It is also found in thin
forest, and in Sind in tamarisk-scrub, and feeds much on ants ; it
is a bold noisy bird with a loud screaming call, often uttered on the
wing. It breeds in Northern India in March and April, and again
in June and July, in Ceylon from February till June ; the eggs,
three in number as a rule, being often laid in Northern India in a
hole in a mango-tree. The eggs are white and glossy, and measure
about 1-11 by -8.
987. Brachypternus erythronotus. The Red-backed Woodpecker.
Picus erithronothos, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d>Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. 73
(1818).
Picus ceylonus, Cuv. Regne Anim. e"d. 2e, i, p. 451 (1829).
Brachypternus erythronotus, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Hargitt,
Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 409 ; Gates, in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 311.
Brachypternus ceylonus, Blyth, Cat. p. 56 ; Layard,A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 449 (1854) ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 656 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1867,
p. 297 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Hume, Cat. no. 182 bis ;
Leyge, Birds Ceyl. p. 202, pi. viii.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown black, the feathers
tipped crimson ; occipital crest crimson, feathers more or less
white-shafted ; sides of head black, with two buffy-white stripes,
one from above the eye over the ear-coverts, the other from the
base of the upper mandible below the eye and ear-coverts down
the side of the neck ; supraorbital, upper loral, and malar regions
spotted white, ear-coverts streaked with white ; back of neck and
uppermost part of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black, the
rump-feathers edged with crimson; back and scapulars bright
crimson like the crest ; coverts and outer webs of secondaries
duller crimson ; generally several of the outer greater coverts and
a few median coverts each with a subterminal pinkish- white spot ;
both webs of primary quills and inner webs of secondaries black
with white spots, except near the tips ; tail black ; chin and
middle of throat like malar region black with apical white spots,
and generally with the base of the feathers white, sides of throat
entirely black ; rest of lower parts white, often sullied, the feathers
with black edges, which are so broad on the breast as to pre-
dominate, the white being frequently reduced to large spots ;
flanks, thighs, and lower tail-coverts more or less barred with black.
Female. Forehead and crown black, with small white apical
spots ; occipital crest alone crimson.
Bill blackish, base and sides of under mandible leaden ; iris red ;
legs and feet murky greenish, olivaceous green, or dusky sap-green
(Legge).
Length about 11*5 inches ; tail 3-75 ; wing 5-4 ; tarsus -95 ;
bill from gape 1*5.
Distribution. Peculiar to Ceylon, found almost throughout the
island up to 3500 or 4000 feet elevation.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of B. aurantius. According to
TIGA. 61
Legge this Woodpecker is partial to cocoanut and other trees in
cultivation, but is also common in forest. It is pugnacious, fear-
less, and active, and has a loud harsh call ; it lives largely on red
ants. It breeds in Southern Ceylon from February till June, and
not unfrequently lays its eggs, which appear not to have been
described, in a hole cut into the stem of a dead cocoanut-tree.
Genus TIGA, Kaup, 1836.
This genus is very close to Brachypternus, and differs chiefly in
having no hallux (first digit or inner hind toe); the coronal
feathers are more elongate and the wing more pointed. It repre-
sents Brachypternus east of the Bay of Bengal, but is also found
in the Indian Peninsula.
Key to the Species.
A single black line down middle of throat T. javanensis, p. 61.
Two black lines with a brownish space between
them down middle of throat T. shorei, p. 62.
988. Tiga javanensis. The Common Golden-backed Tfiree-toed
Woodpecker.
Picus javanensis, Ljung, Kon. Svensk. Vet.-Ak. HandL 1797, p. 134 ;
Walden, Jfos, 187], p. 164.
Picus tiga, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 177 (1821).
Chrysonotus tridaetylus, Siuains. Classif. B. ii, p. 309 (1837).
Picus (Tiga) intermedius, partim, and P. (T.) tridactylus (Swains.),
Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 193 (1845).
Picas (Brachypternopicus) rubropygialis, Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845,
p. 400.
Tig-a intermedia and T. tridactyla, Blyth, Cat. p. 56.
Chrysonota tiga and C. intenuedius, Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 657.
Chrysonotus intermedius and C. rubropygialis, Jerdon, B.f.i, p. 299.
Tiga intermedia, Hume, S. F. iii, pp. 74, 328 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv,
p. 311 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2).iv, p. 580; v, p. 567 ;
vii, p. 432.
Chrysonotus rubropygialis, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 390.
Tiga javanensis, Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 75 ; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 14(3, 501 ; Hume, Cat. no. 184 ; Oates, S. F. viii,
p. 165; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164; Damson, S. F. x, p. 357;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 55 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 412 ; Oates in
Hume's N. 8f JE. 2nd ed. ii, p. 311.
The Common Three-toed Woodpecker ; The Southern Three-toed Wood-
pecker, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. Crown and long occipital crest crimson, the
feathers dark ashy at the base, then black, then red ; forehead
often brownish ; sides of head and neck white, except a broad
black band from the eye to the nape, and another black band,
often much mixed with white, from the malar region to the
shoulder; hind neck and uppermost back black; back, scapulars,
and wing-coverts golden olive, with orange or scarlet edges ; rump
62
and lower back crimson; upper tail-coverts black, often brownish ;
outer webs of secondary quills golden olive, rest of quills brownish
black, with white spots on the inner webs only, tips of primaries
sometimes very pale or whitish ; tail black ; lower parts white or
buffy white ; a broken black stripe down the middle of the chin
and throat, getting broader below ; feathers of breast and abdomen
with broad black edges, so broad on the breast as to produce a
scale-like pattern ; flanks and lower tail-coverts barred black.
Female. Whole crown and occipital crest black, with elongate
subterminal spots on each feather.
Bill very dark brown ; iris ha/el ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs
greenish ; claws horn-colour (Oates).
Length 11-5 ; tail 4; wing 5-8 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1'5.
Distribution. Common throughout Burma, extending to Siam,
Cambodia, Cochin China, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra,
and Java. Pound also in the hill-forests near the Malabar coast
of India as far north as the Wynaad. The statement that the
type of T. rubropygialis came from Bengal needs confirmation
(according to Jerdon it came from Bangalore). Apparently this
species is found nowhere in the Peninsula of India except the
southern part of the Malabar coast, and it is also wanting in the
Assam hills, Cachar, and Manipur.
The Malabar form called Chrysonotus rubropygialis by Jerdon
is rather smaller than the Burmese, and has rather more white on
the breast, but there is no constant distinction.
Habits, tyc. Very similar to those of Brachypternus. The present
species has much the same shrill call and is equally familiar. The
eggs have been taken in March in the Malabar forests by F. Bour-
dillon, and in Burma from March to May by Oates and Bingham.
They are laid, like those of other Woodpeckers, in holes in trees,
are white, glossy, and usually three in number, and measure about
1-11 by -8.
989. Tiga shorei. The Himalayan Golden-backed Three- toed
Woodpecker.
Picus shorei, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 175.
Picas (Tiga) shorei, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 193.
Tiga shorei, Blyth, Cat. p. 56, partim ? ; Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 73,
partim ; id. Cat. no. 183 ; Davison, S. F. ix, p. 357 ; Hargitt, Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 417.
Chrysonotus shorei, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 658; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 298 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 586 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 206.
Chrysonotus biddulphi, Tickett, Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 344 ; Hume,
S. F. v, p. 497.
The Large Three-toed Woodpecker, Jerdon.
Very similar to T. javanensis. The differences are that in the
present species there are two broken black lines down the throat
and fore neck, the space between them heing isabelline, as is the
malar region and sometimes the breast in part. There is less
QAUROPTCOIDES. 63
black on the lower parts throughout. There is no black or
blackish bar behind the crimson tips of the coronal feathers in the
male, and the bases of the feathers are paler ashy ; whilst in the
female the feathers on the top of the head are brown with long
white shaft-lines.
Bill blackish slaty ; irides crimson ; legs plumbeous (Jerdon*).
Length about 12 ; tail 4-25 ; wing 6 ; tarsus T05 ; bill from
gape 1*6.
Distribution. The lower valleys of the Himalayas from Dehra Dun
to Bhutan, also Bhamo and the neighbourhood of Thayet Myo in
Upper Pegu. It is remarkable that neither this species nor the
last appears to have been observed in the countries between
Burma and the Himalayas. Eeported occurrences of T. shorei in
the Indian Peninsula need confirmation ; they may have been
founded on large specimens of T. javanensis, but one in Blyth's
Catalogue, from Goomsur, should not be forgotten.
It is on the whole doubtful whether this form should be kept
separate from T. javanensis.
Genus GAUROPICOIDES, Malherbe, 1861.
Three toes only, the hallux or inner posterior toe wanting ;
hind toe shorter than outer fore toe. Bill with the culmen
straight and sharply augulate, the nasal ridge well marked, near
the culmen; nostrils at base of bill, nasal plumes short, but
covering the nostrils. Tail-feathers narrow, all pointed except
the outer pair, which are but little shorter than the next. Wings
very rounded.
Coloration yellow above, brown below, the head banded with
black and white at the side ; male with a red, female with a black
cap. A single species.
990. Gauropicoides rafflesi. Raffles's Three-toed Woodpecker.
Picus rafflesii, Vigors, Raffi. Mem., App. p. 669 (1830).
Tiga rafflesi, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1846, p. 103; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xv, p. 16 ; id. Cat. p. 57.
Chrysonotus rafflesi, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 658.
Gauropicoides rafflesi, Malh. Picidce, i, p. liii ; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 185 bis ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 146; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 42 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 132.
Coloration. Male. Whole cap, nape, and long pointed nuchal
crest bright crimson ; nasal plumes and lores pale brown ; lower
lores and a band from them under the eye to far down the side of
the neck white, also a white supercilium from above the eye to
the nape ; a band down the back of the neck, a line above the
supercilium, a broad band below it from the eye, and a third line
from the base of the lower mandible black, the lowest line is
narrow and brown at first but broader behind ; back, scapulars,
secondary-coverts, and outer webs of secondaries golden olive, the
64
edges of the feathers brighter ; rump-feathers the same, but the
edges sometimes tinged with red ; primary-coverts and wing-
feathers blackish brown, the inner webs of the latter with a few
round white spots towards the base, the primaries tipped with
whitish and having occasionally a few very small pale spots on the
outer webs ; upper tail-coverts dark brown ; tail black ; chin
and throat white sullied with fulvous ; remaining lower parts
olive-brown, the flanks and under wing-coverts spotted white.
Female. The crimson of the head and nape is replaced by black ;
forehead yellowish brown.
Upper mandible and tip of lower black or bluish, rest of lower
mandible plumbeous ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet dark
green.
Length 12 ; tail 4'6 ; wing 5-7 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1-5.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into Tenasserim to
a little north of the latitude of Moulin ein ; also Sumatra and
Borneo.
Habits, fyc. According to Davison this Woodpecker much
resembles Tiga javanensis in its habits and voice. It keeps to
evergreen forests, is found singly or in pairs, and is not shy.
It is seen on fallen trees but not on the ground.
Genus CHRYSOCOLAPTES, Blyth, 1843.
Bill stout and long, culmen nearly straight ; nasal ridge strongly
marked, commencing at base of bill halfway between culmen and
commissure ; nostrils elongate, exposed. Feet large, first or hind
toe well developed ; fourth toe longer than third ; claws very large.
Head large and conspicuously crested, neck very small. Outer pair
of tail-feathers just exceeding the coverts in length. Plumage
very like that of Brachypternus ; yellow or red above ; white, the
feathers edged with black, below.
Key to the Species.
a. Crown of male red, of female yellow ; back
black C. festivus, p. 64.
b. Crown of male red, of female black with
white spots.
a'. Back golden olive C. gutticristatus, p. 65.
b'. Back red C. stricklandi, p. 67.
991. Chrysocolaptes festivus. The Black-lacked Woodpecker.
Picus festivus, Boddaert, Tabl. PL Enl. p. 43, no. 696 (1783).
Picus goensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 434 (1788).
Dendrocopus elliotii, Jei'don, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 212 (1840).
Picus (Chrysocolaptes) melanotus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1005
(1843).
Chrysocolaptes goensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 55 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 282.
Chrysocolaptes festivus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ; Blanford,
CHETSOCOLAPTES. 65"
J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168; Adam, S. F. i, p. 373; Ball,
S. F. ii, p. 391 ; vii, p. 206 ; Sutler, S. F. iii, p. 458 ; ix, p. 385 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 167; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52; Legge, Birds Ceyl
p. 191 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 297 ; Hume, ib. p. 355 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 1 15 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 445 ; Oates in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 312.
Coloration. Male. Forehead with large huffy-white spots on a
brown ground ; long feathers of crown and occiput crimson, a black
border, often mixed with white anteriorly, to the crown ; hind neck
and middle of upper back white ; remainder of back, scapulars,
smaller wing-coverts along the forearm, tail-coverts and tail black ;
larger and median secondary-coverts olive with golden-yellow edges,
outer webs of secondaries golden olive, rest of quill-feathers
brownish black, all outer webs with spots, brownish or greenish
outside, white inside, inner webs with large white spots ; sides of
head and neck and under parts white or buffy white, except a
broad black band from each eye down the side of the neck, two
black lines on each malar region, the two meeting at the side
of the throat, and a median line down the throat, or five lines
in all ; breast-feathers with broad black lateral margins producing
a striped appearance, abdominal with narrower and less defined
borders ; under tail-coverts mixed black and white.
Female. Coronal and occipital feathers golden yellow, broad
forehead spotted as in the male. In young males the crest-
feathers are dull scarlet, in young females the yellow crest-feathers
have red tips.
Bill dusky blackish; irides crimson; legs and feet horny
plumbeous (Jerdori).
Length about 12-5 ; tail 3'5 ; wing 6'25 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from
gape 2-2.
Distribution. This Woodpecker is found throughout the greater
part of the Indian Peninsula and Ceylon, in forest-tracts, ranging
to Dehra Dun and the Oudh Terai in the north, the Aravalli Hills
to the west, Behar and Chutia Nagpur to the east. On Lthe
Malabar coast it appears to be much less common than the next
species, but has been recorded from Ratnagiri, Goa, and the
Nilgiris. It is, as a rule, rare or very locally distributed.
Habits, fyc. This, though a forest bird, is not an inhabitant of
thick jungle, and has been observed in cultivation occasionally.
According to Davidson it breeds in the hills around Khandesh
in November, December, and January, and lays a single white egg
in a hole in a tree as usual. Generally a new hole is cut out every
year.
992. Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus. TickdVs Golden-backed
Woodpecker.
Picus guttacristatua, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 578 £ (1833).
Picus sultaneus, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 105 (1837).
Picus strictus, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 210.
VOL. III. F
PICIDJG.
Chrysocolaptes sultanens, Blyth, Cat. p. 55 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 653 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 281 ; id. Ibis, 1872,
p. 8 ; Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 64 ; Armstrong, 8. F. iv, p. 310 ;
Hume % Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 133 ;
Hume, Cat.no. 166; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 584;
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 61.
Indopicus sultaneus (Hodgs.} and I. delesserti, Malh. Mem. Acad.
Metz, 1848-49, p. 343.
Chrysocolaptes delesserti, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ; Hume, S. F.
iii, p. 64 ; Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 389 ; Fairbank, S. F. v,
p. 396 ; Dav. 8f Wend. S. F. vii, p. 78 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 205 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 166 bis ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 114.
Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8 ; Blyth fy
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 75; Fairbank, S. F. iv, pp. 255, 265;
Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 448 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 313.
Chrysocolaptes strictus, apud Hume, S. F. viii, p. 154 ; Butler, S. F.
ix, pis. 238, 385 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 354 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 53.
The Golden-backed Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Tashi-on-bau, Lepcha.
Fig. 17.— Head of C. gutticristatus, J.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and border of crown to above eye
brown, crown and occiput covered with long crimson feathers and
bordered with black ; hind neck in the middle white, the feathers
often bordered with black and the white more or less reduced to
spots ; back, scapulars, and whole outer surface of wings, except
primary-coverts and outer webs of primaries, golden olive, the
feathers with bright golden or sometimes scarlet edges ; quills and
prima.ry-coverts brown, inner webs with round white spots, tips
of primaries often pale ; rump crimson ; upper tail-coverts and
tail black. Sides of head and neck and lower parts as in C.festivus,
except that there is more black, especially on the fore neck and
breast, which are generally black with white spots.
Females have the crown and occiput black with round white
spots. In young males the forehead is coloured as in females.
Bill bluish brown ; iris pinkish yellow; eyelids dark slaty brown;
legs greenish blue (Oates).
CHRYSOCOLAPTES. 67
Length about 13 ; tail 4'25 ; wing 6*5 (varying from 5'85 to
7*45); tarsus 1*3 ; bill from gape 2.
Distribution. Throughout the Lower Himalayas as far west as
Dehra Dun, rare in Lower Bengal, Manbhoom (Beavan), Dholbhum
and Borabhum (Tickell), and common in the neighbourhood of
the Malabar coast from western Khandesh to Cape Comorin. This
species has not been recorded from other parts of the Indian
Peninsula, but east of the Bay of Bengal it appears to be found
from Assam throughout Burma and the neighbouring countries
to Singapore, Siam, and Cochin China.
The Malabar race (wing 5*8-6'3 ; culmen l'T-1'9) is much
smaller than the Himalayan (wing G'7-7'45 ; culmen 2-2-4) and
has been distinguished as C. delesserti ; but Hume has shown that
in Burma there is a complete gradation between the two, and that
Malay Peninsula birds are small like those from Malabar. In
many species of Oriental birds and mammals the size diminishes
to the southward. The true C. strictus is peculiar to Java, and is
distinguished by the female having a yellow head as in 0. festivus.
Habits, fyc. This bird is found both in thick forest and in cultiva-
tion, and in Burma often haunts trees on the banks of streams. It
has, Jerdon says, a high-pitched, faint, screaming note, quite unlike
the loud and harsh call of Brachyptemus aurantius. It also, like
others of this genus, makes a great noise when tapping by repeating
its strokes with unusual rapidity. It breeds on the Nilgiris between
5500 and 7000 feet in December, January, and February, and in the
northern Satpuras near Bombay in March, making a large hole in
the trunk of a tree from 6 to 60 feet from the ground, and laying
a single white egg.
993. Chrysocolaptes stricklandi. Layard's Woodpecker.
Brachypternus stricklandi, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 449
(1854).
Chrysocolaptes stricklandi, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 297 ; Holdsivorth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 427 ; Leggc, Ibis, 1874, p. 15 ; 1875, pp. 283, 410;
id. S. F. iii, p. 200 ; id Birds Ceyl. p. 188, pi. vii ; Holdsworth,
Ibis, 1874, p. 123 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 368 ; id. Cat. no. 166 ter ;
Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 453 ; Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd
ed. il, p. 313.
Coloration. Back, scapulars, and outer surface of wings, except
primary-coverts and outer webs of primaries, dull crimson, edges
of feathers brighter, rump also brighter. In all other respects
this species resembles C. yutticristatus except that there is every-
where more black and less white, there are only white spots on
the back of the neck, and the sides of the head above the malar region
and of the neck are almost all black, the superciliary stripe being
represented by a row of white spots. The black borders of the
breast-feathers are very broad. Sexual distinctions as in C. yutti-
cristatus.
Bill brownish or olivaceous at the base, greenish white in the
F2
68 PICID^E.
middle, the tip dusky ; iris yellowish white ; legs and feet greenish'
slate (Legge).
Length about 11*5 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 5-9 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from
gape 1*9.
Distribution. Confined to Ceylon. This Woodpecker is found in
forests almost throughout the island, on both hills and lowlands.
Habits, 6fc. Similar to those of C.gutticristatus. Legge observed
birds of this species haunting a nest-hole high up a large tree in
January in such a manner as to indicate that they had young.
Genus HEMICERCUS, Swainson, 1837.
Size small ; bill straight, compressed towards the end, nasal ridge
well marked, beginning at the base halfway between culmen and
commissure and extending half the distance to the tip ; nostrils
covered with plumes ; feet very large, hallux well developed, fourth
toe longer than third ; a long crest on the occiput and nape ; neck
very slender ; tail very short, but little exceeding the tail-coverts
and only about one-third the length of the wing, the tail-feathers
rounded at the end, outer pair distinctly shorter. Plumage black
or dark olivaceous grey and buff. Both sexes have in the middle
of the back a tuft of bristly feathers smeared with a viscid secretion
having a peculiar resinous scent.
Only three species are known, of which one is peculiar to Java,
the others inhabit India and Burma.
Key to the Species.
A. Crown red in males, olive-grey like remainder
of head in females, ruddy buff in young .... H. sordidus, p. 68.
B. Crown black with white specks in males, buff
in females and young H. canente, p. 69.
994. Hemicercus sordidus. The Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker.
Dendrocopus sordidus, Eyton, A. M. N. H. xvi, p. 229 (1845).
Hemicercus concretus (Temm.), apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 195;
id. Cat. p. 54 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat, ii, p. 650.
Hemicercus sordidus, Tweeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 291 ; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 128 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 bis A ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 32 ;
Hargitt, Ibis, 1884, p. 247 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 483.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown crimson ; coronal feathers
elongate, the crimson cap tapering to a point on the occiput ; long
nuchal crest, with the sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and
breast olivaceous grey; hind neck buff; back, scapulars, wing-
coverts, and tertiaries black, each feather with a buff margin and
many with a buff bar across the middle ; remaining quills brownish
black except the inner margin towards the base, which, with the
rest of the wing-lining, is buff ; on the secondaries some trian-
gular buff spots appear on the outer webs, which gradually increase
till they become bars on the tertiaries ; lower back uniform grey ;
rump buff ; upper and lowrer tail-coverts black tipped with buff ;
1I1.MICE11CUS. 69
tail black, the outer feathers barred and tipped with buff ; a slight
trace of a buff line down the side of the neck ; abdomen grey, with
buffy-white edges to the feathers.
Female. Forehead and crown olive-grey like the rest of the head.
In the young of both sexes the crown and long nuchal crest are
ruddy buff, the feathers tipped with olive-grey ; in males the long
nuchal feathers become partly crimson, as these become olive-grey
the crown becomes crimson, the passage being gradual. The whole
mantle is buff with black spots, the rump-feathers are edged with
grey, and those of the lower parts with buff in very young birds.
Bill plumbeous grey ; irides red-brown ; legs and feet plumbeous,
tinged greenish (Davison).
Length 5'5; tail 1*2 ; wing 3*4 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
ranging north into the extreme south of Tenasserim, a single
specimen having been obtained by Mr. Davison at Bankasiin.
995. Hemicercus canente. The Heart-spotted Woodpecker.
Picus canente, Less. Cent. Zool p. 215, pi. 73 (1830).
Hemicercus canente, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 282 ; id. Cat. p. 54;
Horsf. # M. Cat. ii, p. 650 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 280 ; Hume, 8. F.
iii, p. 61 ; id. Cat. no. 165 bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 61 ; Blyth $ Wald.
Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 344 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. f.
v, p. 25 ; Butler, ibid. p. 503 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 127, 500 ;
Binyham, S. F. ix, p. 161 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 30 ; Hargitt, Ibis,
1884, p. 252 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 486 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ.
Gen. (2) v, p. 564 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 314.
Hemicercus cordatus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 211 (1840) ;
id. III. Ind. Orn. pi. xl ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 354 ; Hume $ Bourd.
S. F. iv, p. 389 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 ; Sutler, S. F. ix, p. 385 ;
Damson, S. F. x, p. 354 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1884, p. 257 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 488 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 114.
Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head with long occipital
crest, nape and sides of neck, back, scapulars, upper and lower
tail-coverts, and tail black, the forehead and anterior portion of
crown with minute white spots ; a band round the hind neck,
connected with a median patch on the interscapulary tract and
running forward -along the sides of the neck to the chin, including
the throat and malar region, buff, as are also all the wing-coverts
along the forearm, the wing-lining, and the rump ; quills black,
margined with buff towards the base of the inner webs ; tertiaries
and a few of the larger and median coverts buff, each with a heart-
shaped black spot near the end ; fore neck, breast, and abdomen
dusky olive, darker behind, flanks black.
In the female and in the young of both sexes the forehead and
crown are buff.
Bill black ; irides dark reddish brown ; legs and feet very dark
green, sometimes appearing almost black (Davison).
In males, length 6'4 ; tail 1-4; wing 3-9 ; tarsus '7; bill from
gape 1*1. Females are rather smaller : wing 3*7 ; bill from
gape -9.
70 PldD^E.
The Malabar variety H. cordatus measures less on an average
(wing in males about 3-7, in females 3'6), but small Burmese
specimens are identical in measurement with large Malabar skins.
The Malabar form has, as a rule, a more slender but not a shorter
tarsus. I can find no characters by which the two geographical
races can be constantly distinguished.
Fig. 18.— Head of H. canente.
Distribution. Throughout the Burmese countries from Cachar in
the north to Kussoom, about 150 miles south of the Tenasserim
frontier in the Malay Peninsula, ranging eastward to Siam, Cam-
bodia, and Cochin China. Also in the forests along the Malabar
coast of India both below and above the Ghats from Khandala to
Cape Comorin. The only place in the interior of the Peninsula
whence this bird has been reported is ia the Chanda forests, where
Jerdon says he found it. I was on two occasions for some months
each time in the forests around Chanda and certainly never saw it,
nor has it been observed in the Central Provinces since Jerdon's
time. Jerdon does not say he obtained specimens ; and although
he very rarely made a mistake, I think the occurrence of this
species in the Indian Peninsula, except in the Malabar tract, needs
confirmation.
Habits, &fc. Found in pairs, sometimes in families, in forest or clear-
ings, usually haunting the tops of high trees. The note is peculiar,
rather loud and long, and is frequently uttered. The eggs, usually
two in number, have been found by Mr. Inglis in Cachar in March,
by Major Bingham and Mr. Davison in Tenasserim in December
and March, and by Mr. Darling near Kussoom, Malay Peninsula,
in July : they are white and glossy, deposited on chips in a hole
made in a tree, and measure about *9 by '7.
Genus HEMILOPHUS, Swainson, 1837.
Size very large. Bill large, culmen curved at the base, then
straight, tip compressed and chisel-shaped ; nasal ridge well deve-
loped, near the culmen, continued almost to the tip ; nostrils
large, rounded, covered with plumes ; feet and claws large ; hallux
well-developed ; fourth toe shorter than third ; wings and tail
long ; tail-feathers very strong and pointed, the outer pair just
HEMILOPHUS. 71
extending beyond the coverts ; feathers of the head short, harsh
and scaly ; no crest. Plumage ashy.
A single species, which is the largest Indian Woodpecker.
996. Hemilophus pulverulentus. The Great Slaty Woodpecker.
Picus pulverulentus, Temm. PL Col. pi. 389 (1826).
Picus gutturalis, Valenc. Diet. Sc. Nat. xl, p. 178 (1826).
Hemilophus pulverulentus, 8wains. Classif. B. ii, p. 309 ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 54 ; id. J. A. S. B. xxiii, p. 215 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464 ;
Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 494; Oates in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 315.
P-
p. 133 ; Hume, Cat. no. 168 ; Bint/ham, S. F. ix, pp. 141, 162, 472^
Alophonerpes gutturalis, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv (2), p. 106 ;
Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 75.
Mulleripicus gutturalis, Hume <y Oates, S. F. iii, p. 66.
Alophonerpes pulverulentus, Wardl.-Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 29.
Coloration. Male. Ashy grey ; head paler, especially in front,
all feathers of forehead, crown, neck, and breast with small pale
tips ; a large dull pale crimson patch in the malar region below
the eye ; chin, throat, and fore neck saffron-yellow, tinged with
red, especially on the fore neck, the feathers of the yellow area
short and stiff ; whole body slaty ash, paler and isabelline round
the vent ; quills and tail-feathers darker ; outer webs of primaries
sometimes tipped pale.
The female wants the red malar patch, and the throat and fore
neck are yellow without any red. In young males the forehead
and greater part of the crown are tinged with pale crimson.
Bill bluish white, black on the culmen and tips of both man-
dibles ; mouth bluish black ; eyelids plumbeous ; iris dark hazel-
brown ; legs dark plumbeous ; claws bluish (Oates).
Length of males about 20 ; tail 7 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1*55 ; bill
from gape 3 : females rather less.
Distribution. The Terai and base of the Himalayas, as far west
as Kumaun (or, perhaps, Dehra Dun), not common ; also from
Assam throughout Burma to Cochin China, Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo, sparingly distributed as a rule, but common in a few
localities.
Habits, $c. This grand "Woodpecker is a deni/en of high forests,
and especially of hilly tracts, and is generally seen high up the
stems and upper branches of trees, keeping in small parties of
from three or four to ten or twelve, and very noisy, often uttering
a peculiar querulous call. The nest was found by Bingham during
the rains in a Kanyin tree (Dipterocarpus alatus) that had been
blown down and used as a bridge over ;i sin -am. The birds
had made a hole 3| inches in diameter, extending a foot inwards
and then 8 inches downwards. The hole contained two fresh
glossy white eggs, measuring 1*41 x I'll.
72
PICID^E.
Genus THEIPONAX, Cab. & Heine, 1863.
This genus is structurally very similar to HemilopTius, except
that it has a well-marked nuchal crest, and that the feathers of
the head are of the ordinary texture. The bill is not quite so
long as in HemilopTius, and the nasal ridge is farther from the
culmen, though still nearer to it, at the base of the bill, than to
the commissure. The plumage in Thriponax is chiefly black, in
most species with some white on the body ; the cap and a malar
patch are red in males, in females of all Indian species the
occiput and nape retain the red colour.
The genus occurs in Malabar, throughout Burma and the
Malay countries, in the Philippines, and Korea. There are four
Indian species.
Key to the Species.
<i. Rump white.
a'. Primaries black throughout, or nearly so .... T. hodgsoni, p. 72.
b'. Basal half of inner webs of primaries white . . T. feddeni, p. 73.
b. Rump black.
c'. Abdomen white T.javensis, p. 74.
d'. No white in plumage T. hodgii, p. 75.
Fig. 19.— Head of T. Jiodgsoni.
997. Thriponax hodgsoni. The Malabar Great Black
Woodpecker.
Hemilophus hodgsonii, Jerdon, Madr. Jour, xi, p. 215, pi. ii (1840) ;
Blyth, Cat. j>. 55.
Picus hodgsonii, Jerdon, 111. 2nd. Orn. pi. v.
Mulleripicus hodgsoni, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 284.
Thriponax hodgsoni, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 67 ; id. Cat. no. 169 ; Hume
8f Bourdillon, 8. F. iv, p. 390 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 386 ; Davison,
S. F. x, p. 355; McGregor, ibid. p. 437; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885,
p. 150 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 503; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 116;
Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 335.
The Great Black Woodpecker, Jerdon.
THIUPONAX.
73
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, and large malar
patch on each side crimson ; lower back and rump, lower breast
and upper part of abdomen, flanks, axillaries, and basal portion
(1-1-15 inches long) of inner webs of secondaries buffy white ;
remainder of plumage black.
Female. The crimson is confined to the occiput and nape, all
the remainder of the head black.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs dark plumbeous (Jerdon).
Length of males about 19, of females 17'5 ; tail 7 ; wing 8'5 ;
tarsus 1'5 ; bill from gape 2' 6.
Distribution. Forests near the Malabar coast up to an elevation
of about 3000 feet or rather higher, from Travancore to west of
Belgaum (16° N. lat.). Not recorded farther north.
Habits, $c. A shy bird, not noisy, usually found in pairs, some-
times in parties of three to six. It keeps generally to evergreen
forest and has a loud, not unpleasant, call-note. The eggs are not
known with certainty, and Davidson thinks it lays one only, as he
never saw more than three birds together.
998. Thriponax feddeni. The Burmese Great Black
Woodpecker.
Mulleripicus feddeni, Blanford, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 75 (1863).
Thriponax jerdoni, Cab. $ Heine, Mus. Hein. iv (2), p. 105 (1863).
Hemilophus feddeni, Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464.
Thriponax feddeni, Walden, Ibis, 1871, p. 164 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,
p. 194 ; ix, p. 162 ; Hume, S. F. viii, p. 409 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 28 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 152 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 504 ;
Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 578.
Thriponax crawfurdi, apud Hume, S. F. iii, p. 66 ; Blyth 8f Wald.
Birds Burm. p. 75 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 134 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 169 ter, nee Pic us crawfurdii, Gray *.
Coloration very similar to that of T. hodysoni, but distinguished
by the much larger extent of the white or creamy-white area on
the lower parts, where the white extends from the middle breast
* Picus crawfurdii was described in 1829 by Dr. J. E. Gray (Griffith's Ouv.
An. King., Birds, ii. p. 513, fig.) from a coloured drawing made by a native artist
for Mr. Crawfurd, by whom the drawing was brought to England. No specimen
of the bird has ever been examined by a naturalist, and as in many similar
cases, where names have been given to figures, it has proved impossible to
recognize the species. The following description was taken by Dr. Gray from
the drawing : —
" The whole upper part (except the crest) is deep dark brown, sprinkled
with grey on the sides of the neck ; across the breast is a large lunule patch of
slate-colour with small dark waves ; the belly is yellow, with the like crescent-
shaped spots, and the crest is deep red."
It should be added that in the figure the crown (not the forehead) is red,
and there is no red malar patch. The black rump distinguishes the figure
from T. feddeni. I strongly suspect the drawing to have been an inaccurate
representation of a female T.javensis. Mr. Crawfurd, however, resided for a
considerable time in Ava, where T. feddeni occurs.
74
to the vent inclusive, on the rump where it sometimes extends-
to the tail-coverts, and especially inside the wings, the basal half
or nearly half of the inner webs of all quills being white ; some
of the outer primaries generally white- tipped ; some white mixed
with the black on the sides of the head, and on the chin and
throat. Sexual distinctions as in T. hodgsoni.
Bill slaty ; irides yellow ; legs and feet plumbeous ; claws
horny (Bingham).
Length about 16 ; tail 6 ; wing 8*5 ; tarsus 1-4 ; bill from gape
2*2 : the female as large as the male.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of Burma from
Bharno in the north to the hills east of Moulmein (Kokarit).
This bird has also been sent from Siam and Cochin China.
Habits, fyc. A forest-bird found also in clearings, and generally
observed in pairs on saplings and small trees. According to
Captain Feilden and Mr. Davison the flight is peculiar and
noiseless — the blows given by the bill when tapping are loud
but slow, not quickly repeated like those of Brachypternus, Cliryso-
colaptes, and Hemiloplius. The call is not loud but is charac-
teristic, somewhat resembling a Jackdaw's. The nidification has
not been observed.
999. Thriponax javensis. The Malay Black Woodpecker.
Picus javensis, Horsjield, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 176 (1821).
Picus leucogaster, Valenc. Diet. Sc. Nat. xl, p. 178 (1826).
Hemilophua javensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 55.
Mulleripicus javensis, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 652.
Thriponax javensis, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 75 ; Hume, S. F. iiir
p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 169 quat. ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 135 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 27 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 145 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 498.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, and a large malar
patch crimson ; lower breast, abdomen, flanks, auxiliaries, and the
inner webs near the base of some of the quills, chiefly secondaries,
creamy white; all the rest of the plumage black, small white
streaks intermixed on sides of neck behind ear-coverts, and on chin
and throat; sometimes a white tip to each of the outer primaries.
In the female the crimson is confined to the occiput and nape.
Bill black, lower mandible plumbeous; iris creamy white or
yellow ; orbital skin dark plumbeous ; legs and feet pale plumbeous
(Davison).
Length about 17 ; tail 7 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1/4 ; bill from gape 2-4.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into the extreme
south of Tenasserim, also Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and several of
the Philippine Islands.
Habits, 6fc. Similar to those of T. feddeni.
PICUMNUS. 75
1000. Thriponax hodgii. The Andaman Black Woodpecker.
Mulleripicus hodgei, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxix, p. 105 (1860) ; Beavan,
Ibis, 1867, p. 320 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 241 ; xli, pt. 2,
p. 279 ; id. S. F. i, p. 63.
Thriponax hodgei, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 301 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 139;
id. Cat. no. 169 bis ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 142 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 502.
Coloration. The forehead, crown, nape, and malar patch crimson
in the male, occiput and nape only in the female, all the rest of
the plumage black.
Bill black, in some specimens, not in all, whitish and semi-
transparent at the tip ; i rides pale yellow ; legs, feet, and claws
blackish plumbeous (Hume}.
Length about 15 ; tail 6 ; wing 7*5 ; tarsus 1-3 ; bill from
gape 1-9.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands.
Habits, #c. This Woodpecker is said by Davison to keep to the
larger trees, to have a shrill rasping whistle, and to make a great
noise tapping. He shot the young well grown at the end of
March.
PICKS or Dryocopus martius was at one time believed by Hume
to inhabit part of the Khirthar range, Sind. I have been all over
the range, which is very barren and treeless, and there is no part
suited for this bird ; moreover I ascertained when in Sind that the
native story told to Mr. Hume about the occurrence of a black
Woodpecker (S. F. i, pp. 129, 171) at Dharyaro was a hoax.
Subfamily PICUMNIN^E.
This subfamily consists of the smallest forms of the group,
distinguished by having flexible tail-feathers and short tails, by their
nostrils being always covered with dense plumes and bristles, and,
according to Mr. W. Kitchen Parker, by a less developed type of
palatal structure. The Picumnince or Piculets, as they have been
called, climb less and perch more than the true Woodpeckers,
which, however, they resemble in food and in nidification. They
are found in the Oriental region, Africa, and South America.
Two genera are Indian.
Key to the Genera.
Toes 4 ; orbital region feathered PICUMNUS, p. 75.
Toes 3 ; orbital region naked SASIA, p. 77.
Genus PICUMNUS, Teinininck, 1825.
Size small. Bill conical, compressed, pointed, the culmen slightly
curved and angulate, the nostrils and chin-angle concealed by dense
76 .
plumes with black bristles projecting. Wing and tail rounded.
Toes 4. Orbits feathered. Plumage soft, lax, and elongate.
A large genus comprising 33 species, of which all but two are
South American ; one inhabits China, and one is Indian.
1001. Picumnus innominatus. The Speckled Piculet.
Picumnus innominatus, Burton, P. Z. S. 1835, p. 154 ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 65 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 549 ; Gates in Humes N. fy E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 316.
Vivia nipalensis, Hodgson, J. A. 8. B. yi, p. 107 (1837).
Vivia innominata, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 677 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 300 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 21 ; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97; Blyth 8? Wold. Birds Burm.
p. 78 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 351 ; xi, p. 64 ; id. Cat. no. 186 ; Scully,
S. F. viii, p. 250 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1881, p. 223 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviri,
*> Af\ T-» • 7 rv TTT * 1 /-» K Tl» «T • I <Tfc A ^T ~i \ *
A. & B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm.
11 ;
Ibi
?•••
^. 11
Wi-wi, Nepal ; Dang-chim, Lepcha.
p. 549 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 165 ; Inglis, ibid. p. 247 ; Davison,
S. F. x, p. 357 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 24.
Pig. 20. — Head of P. innominatus.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes yellowish white, with black
bristles projecting ; forehead olive ; sincipital feathers black with
reddish-orange borders, occiput and hind neck olive ; a broad band
from the eye down the side of the neck blackish olive ; a malar
stripe the same but mixed with white ; two yellowish-white bands
down each side of the neck, one from above the eye, the other
below the eye and ear-coverts, and including the lores ; back,
scapulars, and rump bright yellow-olive ; outside of wings the
same, becoming duller on the coverts ; inside of quills brown ;
yellowish white on the inner margins ; tail blackish brown, inner
webs of middle pair of feathers white, each feather of the two
outer large pairs and the small outermost pair with a broad oblique
white bar close to the tip ; chin and throat white, breast and
abdomen pale yellow, all with large black spots ; flanks barred ;
wing-lining white.
Female. The whole crown olive.
Bill plumbeous black ; irides brown ; feet dark plumbeous
(Scully}.
Length about 4; tail 1*4; wing 2*3; tarsus *52; bill from
gape 0'5.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Murree,
ranging from about 1500 to 6000, or even in places, according to
Stoliczka, 9000 feet above the sea. This species has also been
8ASIA. / 7
found very rarely in the hills of Southern India near the \\«-<t
coast, by Mr. J. Darling in the Wynaad, and by Mr. W. Davison
below Kotagiri on the Nilgiris. To the eastward it is found in
Assam, Cachar, and Manipur, and very sparingly in Burma, the
Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra. In Burma it has hitherto only
been recorded from Karennee by Wardlaw Ramsay, and from
Tenasseriin by Blyth and Binghain.
Habits, <$fc. According to Jerdon this bird is found in tangled
brushwood and among dead and fallen trees in damp spots. Scully,
however, observed it on trees near Katmandu. To the eastward
it haunts bamboos. It feeds on various insects, and, according
to Mr. E. Thompson, on the eggs and larvae of wood-boring
beetles. It breeds in April and May, making a hole precisely like
that of a typical Woodpecker, sometimes in the stem, sometimes
in a branch of a tree, and laying usually three eggs, oval, white,
and very glossy, measuring on an average *6 by *5.
G-enus SASIA, Hodgson, 1836.
This genus of Piculets differs from Picumnus in wanting the
first (inner hind) toe, and in having a naked space round each
orbit, and a very short tail. The culmen is more rounded. The
coloration, too, differs greatly from that of Picumnus.
Three species are known — one is Himalayan and Burmese, the
other two Malay.
1002. Sasia ochracea. The Rufous Piculet.
Sasia ochracea, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 778 (1836) ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 65 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 678 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 301 ; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 10; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 :
xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78 ; Hume §
Gates, S. F. lii, p. 75 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 148 ; i
'bis, 1872, p. 10; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 :
\; Hume 4'
Uates, tf. JP. in, p. vo ; ±Lume $ JJav. a. Jf. vi, p. 148 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 187 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 65 ; Inglis, S. F. ix, p. 247 ; Hargitt, Ibis,
1881, p. 231 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 555 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 26 :
id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 317.
Comeris (Sasia) ochracea, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844).
Microcolaptes ochraceus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 191.
Sasya, Nepal ; Chi?n, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes and forehead golden yellow,
the former terminating in long black bristles, the yellow shading
into rufous on the sinciput ; occiput and nape olive ; lores light
grey ; a white supercilium carried back some distance from above
the eye ; back, scapulars, and edges of tertiaries rufous olive, re-
mainder of outer surface of wing pure olive ; rump bright orange-
brown ; quills (except the outer edges) brown with whitish inner
margins ; tertiaries pale brown ; upper tail-coverts and tail black ;
lower parts orange-brown (brownish ferruginous), occasionally
brownish yellow, sides of neck and hind neck rather more rufous :
wing-lining yellowish white ; edge of wing buff.
78
In the female the forehead and sinciput are brownish rufous,
like the hind neck.
Upper mandible dark brown, lower plumbeous ; iris crimson,
orbits dusky red ; legs yellowish red (Oates).
Length 3'4 ; tail 1 ; wing 2-1 ; tarsus '55 ; bill from gape "55.
Distribution. The Himalayas in Nepal, and further eastward ;
Assam, Tipperah, Sylhet, Cachar, Manipur, and throughout Burma,
but not, so far as is known, farther south, this species being
replaced in the Malay Peninsula by S. abnormis. In Sikkim
8. ochracea is found between 1000 and 6000 feet.
Habits, fyc. This little Woodpecker is usually solitary or in
pairs ; it haunts brushwood and bamboos in forest, and, like Picum-
nus innominatus, often makes its presence known by the noise it
produces by tapping on bamboos. It lives on various insects,
partly, at all events, on Coleoptera. Its eggs have been found in
Sikhim by Mr. Gammie, amongst others, in June and July. It
makes a hole, sometimes in the stem of a tree, sometimes in a
bamboo. The eggs are white and measure about -63 by '5.
Subfamily IYNGIN.E.
Tail-feathers soft, flexible ; tail about three quarters the length
of the wing or more ; nostrils not covered by plumes, but partially
covered by a membrane.
This subfamily contains the Wrynecks, which form a single
genus.
Genus IYNX, Linn., 1766.
Bill of moderate length, conical, compressed ; nostrils large, near
the culmen ; wing pointed ; plumage soft, brownish grey in colour,
minutely speckled. Sexes alike.
Four species are known, three of which are confined to Africa ;
the fourth is a migratory bird, visiting India and Burma in
winter.
1003. lynx torquilla. The Common Wryneck .
Yunx torquilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. \, p. 172 (1766) Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xvi, p. 467 ; id. Cat. p. 65 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 679 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 303 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ; id.
S. F. ii, p. 461 ; Brooks, J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 74 ; Butler, S. F.
in, p. 459 ; v, p. 227 j ix, p. 386 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 206 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 188 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 120.
Jynx torquilla, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, pp. 356, 357.
lynx torquilla, Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 49; Scully, ibid. p. 430;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 23 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 65 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 560; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 380;
Oates in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii; p. 318 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss.,
Aves, p. 110.
Gardan eyengtha, H. ; Meda nulingadu, Tarn.
IYNX. 79
Coloration. Above brownish grey, finely speckled and mottled :
a dark brown patch, unevenly coloured, from nape to middle of
back, another across the coverts of each wing, a few longitudinal
dark streaks on the lower back and rump, and some imperfect
ocelli on the wing-coverts ; quills brown, with numerous rufous
spots on both webs ; tail with narrow wavy black cross-bands ;
Fig. 21.— Head of /. torquilla.
sides of head, throat, and fore neck pale rufous with dark cross-
lines, a dark patch on the ear-coverts ; breast and abdomen white,
with arrow-head-shaped dark marks.
Bill brown, iris hazel ; legs and feet greenish brown (Oates}.
Length 7*5 ; tail 2*8 ; wing 3-4 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape *85.
Distribution. A winter vistor to the plains of India and Burma,
extending south to Madras (Jerdon) and Belgaum (Butler), and in
Burma to Pegu (Oates) and Karennee (Wardlaiu Bamsay, Fea).
Not recorded from the Malabar coast, Ceylon, nor Tenasserim.
Found in summer in Kashmir and Gilgit. Outside of India the
Wryneck is found in summer throughout the greater part of
Europe, Central and Northern Asia, and in winter in parts of
Africa.
Habits, $c. The Wryneck is generally seen on low trees or
bushes or in high grass. It feeds on various insects, chiefly ants,
which it sometimes captures on the ground. It has a peculiar
plaintive call. It but rarely climbs trees like a Woodpecker,
pressing its tail against the bark, though it has been seen to do so.
The name is derived from a habit it has of twisting its head round.
It has not been known to breed in the plains of India, but Brooks
and Stoliczka have found it nesting in Kashmir. The eggs are
laid in Europe about May in a hole not always made by the bird,
often in a lime-tree. The hole is not lined. The eggs are white,
7 to 12 in number, and measure about '81 by '64.
Yunx indica, Gould (Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 304), is now known to
have been founded on a specimen of an African species, I.pectoralis.
The supposed Afghan or Tibetan locality must have been a
mistake.
Order IV. ZYGODACTYLI.
The second order of Picarian birds comprises the Indicators or
Honey-guides, the Barbets, and the Toucans (Rliampliastida?}, the
last being peculiar to South America,
All of these have zygodactyle feet
like Woodpeckers, with the first
and fourth toes directed backwards,
and the picine arrangement of the
deep plantar tendons, the flexor
perforans digitorum running to the
third toe only, whilst the first,
second, and fourth toes are sup-
plied by branches of the flexor
lonyus hallucis, as shown in the
accompanying figure by Garrod.
The muscles of the thigh, too, in
the present group, present the same
arrangement as in Pici ; the spinal
feather-tract is similarly disposed,
the oil-gland is tufted, and there
are no ca?ca. The nidification, too,
is similar.
On the other hand, the vomer in
the present group, instead of being
represented by a number of paired
rods, is single and bifurcate, and
the palate is either truly desmo-
gnathous, the maxillo - palatines
blending across the middle line, or
segithognathous. The sternum, too,
presents some characteristic differ-
ences, being much broader, especi-
ally in front, in proportion to its
length, and the breadth in front
being nearly the same as that
behind, instead of much less ; the foramina or notches on the
posterior border are deeper, the manubrium or rostrum sterni is
pointed and not bifid, and the clavicles do not meet to form a
furcula. Tongue of ordinary structure, not protrusile.
The two Indian families of this order are thus distinguished
(the characters do not apply to some African forms) : —
Tail-feathers 12 ; primaries 9 Indicatoridae.
Tail-feathers 10 ; primaries 10 Capitonidae.
Fig. 22. — Tarsus and foot of Mega-
IcBma asiatica from behind, dis-
sected to show the deep plantar
tendons, the /. long, hallucis on
the right in the upper part of
the figure, the /. per/, digitorum
on the left. (G-arrod, P. Z. S.
1875, p. 346.)
IKDICATORID^E. 81
Family INDICATOEID^E.
Bill stout, short. Tail-feathers 12 (except in one aberrant
African genus). Wing long and pointed ; only 9 primaries ; no
short primary, the first nearly as long as the second. Ventral
feather-tract forked on the throat, but not on each side of the
breast.
Ethiopian and Oriental regions. A single genus is found in
India.
Genus INDICATOR, Vieillot, 1816.
Tarsus short, all toes well-developed, 3rd (outer anterior) longer
than 4th (outer posterior). Bill finch-like ; culmen rounded, the
profile considerably curved ; no nasal plumes nor rictal bristles ;
nostrils large, subtriangular, partly covered by a membrane. Tail
somewhat graduated, the outer pair of rectrices in several species,
as in the Indian one, considerably shorter and narrower.
This genus contains several African species and the only two
Oriental members of the family ; one of these is Himalayan, the
other, /. archipelagicus, is Malayan, not ranging into Tenasserim.
The African Indicators frequently point out the position of
bees' nests, and hence have received the name of Honey-guides.
Throughout Africa these birds are said to lead men to bees' nests
for the sake of sharing in the spoil. Nothing is known of similar
habits in the Indian and Malay species, though they appear, like
the African, to feed on hymenoptera. The Honey-guides, like
Woodpeckers and Barbets, lay white eggs in a hole in the stem or
branch of a tree, but they are said to utilize an old nest-hole of a
Barbet or Woodpecker for the purpose.
1004. Indicator xanthonotus. The Yellow-backed Honey-guide.
Indicator xanthonotus, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xi, p. 166 (1842) ; xii,
p. 942, pi. ; xiv, p. 198 ; id. Cat. p. 65 ; Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn.
pi. 60 ; id. B. I. i, p. 306 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 10 ; Hume, S. F. i,
p. 313 ; Stoliczka, ibid. p. 425 ; Hume, Cat. no. 190 ; Shelley, Cat.
B. M. xix, p. 3; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 108.
Indicator radcliffi, Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 529; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872,
p. 10.
Pseudofringilla xanthonotus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 314 (1873).
Pseudospiza xanthonota, Sharps, Rowley's Orn. Misc. i, p. 207.
Coloration. Broad forehead, edges of a few sincipital feathers,
and cheeks golden yellow; crown and sides of head including
area round the eyes, back and sides of neck dusky yellowish olive,
feathers of the crown with dark centres ; feathers of upper back and
scapulars, wing-coverts and quills blackish brown, all except the
primaries and their coverts narrowly fringed with yellowish olive ;
TOL. III. G
82 CAPITONIDjE.
inner webs of secondaries and tertiaries with whitish margins ;
middle of back pure yellow, lower back and rump orange-yellow ;
upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers blackish brown, except the
outermost (shorter) tail-feathers, which are paler and greyer ; lower
Fig. 23. — Head of 1. xanthonotus.
parts dark grey ; the chin, throat, and fore neck tinged with yellow ;
breast and abdomen with blackish shaft-streaks, broader behind
vent; feathers and under tail-coverts blackish with pale edges;
wing-lining whitish, edge of wing buff.
Bill yellow, ashy towards the tip ; iris dark brown ; naked orbital
area pale green ; feet pale greenish horny (Stoliczka).
Length about 6 ; wing 3-8 ; tail 2-4 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape -5.
Distribution. This species, which is very rare, has hitherto been
found only in the Himalayas, in Sikhim, and also near Murree and
Abbottabad, but nowhere in the intervening area.
Habits, $c. The only published observations are by Stoliczka,
who shot a male close to Dungagali near Murree. This bird had
a heavy flight like Meyalcema, and in the stomach were several
specimens of a predatory wasp and a small quantity of green
vegetable matter.
Family CAPITONID^E.
Bill as a rule stout and strong. Nostrils at base of bill, often
overhung by plumes and bristles. E-ictal and chin bristles often
largely developed. Ventral feather-tract forked on the throat and
on each side of the breast. Tail-feathers 10. Wing rounded in all
Indian forms, and with 10 primaries, the first short.
Key to the Genera.
a. No green on plumage ; no rictal bristles . . CALORHAMPHUS, p. 83,
6. Prevailing colour green; long rictal bristles.
a'. Lower tail-coverts red ME GAL JEM A, p. 84.
b' . Lower tail-coverts green.
a". 2nd primary shorter than 10th.
a3. Head, neck, and breast brown,
more or less streaked THEREICERYX, p. 86.
CA.LOEHAMPHUS. 83
b3. Head and neck with bright colours.
a4. Oilmen longer than tarsus .... CHOTORHEA, p. 90.
b*. Culmen not longer than tarsus . . CYANOPS, p. 92.
b". 2nd primary longer than 8th XANTHOL^EMA, p. 97.
The Barbets are mainly fruit-eating birds. In the stomachs of
the African species that I examined in Abyssinia I found insects
in considerable quantities; but although some of the Indian species
are occasionally insectivorous, none of them, with the exception of
Calorhamphus, feed much on insect food. Indian species, with
the same exception, have a peculiar call of one, two, or three
syllables, repeated in a singularly monotonous manner for several
minutes, then ceasing for a time, and recommencing after an
interval. The calls of two or more birds are frequently heard
together, the pitch of each bird's note being different. It is often
very difficult to tell in which direction precisely a bird is calling, and
both the direction and distance appear to vary as the bird turns
its head in different ways. Each bird, in the act of calling, nods
its head in a peculiar manner. All Barbets, so far as is known,
excavate nest-holes in trees not unlike those made by Wood-
peckers ; the entrance small, generally very well rounded and neatly
bevelled, and the inside larger and well smoothed. The eggs, which
are white but not so glossy as those of Woodpeckers, are laid on
the bare wood, or on a few chips. When making their nest-holes
these birds tap to detach the wood, but the action is much slower
than that of Woodpeckers.
As a rule Barbets perch, and they do not, commonly at all
events, climb stems or branches as Woodpeckers do, but they
sometimes cling to a vertical tree. Their flight is undulating,
but strong and moderately rapid.
In the plumage of all Indian species, except Calorhampfius hayi,
green predominates. The sexes are generally alike.
Genus CALORHAMPHUS, Lesson, 1839.
Bill stout, culmen much curved, sharply angulate, upper
mandible not swollen at the base ; nostrils partly overhung, but
not concealed, by feathers and a few bristles ; no bristles on chin ;
feathers of crown with coarse shafts, of which the ends are pro-
longed as free bristles. Wings rounded, tail slightly rounded.
Sexes alike except in the colour of the bill.
A genus of two small dull-coloured species, brown above,
whitish below, confined to the Malay countries. One is found
in Southern Tenasserim.
1005. Calorhamphus hayi. The Brown Barbet.
Bucco hayi, Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 33 (1831).
Megalorhynchus hayii, Blyth, Cat. p. 69; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii,.
p. 648.
62
S4 CAPITONID^E.
Calorhamphus lathami, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 179, pi. 72; nee
Bucco lathami, Gmel.
Calorhamphus hayii, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 319 ; d. Cat. no. 190 bis ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 149 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 138 ; Shelley,
Cat. B. M. xix, p. 50.
Coloration. Upper parts throughout dark brown, the feathers of
the crown with black shafts and narrowly edged with rufous,
those of the mantle with narrow yellow edges, which are more
conspicuous on the upper tail-coverts ; these pale fringes disappear
with wear ; quills and tail-feathers also dark brown, the quills with
fulvous inner margins ; sides of head dark brown like the crown,
becoming paler and reddish in the malar region ; chin and throat
still paler rufous, remainder of lower parts sullied yellowish white.
Bill black in the male, dull reddish brown in the female ; irides
dull red or brownish red ; legs and feet orange, claws black
(Davison).
Length 7*25 ; tail 2 ; wing 3'25 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from gape 1-2.
Distribution. From the southernmost part of Tenasserim through-
out the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra.
Habits, fyc. According to Davison this is a forest bird, usually
seen in small parties of three or four, hunting about the branches
and leaves of trees, clinging in all positions like a Tit, and feeding
on insects as much as fruits. It has a most peculiar note, a low
soft whistle.
Genus MEGALJEMA, GL E. Gray, 1842.
Bill large, culmen rounded, not angulate, much curved, upper
mandible considerably swollen at the base and overlapping the
lower ; nostrils completely covered by plumes and bristles, base of
bill surrounded by bristles not so long as the bill ; wings rounded ;
tail square. Sexes alike.
This genus as restricted comprises three species of large size,
two of which are found within our area ; the third, M. lagrandieri,
occurs in Cochin China. The prevailing colour is green. The
under tail-coverts are bright red.
Key to the Species.
Head and neck deep violet-blue M. marshallorum, p. 84.
Head and neck verditer with a greenish tinge. M. virens, p. 86.
1006. MegalsBma marshallorum. The Great Himalayan Barbet.
Megalaima virens, Blyth, Cat. p. 66 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 635 j
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 308 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ;
Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 415 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 97 ; Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 33, pi. xvi. ; nee Bucco virens,
Bodd.
Megalaema marshallorum, Swinhoe, A. M. N. H. (4) vi. p. 348
(1870) ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 11 ; Cock 8f Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350;
MEGAL^EMA. 85
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 232 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 191 j id. S. F. xi, p. 66 ; Scully, S. F. vih, p. 250 ; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, jx 410 ; Gate's m Hume's N. $ K 2nd ed. ii,
p. 318 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 53 ; Sharpe, York. Miss., Aves,
p. 108.
Traiho, H. Chamba ; Miouli, at Mussooree ; Nyahul, Neoul, Nepalese ;
Kun-nyong. Lepcha.
Fig. 24. — Head of M. marshallorum.
Coloration. Feathers of head and neck all round black with deep
violet-blue edges ; back and scapulars brownish olive, the upper
back with narrow pale green or greenish-yellow longitudinal
streaks; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts grass-green,
with brighter green edges ; tail green above, blackish washed with
pale blue below ; secondary- coverts like back ; primary-coverts
and primaries near the base fringed with blue, outer webs of
secondaries green, tertiaries bluer with the tips olive-brown,
remainder of quills blackish brown, inner webs with yellowish-
white margins, and outer webs of primaries with a pale linear
border near the tips ; upper breast dark olive-brown ; lower breast
and abdomen blue in the middle, yellow with broad brownish
shaft-stripes at the sides ; under tail-coverts scarlet.
Bill yellow, pale in front, dusky at the edge of the upper
mandible ; irides brown ; legs greenish horny (Jerdon).
Length 13 ; tail 4 ; wing 5*7 ; tarsus 1'25 ; bill from gape 2'1.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Murree,
between about 3000 and 8000 feet elevation, also south of the
Assam Valley in Manipur, the Khasi hills, and, according to Blyth,,
Arrakan. Birds from Karennee referred to this species by
Wardlaw Bam say prove to belong to the next.
Habits, $c. A forest bird ; according to Jerdon, " it has a loud
plaintive call (pi-o, pi-o), keeps to the top of high trees, lives-
entirely on fruit, and has a strong and vigorous flight in great
undulations." It sometimes is met with in small flocks. It makes-
nest-holes in various trees, in the trunks and larger branches, from
10 to 50 feet from the ground, and lays from the middle of May
'86 CAPITONID^E.
to the middle of July. The eggs are dull white, usually four in
number, and measure on an average 1'37 by *98.
1007. Megalsema virens. The Great Chinese Barbet.
Bucco virens, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. p. 53 (1783).
Megalsema virens, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 472 ; id. Cat. no. 191 bis ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 150 ; Bine/ham, S. F. ix, pp. 165, 473 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 130 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 319 ;
Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 52 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.
(2) vii, p. 377.
Meg-alsema marshallorum, Walden, Birds Burm. p. 73; Wardl.
Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 129; nee Sivinhoe.
Similar to M. marshallorum, except that the colour of the head
and neck is verditer-blue with a greenish tinge, and that the pale
streaks on the upper back are much fewer, less marked, and
whitish or bluish, not green or yellow ; the median wing-coverts
too are tinged with red. Soft parts and dimensions as in
M. marshallorum.
Distribution. Karennee and hill-forests of northern Tenasserim
as far south as Muleyit, east of Moulmein, extending thence into
South China.
Habits, fyc. Similar to thos.e of M. marshallorum. The eggs
were found by Major Bingliam in Tenasserim during February
and March.
Genus THEREICERYX, Blanford, 1893.
Bill shaped somewhat as in Megalayma, but the upper mandible
is not quite so high, and the bill is generally pale yellowish
throughout. Nostrils exposed. Wing rounded. The plumage is
peculiar ; the head, neck, and breast are brown, more or less
streaked with white, the rest of the plumage green.
Three species are found within Indian limits, a fourth, T. phce-
ostictus (phceostriatus}, inhabits Cochin China. The members of
this small group have hitherto been referred by various writers
either to Megalcema or to Cyanops.
Key to the Species.
a. A large naked orbital space extending to gape . T. zeylonicus, p. 86.
J). Orbital space smaller, not extending to gape.
a'. Wing about 5" T. lineatus, p. 88.
&'. Wing about 4" T. viridis, p. 89.
1008. Thereiceryx zeylonicns. The Common Indian Green
Barbet.
Bucco zeylanicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 408 (1788) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xv, pp! 13, 282.
Bucco caniceps, Franklin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 121.
THEEEICERYX. 87
Megalaima caniceps, Blyth, Cat. p. C6 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 446 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 637 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 310.
Megalaima zeylanica, Horsf. & M. Cat. ii, p. 638: Holdsworth.
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 429.
Megalrema caniceps, Beavan, Ibis, 1865, p. 411 ; Stoliczka,' J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22; Marshall, Man. Cap. p. 91, pi. 39;
McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 392 ;
v, p. 413 ; vii, p. 206 ; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 314 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 193 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 2o ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 121.
Megalcema zeylanica, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 296 ; Marshall, Man. Cap.
p. 95, pi. 40 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 369 ; id. Cat. no. 193 ter ;
Leqge, Birds Ceyl. p. 208, pi. x.
Megatema inornata, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) v, p. 219 (1870);
Marshall, Mon. Cap, p. 89, pi. 38; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 11 ;
"lume, S. F. iii, p. 401 ; id. Cat. no. 193 bis ; Butler, S. F. iii,
p. 459 ; ix, p. 387 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 54 ; Davidson. S. F. x, p. 298 ;
Littledale, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i, p. 197 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 121.
Cyanops caniceps and C. zeylonica, Oates in Hume's 'N. fy E. 2nd ed.
ii, pp. 322, 324 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, pp. 76, 78.
Thereiceryx zeylonicus, Blanf. Ibis, 1893, p. 237. '
The common Green Barbet, Jerdon ; Barra Bussunta, H. & Beng. ;
Kutumra, Deccan ; Kudrungfi, H. in Central India ; Kotur, H. (Rohilcund
.and Doab) & Mahr. ; Sunterar, Beng. Manbhoom ; Kuturga, Mahr. ;
Kutur haki, Can. ; Gandu Karnam, Tel. ; Kotoruwa, Cing. ; Kutur,
Tamil (Ceylon).
-7
Fig. 25.— Head of T. zeylonicus.
A large naked space round the eye extending to the gape, lores
almost entirely naked. Culmen much curved.
Coloration. Head and neck all round, with the breast, and some-
times the upper abdomen, brown, the feathers with narrow pale
shaft-stripes, the pale shafts generally inconspicuous on the head,
but becoming more and more distinct behind ; upper parts from
neck bright green ; interscapulary feathers, scapulars, and upper
wing-coverts more or less distinctly pale-shafted with small
termiual whitish spots. Abdomen paler green than back ; tail
below washed with light verditer-blue ; quills brown, with pale
inuer margins and the primaries narrowly pale-edged near the
snd.
00 CAPITONID^E.
Bill pale orange-brown ; iris red-brown ; bare orbital skin dull*
orange ; legs light yellowish brown (Jerdori).
Length 10-5 ; tail 3-2 ; wing 4-7 ; tarsus 1-25 ; bill from gape 1-8.
Ceylon and Tranvancore birds run smaller, wing about 4*4.
Distribution. Almost throughout India and Ceylon. Common
at the base of the Western Himalayas in the Dehra Dun and
Rohilcund Terai, throughout the North-west Provinces and the
wooded parts of Central India, Eastern Guzerat, the Central
Provinces, and South-western Bengal, the forest-tracts between the
Ganges and Grodavari, some of the better wooded regions of the
Madras Presidency, and near the Malabar coast ; wanting in the
Punjab and Sind, in Eajputana except around Mount Abu, in
Lower Bengal, and, I believe, in the open parts of the Deccan and
Carnatic. In Ceylon this Barbet inhabits most of the low country
and the lower hills, except close to the sea-shore, or in dense damp
forest.
As in so many other cases, the Southern bird from Ceylon
and Travancore is rather smaller and darker. This is typical
T. zeylonicus. The North Indian bird caniceps is larger and slightly
paler. The intermediate form from the Bombay coast has been
separated as inornata. I can discover no constant distinction :
some freshly moulted northern forms are quite as dark in colour
as Ceylonese, and in the British Museum collection there is a
female Ceylon skin with the wing 4-6 long, and a female Allahabad
specimen with the wing measuring 4-5, both being adult and
thoroughly good specimens.
Habits, 6fc. Like other Indian Barbets, this species lives chiefly
upon fruit and seeds, and especially on the figs of the banyan
and other kinds of Ficus. It is said, however, occasionally though
rarely to eat insects, and Layard has related how an individual,
kept in captivity, killed and swallowed small birds (Munias), its
fellow-captives. The best known characteristic of this Barbet is its
loud dissyllabic call, which Jerdon represents as Tcutur, Jcotur Jcotur,
preceded by a harsh sort of laugh ; this call is heard from January
or February till June. Each bird continues to call for some time,
frequently even on moonlight nights. The flight is strong but
heavy and somewhat undulating. In Northern India the breeding-
season is chiefly in March and April ; 3 or 4 eggs are laid in a hole
hollowed by the bird itself in a tree. The eggs are dull white,,
slightly glossy, and measure about 1-21 by '88.
1009. Thereiceryx lineatus. The Lineated Barbet.
Capito lineatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. iv, p. 500 (1816).
Megalaiina lineata, Blyth, Cat. p. 66 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 636 r
Jerdon, B. /. i, p. 309.
Megalaima hodgsoni, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 144 (1850;.
Megalaima macclellandi, Moore, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 637.
Megakema hodgsoni, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 358 ; Walden, P. Z. S,
1866, p. 540 ; Stoliczka, J.A.S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ; Marshall,
THEBEICEEYX. 89
Mon. Cap. p. 85, pi. 36 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 76 ; id. Cat. no. 192 ;
Blyth 8f \Vald. Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 151 j
Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 583 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 251 ;
Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. (2) iv, p. 577 ; v, p. 561 ; Hume, S. F.
xi, p. 67.
Megalaema lineata, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 88, pi. 37.
Cyanops hodgsoni, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 132.
Cyanops lineata, Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 325 ; Shelley,
Cat. B. M. xix, p. 80.
Dang kun-nyong, Lepcha ; Kudurta, Khotoor, Nepal ; Pho-gouny.
Burmese.
Naked space round eye much smaller than in T. zeylonicus and
not extending to gape.
Coloration. Crown and nape brown, with rather broad white
shaft-stripes ; upper plumage from the neck grass -green ; feathers
of the upper back with narrow white shafts ; lores and cheeks
whitish ; ear-coverts whity brown ; chin and throat white ; sides
of neck, breast, and upper abdomen coloured like the crown, but
the white shaft-stripes on the breast are much broader; lower
abdomen and under tail-coverts light green, the feathers with
broad whitish median stripes ; quills dark brown, with pale yellow
inner margins ; primaries with pale outer borders near the tips ;
tail washed with light blue below.
Bill horny yellow ; orbits deep yellow; irides brown; feet fleshy
yellow (Scully).
Length 11 ; tail 3'3 ; wing 5*1 ; tarsus 1-25 ; bill from gape 1*7.
These are the dimensions of Eastern Himalayan and Burmese birds ;
Western Himalayan are larger, Malay specimens smaller.
Distribution. Throughout the Lower Himalayas as far west as
the Sutlej, not ascending more than 2000 or 3000 feet, and east-
ward to Yunnan ; also in Assam, and to the southward throughout
Burma, in Siam and Cambodia, and in Java, but not in the Malay
Peninsula nor in Sumatra.
The original T. lineatus is the Javan race, which is small (wing
about 4-6), whilst the big West Himalayan race (wing 5-3) has
been distinguished as Megalcema hodgsoni; but, as Shelley Lhas
shown, the Eastern Himalayan, Assamese, and Burmese birds are
intermediate in size. The case is similar to that of T. zeylonicus
and T. caniceps, the Southern race being smaller and darker, but
the distinction in size between T. lineatus and T. hodgsoni is much
greater.
Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of T. zeylonicus. The call is a
monotonous dissyllabic note. The eggs, four in number, are laid
in March and April, and measure about 1-27 by -87.
1010. Thereiceryx viridis. The Small Green Barbet.
Bucco viridis, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 63 (1783) ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. xi, p. 217 ; xiii, pt. 2,
pi. xxvi ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 13.
90 CAPITONID^E.
Megalaima viridis, Blyth, Cat. p. 67 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 639 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 311 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 298; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 122.
Megalsema viridis, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 81, pi. 35 ; Morgan, Ibis,
1875, p. 315 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; v, p. 396 ; Hume $
Bourdillon. 8. F. iv, p. 391 ; Hume, Cat. no. 194 ; Vidal, S. F.
ix, p. 54 ;' Butler, S. F. ix, p. 387 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 358 ;
Macyregor, ibid. p. 437 ; Taylor, ibid. p. 458.
Megalsema sykesi, Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 125.
Cyanops viridis, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 83 ; Oates in Hume's
N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 325.
Naked space round eye much smaller than in T. zeylonicus ; area
above the gape feathered.
Coloration. Head above and nape dark brown not striated ; hind
neck greener, the feathers pale-shafted ; sides of neck brown, with
pale shaft-stripes ; upper plumage from neck bright grass-green ;
sides of head, chin, and throat whitish, except the lores, a band
running back from the eye, and a narrower rather broken malar
stripe, which are dark brown ; breast whitish, the feathers with
dark-brown edges ; abdomen and under tail-coverts pale green ;
quills blackish brown, with pale buff inner margins ; primaries
pale-edged outside near tips ; lower surface of tail washed with
pale verditer-green.
Bill pale horny brown ; irides red-brown ; orbital skin brown ;
legs plumbeous brown (Jerdon) ; orbital skin dusky slate ; legs
greenish plum beous (Butler}.
Length 9; tail 2*6; wing 4; tarsus 1*05; bill from gape 1*5.
Specimens from the North (Megalcema syJcesii) average slightly
larger than those from Travancore.
Distribution. The Sahyadri and other ranges of hills near the
Malabar coast from the Tapti to Cape Comorin. This bird is
found up to the tops of the Nilgiris and Palnis.
Habits, $c. Very similar to those of T. zeylonicus and T. lineatus.
Davison says this bird clings like a Woodpecker and taps (probably
only when cutting its nest-hole). The call is less loud than that of
T. zeylonicus but similar. T. viridis breeds from February to
May, laying three or four eggs in a retort-shaped nest-hole ; the
eggs are white, only moderately glossy, and measure about 1-13
by -86.
Genus CHOTORHEA, Bonap., 1854.
To this genus belong six Malay Barbets distinguished as a rule
by brilliant coloration about the head and by having a black, some-
what elongate, but not high bill, the length of which is more than
twice the height. The culmen is considerably curved and much
exceeds the tarsus in length. The wing is rounded. Nostrils
exposed. A single species extends into Tenasserim. This has
been included by Shelley in Cyanops, but I agree with Salvador!
and Oates in referring it to the present genus.
CHOTORHEA. 91
1011. Chotorhea mystacophanes. The Gaudy Barbel.
Bucco mystacophanos, Temm. PI. Col. iii, pi. 315 (1824).
Bucco quadricolor, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 105.
Megalaima quadricolor, Blyth, Cat. p. 67.
Chotorea mystacophanus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 641 ; Salvadori,
Ucc. Born. p. 34, pi. i ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 130.
Megalflema mystacophanes, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 41, pi. 19 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 472 ; id. Cat. no. 196 quat. ; Walden in Blyth' s
Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 152, 502.
Cyanops mystacophanes, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 72.
Coloration. Male. Broad forehead golden yellow; vertex and
occiput, the latter narrowing behind, crimson, sometimes verging
on scarlet ; lores, chin, throat, and a patch on each side of the
fore neck the same ; a black supercnium from the lores, much
broader behind the eye ; a few feathers between the black super-
cilium and yellow forehead, as also the sides of the face below the
eye, and the fore neck verditer-blue ; a yellow malar spot on each
side at the base of the lower mandible ; a bluish tinge on the
cheeks farther back ; wing-feathers, except on the outer surface
above, brown with pale yellow inner borders ; under wing-coverts
also yellowish ; some primaries pale-edged outside near the ends ;
under surface of tail washed with blue ; all the rest of the plumage
grass-green, duller and sometimes yellower below ; ear-coverts
and sides of neck with a yellowish tinge ; feathers o£ hind neck
and sides of neck with brighter edges.
Adult females are said to resemble males, but if so, they appear
very rarely to attain the adult plumage, only one out of 18 sexed
female skins in the British Museum having the coloration of the
adult male. In young males and in females generally the black
eyebrow is absent, the forehead is bluish green, and the chin and
throat are first green, then yellow. The scarlet patch on the
hind crown is present from a rather early period. The change
from the livery of the young to full plumage is very irregular in
different individuals, the same region not always acquiring the
adult coloration first. Salvadori has already questioned the as-
sumption of the adult male plumage by females of this species.
Bill black (pale beneath in young birds) ; irides deep brown ;
orbital skin dark greenish or greyish brown ; legs and feet very
pale bluish or horny green.
Length 9-25 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3-9 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1'75.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ex-
tending into the southern half of Tenasserim as far as the • Henza
basin north of Tavoy.
Habits, fyc. This Barbet is chiefly found in evergreen forests,
and is very noisy, incessantly uttering its trisyllabic cry, especially
in the evening after dusk, and sometimes on moonlight nights.
Davison, who furnishes the preceding notes, adds that he has
frequently seen this bird clinging to the stem of a tree and tapping
like a Woodpecker.
92 CAPITONID^E.
Genus CYANOPS, Bonap., 1854.
Except the form of the bill, which is much shorter, with a less
curved culuien, there is but little to distinguish this genus from
the last. The culmen is not longer than the tarsus, or if longer,
then very slightly so. The wing is much rounded, the 2nd
primary being shorter than any other primary except the 1st, and
the 3rd shorter than the 4th. The plumage is chiefly green, the
head and neck being decorated with patches of bright colour, red,
yellow, or blue.
Twelve species are known, distributed over the Oriental region ;
of these seven occur within Indian limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Chin and throat blue or bluish green.
a'. Crown red ; a black band across vertex .... C. asiatica, p. 92,
b'. Crown red ; a blue band across vertex C. davisoni, p. 93.
c'. Crown bluish green ; narrow frontal band
crimson C. incognita, p. 94,
d'. Forehead and sinciput golden yellow; occiput
green C.flavifrons, p. 94,
e'. Sinciput black ; occiput blue C. cyanotis, p. 95.
b. Chin and throat yellow and grey.
/'. Supercilium black C.franklini, p. 96,
g'. Supercilium mixed black and grey C. ramsayi, p. 97.
1012. Cyanops asiatica. The Blue-throated Barbet.
Trogon asiaticus, Lath. 2nd. Orn. i, p. 201 (1790).
Megalaima asiatica, Blyth, Cat. p. 67.
Cyanops asiatica, Bonap. Consp. Volucr. Zygod. p. 12 ; Horsf. fy M.
Cat. ii, p. 641 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 313 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
. P- c
Megalsema asiatica, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 63, pi. 29 ; Blyth
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 27 ; Wardl.-Rams.
Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 584 ; Hume
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 151 ; Hume, Cat. no. 195 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 252; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410; Hume, &F. xir
p. 67 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2)
J.f.O. 1889, p. 429.
). 67 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 377 ; Hartert,
Burra bussunt bairi, Burra benebo, Beng. ; Corul, Mussalmans in
Bengal ; Kat-tak, Lepcha ; JRuturki, Bussanta, Nep. ; Hutururu, Chamba ;
Kok-kha-lounff, Burmese.
Coloration. Nasal plumes black ; a broad black band, with a
yellow anterior border, across the vertex ; anterior lores, forehead,
and remainder of crown crimson, the occiput bordered with black
on each side ; remainder of upper surface grass-green ; sides of
the head, extending all round the eye, chin, throat, and fore neck
pale verditer-blue, a large crimson spot on each side of the fore
neck, and a small crimson speck at each base of the lower
CYANOPS. 93
mandible; rest of lower parts yellowish green; tail-feathers washed
beneath with pale blue ; quills blackish brown, their inner border
and the wing-lining yellowish white ; a narrow whitish line on
the outer web of several primaries near the tip. In the young
the colours of the head are indistinct. Males from the Cachar
hills are said to have the mantle-feathers and upper tail-coverts
tipped with maroon and the under tail-coverts splashed with
vermilion.
Bill greenish yellow horny, black above ; margins of eyelids
orange ; irides hazel-brown, brown, and reddish brown ; feet dingy
green, claws horny black (Scully).
Length about 9'2 ; tail 2-7 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus 1-05 ; bill from
gape 1-4.
Fig. 26.— Head of C. asiatica.
Distribution. Common throughout the Lower Himalayas and
sub-Himalayan forests up to 3500 or 4000 feet as far west as
Chamba, also in Lower Bengal, Assam, and the neighbouring
countries as far as the Khakyen hills in Yunnan to the eastward,
and south to Burma. This Barbet has been found by Gates in
the Arrakan and Pegu hills, by Wardlaw-Bamsay in Karennee, and
by Davison in Northern Tenasserim about Pahpoon.
Habits, $c. A noisy, active bird, living on fruit, and having a
peculiar frequently-repeated trisyllabic call. It breeds in the
Himalayas in April and May, and generally lays three eggs in a
hole, which it excavates in the trunk or a branch of a tree. As a
rule there is no lining, but in a very few instances a pad of vege-
table fibres or some other substance has been found. The eggs
are white, with little or no gloss, and measure about 1-09 by '83.
1013. Cyanops davisoni. Davison' 's Blue-throated Barbet.
Megalcema davisoni, Hume, S. F. v, p. 108 (1877) ; id. Cat. no. 195
bis ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 151 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 165 ;
Salvador!, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 562.
Cvanops davisoni, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 134 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E.
*2nd ed. ii, p. 321 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 65, pi. iv. fig. 1.
94 CAPITONIDJE.
This species only differs from C. asiatica in smaller size, in
having the band across the vertex verditer-blue instead of blackr
and with a blue line from the vertical band between the crimson
of the occiput and a black stripe that extends from above the blue
supercilium to over the ear-coverts.
Length 8*5 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 3*9 ; tarsus 1*05 ; bill from gape 1'3.
Distribution. Hitherto only found in Tenasserim about the base
of the main range of hills east and south-east of Moulrnein.
Habits, fyc. Precisely similar to those of C. asiatica. The eggs
were obtained by Major Bingham in March on two occasions.
In each case two white, rather glossy eggs were found, measuring
on an average I'll by -8.
1014. Cyanops incognita. Hume's Blue-throated Barbet.
Megalaima incognita, Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 442, 472, 486 ; id. Cat.
no. 195 ter j Wald. in Blyth's Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Hume 8f Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 151, 501 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 194 ; ix, p. 166.
Cyanops incognita, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 134 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xixr
p. 68, pi. iv, fig. 3 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 152, pi. xxiv.
Coloration. Lores, a narrow frontal band, a nuchal patch, and a
spot on each side of the fore neck crimson ; upper surface grass-
green ; feathers of crown with pale bluish-green edges ; quills
blackish brown, the inner borders and the wing-lining yellow,
several primaries with a narrow pale outer border near the tip ;
sides of head bluish green, a line of very small bright yellow
feathers on the upper and lower eyelids, above these a black
supercilium continued back above the ear-coverts, another black
streak from the gape ; lower surface pale green, tinged with pale
verditer-blue on the malar region, chin, and throat ; lower surface
of tail dusky, washed with pale blue.
Upper mandible and tip of lower dusky horny, remainder of bill
paler ; eyelids the same ; irides nut-brown ; legs and feet grass -
green (Davison).
Length about 8'8 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3*9 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from
gape 1*4.
Distribution. Tenasserim from near Amherst and Myawadee on
the north to Tavoy in the south. Eare and local.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of C. asiatica.
1015. Cyanops flavifrons. The Yellow-fronted Barbet.
Bucco flavifrons, Cuvier, Regne An. i;p. 428, note, ex Levaill. (1817).
Megalgema flavifrons, Blyth, Cat. p. 67 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 447 (1854) ; Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 69, pi. 30 ; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 429 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 370 ; id. Cat. no. 196 ter ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 212, pi. x.
Cyanops flavifrons, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 297 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M.
xix, p. 65 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 321.
Coloration. Broad forehead and a spot at each base of the lower
CYANOPS. 95
mandible golden yellow ; whole upper plumage dark grass-green,
the coronal feathers tipped with gold, and those of the occiput
and back and sides of the neck with whitish shaft-stripes ; quills
blackish brown, their inner margins and the wing-lining pale
yellow ; several primaries with a narrow pale outer border near the
tip ; lores, supercilia, sides of head below eye, ear-coverts, chin,
and throat verditer-blue ; remainder of lower surface of body pale
green, the breast-feathers with well-marked emerald-green borders ;
abdomen and flanks tinged with emerald-green ; lower surface of
tail-feathers blackish washed with pale verditer-blue.
Bill greenish horny, dusky at base of culinen ; iris light red ;
tarsi and feet sickly green, the tarsi in some bluish (Legye).
Length 8*5 ; tail 2'3 ; wing 3-6 ; tarsus '95 ; bill from gape 1*2,
Distribution. Ceylon, chiefly in the hill-forests of the Kandyan
province up to about 6400 feet, but found also locally in the low
plains.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of other Barbets. This is an
active, noisy, fruit-eating bird, with a peculiar monotonous call,
monosyllabic according to Legge, who adds that this species makes
a nest-hole usually in a soft-wood tree, such as the cotton-tree
(Bombax), and lays two or three smooth wThite eggs, measuring on
an average 1*11 by *81. It has apparently two broods in the year,
the breeding-season lasting from ^February to September.
1016. Cyanops cyanotis. The Blue-eared Barbet.
Bucco cyanotis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 465 (1847).
Megalsema cyanotis, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 77, pi. 33. fig. 3 ; Blyth
8f Wold. Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 27 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 155, 502 ; Hume, Cat. no. 198 ter ; Bingliam, S. F. ixr
p. 166 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 69 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.
(2) v, p. £64 ; vii, p. 378.
Cyanops cyanotis, Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 98;
Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 11.
Xantholeema cyanotis, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 77; Oates, B. B. iir
p. 137.
Mesobucco cyanotis, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 87 ; Oates in Hume's
N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 328.
Nyet-pa-din, Arrakan.
Size small, rictal bristles extending beyond end of bill.
Coloration. Feathers above nostrils white at base, those of lores
and forehead black, all fringed with pale blue ; sinciput black :
occiput cobalt-blue ; ear-coverts, chin, and throat light verditer-
blue, area below eye bright red, the feathers white at the base ; a
crimson patch above and another below the ear-coverts ; a black
malar stripe ; remainder of upper and lower plumage bright grass-
green except the bend of the wing, which is more or less blue, and
the quills, which are blackish brown with whitish inner margins ;
the tail-feathers are sometimes bluish green above with brighter
edges, and always washed with verditer below.
96 CAPITONIDJS.
Young birds are green throughout. In nearly adult specimens
the black sincipital feathers are tipped with blue.
Bill black ; base of lower mandible slightly tinged reddish horny ;
irides very dark brown ; legs and feet dirty green ; claws bluish
black (Davison).
Length about 6*5 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 3-25 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from
gape 1. Tenasserim birds are a little smaller.
Distribution. Eastern Himalayas (Sikhim), Assam, and hills to
the south, and throughout Burma. An allied but distinct species,
Q. duvauceli, inhabits the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Habits, $c. This is chiefly a bird of dense evergreen hill forest,
and is usually seen on high trees. The note is peculiar, of two
syllables, harsh and metallic. The eggs have been found in
Tenasserim by Major Bingham in February and by Mr. Darling
in April, two or three in number, white, and measuring about -93
by -67.
In size, coloration, and long rictal bristles this species approaches
Xantholcema, but it has a rounded wing.
1017. Cyanops franklini. The Golden-throated Barbet.
Bucco franklinii, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 167 (1842).
Bucco igniceps, Hodgson, Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844), descr.
nulla.
Megaleema franklini, Blyth, Cat. p. 68 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; Marshall, Man. Cap. p. 51, pi. 24 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 196 ; id. 8. F. xi, p. 68 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 252.
Cyanops franklinii, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 643 ; Jerdon, B. L i,
p. 314 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 11 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 98 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 69 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 322.
Ban-bad, Bdgh-basi, Nepal.
Coloration, Forehead and a patch in the middle of the occiput
crimson ; vertex golden yellow ; lores and area above and below
the eye, with the sides of the crown growing broader behind, black ;
a bluish collar behind the black; back, scapulars, and rump
grass-green ; outer surface of wing the same near the back,
passing into deep blue on the primary-coverts near the carpus ;
many of the coverts and the outer primaries near the base with
pale or bluish-green edges ; secondaries with green edges ; wing-
feathers except on outer edges blackish brown, with pale yellow
inner borders, wing-lining the same ; tail green above, washed with
pale blue below ; ear-coverts, malar region below them, and a broad
connecting band across the throat pale silvery whity-brown ; an
orange spot at each base of the lower mandible ; chin and upper
throat golden yellow ; lower parts from throat green or yellowish
green.
Bill blackish, plumbeous beneath ; irides brown ; orbital skin
plumbeous ; legs greenish slaty (Jerdon).
Length about 9 ; tail 2'6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '95 ; bill from gape 1*3.
XANTIIOLJEMA. 97
Distribution. The Eastern Himalayas as far west as Nepal, also
the hills south of the Assam Valley (Khasi, Naga, Manipur),
between 3000 or 4000 and about 8000 feet.
Habits, #c. This Barbet also is said to feed entirely on fruit. It
has u call which sounds dissyllabic at a distance, but is said by Hume
to consist of three successive sounds, the first being lower in pitch
and having less resonance. The eggs, 3 or 4 in number, and
pure white, are laid, according to Hodgson, in April, but one was
obtained by Mandelli in August. They are deposited in a hole
bored in a tree as usual, and measure about 1-1 by -85.
1018. Cyanops ramsayi. Ramsay's Golden-throated Barbet.
Megalrema ramsayi, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) xv, p. 400 (1875) ; id.
in Blytfis Birds Burm. p. 74; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 402; id. Cat.
no. 196 bis ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 152 ; Salvador}, Ann.
Cir. Gen. (2) v, p. 561 ; vii, p. 377.
Me°"ilaima fvanklinii, apnd Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 277 ; id. Birds
Bitnn. p. 74.
( Vanops ramsayi, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 135 ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1887,
'p. 442 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 70, pi. iv, fig. 2.
This species only differs from C. franklini in having the area
above the eye and on the sides of the crown above the ear-coverts
mixed grey and black, the grey disappearing near the hinder
border ; the chin and throat, too, are paler yellow. Soft parts and
dimensions as in C. franklini.
Distribution. Discovered on the hills of Karennee by Wardlaw
Ramsay, and found common above 3000 feet on the Muleyit
range, east of Moulmein, by Tickell, Davison, and Tea. Also found
at Perak, in the Malay Peninsula, by Mr. L. Wray.
Genus XANTHOLJEMA, Bonaparte, 1854.
This genus comprises six small Barbets of the Oriental region,
three out of the number occurring in India, Ceylon, and Burma.
They are distinguished from all other Indian genera of CapitonicUe
by a differently shaped and more pointed wing, the 2ud primary,
instead of being shorter than any other primary except the first,
being always longer than the 8th, 9th, and 10th, and sometimes
longer than the 6th. The bill is short and thick; the rictal
bristles long, often reaching to the end of the bill. The naked
orbit is small. Prevailing colour green, with patches of red or
yellow and other bright colours about the head.
Key to the Species.
Throat yellow, cheeks blackish -Y. ha-malocephala, p. 98.
Throat orange, cheeks blue -Y. ntbricapillti, p. 100.
Throat crimson A', malabarica, p. (JU.
VOL. III. 11
98
1019. Xantholaema haematocephala. The Crimson-breasted
Barlet or Coppersmith.
Bucco haeniatocephalus, P. L. 8. Mull. Natursyst., Anhang, p. 88
(1776).
Bucco philippinensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 407 (1788) ; Sundevall,
A. M. N. H. (1) xviii, p. 397.
Bucco indicus. Lath. Lid. Orn. i, p. 205 (1790).
Megalaima philippensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 68.
Xantholaema indica, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 644; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 315 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ; King, ibid.
p. 214; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 416; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl,
pt. 2, p. 209 ; Walden, Ibis, 1871, p. 162.
Xantholaema haemacephala, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 101, pi. 42;
Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 407 ; Adam, S. F. ii, p. 466 ; Butler,
S. F. iii, p. 460 ; ix, p. 387 ; Stanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ; Hume $
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 155 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 206 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 264 ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl, p. 218 ; Hume, Cat. no. 197 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 253 ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 54 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 26 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 136 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 329 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 122 ; Hume, 8. F. xi, p. 69.
Megalsema haemacephala, Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Fair-
bank, S. F. v, p. 397.
Xantholaema haeruatocephala, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 89.
Kat-Khora, Tambayat, H. ; Chota bussunt bairi, Chota-benebo, Beng. ;
Phouk Bussunt, Manbhiim ; Bussunta lisora, N.W.P. ; Juktuk, Mahr. ;
Tokoji, Tel. ; Kokoorupan, Tamil (Ceylon) ; Kotoruwa, Mal-Kotoruiva,
Cing. ; Hnet-padane, Burm.
Fig. 27. — Head of X. hcematocephala.
Coloration. Lores black ; forehead and sinciput crimson, a black
band across the vertex extending down each side of the head
behind the eye to the malar region ; occiput and sides of neck
greyish green, remainder of upper parts olivaceous green, varying
to yellowish ; primary-coverts and quills blackish, the quills with
pale yellow inner margins, and some primaries pale-edged outside
near the tip ; a broad supercilium and a still broader streak below
the eye, with the chin and throat, bright yellow ; fore neck crimson,
fringed below by golden yellow ; breast, abdomen, and under tail-
coverts yellowish white, streaked longitudinally with olive or
olivaceous green, especially on the flanks ; tail faintly washed
beneath with pale verditer-blue.
XANTHOL^EMA. 99
The young is duller in colour and wants the crimson and black
on the head.
Bill black ; irides dark hazel ; nude orbital skin dull crimson ;
feet coral-red ; claws black (Jerdon}.
Length about 6'5; tail 1-5; wing 3'2; tarsus *8; bill from
gape -9.
Distribution. Common throughout the greater part of the
Empire, with the exception of the Himalayas and the higher ranges
of the Peninsula and Burma. Eare in the Punjab, Sind, and Cutch,
in Southern Malabar (south of Eatnagiri), and in the damper forests
of Ceylon, in Assam, the hill-tracts south of the Assam Valley, and
in Southern Tenasserim. This bird is only found in the valleys
of the outer Himalayas up to 2000 or 3000 feet. It ranges to the
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and the Philippines.
Habits, 6fc. One of the commonest and most familiar of Indian
birds, the " Coppersmith " may be found in almost every garden,
mango-grove or banyan tree, and its monotonous note took, took,
took, resembling the tap of a hammer on metal, repeated at short
regular intervals, is well known to most residents in the country.
This bird, like other Indian Barbets, lives on fruit, but it takes
insects occasionally. Captain Bulger (Ibis, 1863, p. 218) saw it
feeding on flying termites. It breeds in Northern India in March,
April, and May, earlier farther south, and in Ceylon from January
to June, excavating a nest-hole of the usual kind and laying
usually 3 or 4 eggs, which are white, fragile, with little or no gloss,
and measure about '99 by *69.
1020. Xantholaema malaharica. The Crimson-throated
Barbet.
Bucco malabaricus, Blyth, J. A. S. B.xvi, pp. 386, 465 (1847).
Megalaima malabarica, Blyth, Cat. App. p. 336 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv,
p. 255 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 54.
Xantholaema malabarica, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 647 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 317; Marshall, Mon. 'Cap. p. Ill, pi. 45; Bourdillon, S. F.
iv, p. 392 ; Hume, Cat. no. 198 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 387 ; Davison,
S. F. x, p. 358; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 123; Shelley, Cat. B. M.
xix, p. 95 ; Gates in Humes N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 332 ; Davidson,
Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 336.
Coloration. Crown and upper parts, wings and tail as in
X. hcematocephala, except that the general colour is grass-green.
The band above and that below the eye, a spot at the base of the
lower mandible on each side, chin, throat, and fore neck crimson,
the malar and gular areas fringed with golden yellow ; the black of
the vertex runs down on each side behind the eye and the sub-
ocular crimson patch but does not extend to the malar area ; sides
of head behind the black, and area between ear-coverts and throat,
light greyish blue, lower parts from neck pale green, the feathers
of the flanks darker green near the shafts.
Bill black; irides red-brown; legs red (Jerdon}.
Length 6'25 ; tail 1-5 ; wing 3-2 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape -85.
H2
100 CAPITONID^E.
Distribution. The forest-tracts near the Malabar coast as far
north as Ratnagiri.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of X. hcematocephala, but the call is
more subdued. The eggs were obtained by Mr. Bourdillon in South
Travancore on March 6th, and are white, without gloss, and measure
•98 by -65.
1021. Xantholasma rubricapilla. The Small Ceylon Barbet.
Bucco rubricapillus, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 408 (1788).
Megalaima rubricapilla, Blyth, Cat. p. 68 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 448.
Xantholsema rubricapilla, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 646 ; Blyth, Ibis,
1867, p. 297 ; Marshall, Man. Cap. p. 109, pi. 44 ; Holdsivorth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 430 ; Hume, 8. F. vii, p. 371 ; id. Cat. no. 198
bis ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 215, pi. xi ; Oates in Humes N. Sf E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 333 j Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 93.
Mal-Kotormva, Cing.
Coloration. Plumes associated with rictal bristles, a band above
and one below the eye, chin, and throat golden yellow7 ; a narrow
black frontal band ; no red spot at the base of the lower mandible
on each side ; a small crimson patch on the fore neck : otherwise
similar to X. malabarica.
Length about 6 ; tail 1-4 ; wing 3'1 ; tarsus *75 ; bill from
gape -85.
Distribution. Peculiar to the island of Ceylon ; found in the low
country and up to about 2500 feet elevation.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of X. hcematocephala, but the voice is
more subdued. The breeding- season is from March till June ; the
eggs glossy white, measuring about -9 by '65.
Order V. ANISODACTYLI.
Scarcely any two modern ornithologists are agreed as to the
affinities between the Eollers and several other groups of Picarian
birds, especially the Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Hornbills, Hoopoes,
Swifts, and Nightjars *. All these, except the Hoopoes, have a
peculiar and variable arrangement of the deep plantar tendons
(see Garrod, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 344). The two tendons coalesce
more or less completely either before their subdivision to supply
the different digits or below the point at which a slip leaves the
flexor perforaiis diyitorum to supply the hallux.
In other respects, such as the characters of the palate and
sternum, the form of the dorsal feather-tracts, presence or absence
of caeca, and the nature of the oil-gland, whether nude or tufted,
there is much variation, and the majority of the families mentioned
differ from each other quite as much as the Passeres and Eury-
laemi do. It appears very doubtful whether the Swifts have any
affinity to the other groups, and the Caprimulgidce and Podargidct
are also isolated. In adopting Gadow's arrangement and leaving
the Coraciadce or Rollers, Meropidce or Bee-eaters, Alcedinidce or
Kingfishers, Bucerotidce or Hornbills, and Upupidm or Hoopoes in
one order, I am very largely influenced by a desire to avoid
increasing the number of ordinal groups.
The Anisodactyli have a desmognathous palate ; basipterygoid
processes are rudimentary or absent. Sternal characters vary.
There is no ambiens muscle. A hallux is always present, and there
are almost constantly three anterior toes, more or less joined
together at the base. All the species lay white eggs in a hole,
either in a tree or in the ground, and the young are hatched
naked. The sexes are alike as a rule, but when they differ in
plumage the young resemble adults of the same sex.
There are five Indian suborders, thus distinguished : —
a. Oil-gland nude ; c»ca present ; 4 notches behind
sternum.
a'. Two carotids ; manubrium sterni simple, no
foramen behind it CORACI^E.
&'. Left carotid only; manubrium sterni complex
and having behind it a perforation to receive
ends of coracoids MEROPES.
* Compare Garrod, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 117 ; Sclater, Ibis, 1880, p. 401 ; Forbes,
Ibis, 1881, p. 31 ; Seebohm, Classification of Birds and Supplement; Fiirbringer,
Untersuchungen, p. 1567; Sharpe, Eeview of Recent Attempts to Classify
Birds, pp. 79-81 ; Gadow, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 251. See also yols. xvi and xvii
of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds.
CORACIAP^E.
6. Oil-gland tufted ; caeca absent.
c. Four notches behind sternum HALCYON ES.
d'. Two notches behind sternum.
a". No lateral bare tracts (apteria) on neck ;
11 primaries BTJCEROTES.
6". Lateral cervical apteria present ; 10 pri-
maries UPIJPJE.
The South-American Motmots and "W.-Indian Todies also
belong here.
Suborder COEACI^J.
Caeca present. Oil-gland nude. Sternum with four notches
on the posterior margin, and the manubrium sterni consists of the
outer process (spina externa) only and is long and not distinctly
forked. Both carotids are present. The spinal feather-tract well
denned on the neck, but forked on the upper back, to leave a
dorsal apterium or featherless space. 14 cervical vertebrae. The
plantar tendons blend completely before subdividing at all.
A single family.
Fig. 28.— Left foot of C. indica.
Family COKACIAD^l.
Bill corvine in shape, the upper mandible notched beneath near
the end, culmen rounded. Outer united to the middle toe at the
extreme base, inner toe united by its basal joint. Nostrils at the
base of the mandible. Primaries 10 ; tail-feathers 12. Sexes
alike.
CORACIAS. 103
This family is found in tropical and temperate regions of the
Old World. Two genera are Indian.
Key to the Genera.
a. Bill compressed ; breadth at gape about half
length of culmen CORACIAS, p. 103.
b. Bill snort, broad ; breadth at gape about equal
to culmen EURYSTOMUS, p. 107.
Genus CORACIAS, Linn., 1766.
Bill rather long, compressed, culmen slightly curved, nostrils
elongate ; gape wide, with strong rictal bristles.
To this genus belong three Indian and Burmese birds, of which
one is migratory and only occurs in North-western India. Species
are found throughout Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and in
Celebes.
Key to the Species.
a. Lower parts only blue in part.
a'. Under wing-coverts, abdomen, and lower tail-
coverts pale blue C. indica, p. 103.
b'. Under wing-coverts deep blue, pale blue con-
fined to vent and lower tail-coverts .» C. affinis, p. 105.
b. Lower parts pale blue throughout C. yarrula, p. 100.
Fig. 29.— Head of C. indica.
1022. Coracias indica. The Indian Roller.
Coracias indica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 51 ;
Legye, Birds Ceyl. p. 281 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 237 ; Murray^
Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 109 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 97 ; id. Jour.
Bomb. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 9 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i,
p. 176; Gates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 53 ; Sharpe,
P. Z. S. 1890, p. 547 ; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 10.
Nilkant, Sal.zak, H. ; Tds, Mahr. ; Pain, pitta, Tel. ; Kuttu AWr/',
Pal-kuruvi, Tarn. ; Panany-karda, Tarn. Ceylon ; Doong-kowluwa, Cing. ;
Blue Jay or Jay of Europeans in India.
104
Coloration. Narrow forehead and chin pale brownish rufous;
crown and nape bluish green, brighter and bluer above the eyes ;
hind neck and sides of neck deep vinous ; back, scapulars, and
tertiaries dull greenish brown ; small coverts near the edge of the
wing deep purplish blue, other coverts light greyish green, except
the outer large primary and the tips of the other greater coverts,
which, with the edge of the wing, all under wing-coverts, and
axillaries, are pale blue ; quills deep purplish blue ; a broad light
blue band across the terminal half of the primaries, the tips dark,
with the outer webs greenish. Rump light greenish blue, mixed
with deep blue ; upper tail-coverts chiefly deep blue ; middle tail-
feathers dull dark green, basal part near shaft blue ; other tail-
feathers deep blue, crossed near the tip by a broad pale blue band,
wider on the outer feathers. Sides of head and throat purplish
liiac, with broad whitish shaft-stripes ; breast vinous rufous, with
less marked white shaft-stripes ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts
pale blue like wing-lining.
Bill blackish brown; iris greyish brown ; eyelid and naked skin
round the eye pale gamboge ; feet brownish yellow (Butler).
Length about 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 7"3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1*7.
Distribution. Throughout India and Ceylon in suitable localities,
not ascending the Himalayas nor the hills of the Peninsula in
general, and wanting both in thick jungle and in open treeless
deserts. East of Calcutta this species is replaced by C. affinis,
but to the westward, though it becomes rare in the Northern
Punjab and wanting in Kashmir, it is found sparingly throughout
Baluchistan, all round the shores of the Persian Gulf to Muscat,
and stragglers have even been obtained in Asia Minor and on the
Bosphorus.
Habits, <$fc. This is one of the typical Indian birds familiar to all
inhabitants of the country. It is commonly found in cultivated
tracts on trees about villages, and in thin tree and bush jungle.
It is, as Blyth remarks, one of the birds that perch on telegraph,
wires. Jerdon says : — " It generally takes its perch on the top or
outermost branch of some high tree, and, on spying an insect on
the ground, which it can do at a very great distance, it flies direct
to the spot, seizes it, and returns to its perch to swallow it. A
favourite perch of the Roller is a bowrie pole, or some leafless tree,
whence it can see well all round, also old buildings, a haystack or
other elevated spot, sometimes a low bush or a heap of earth or of
stones. When seated, it puffs out the feathers of its head and
neck. I have on several occasions seen one pursue an insect in
the air for some distance, and when the winged termites issue
from their nest after rain, the Roller, like almost every other bird,
catches them on the wing." (The Roller is also conspicuous at
jungle fires, hunting for insects, and perhaps for lizards, in company
with kites, crows, and king-crows.) " It flies in general with a
slow but continued flapping of its wings, not unlike the crow,
though more buoyant ; but it has the habit of occasionally making
sudden darts in the air in all directions. Its food is chiefly large
CORACIAS. 105
insects, grasshoppers, crickets, Mantidce, and even beetles, occasion-
ally a small fieldmouse or shrew." " The Boiler has a very harsh
grating cry or scream, which it always utters when disturbed and
often at other times also." " The Nilkant is sacred to Siva, who
assumed its form, and at the feast of the Dusserah at Nagpur, one
or more used to be liberated by the Rajah." The liberation of this
bird takes place during other Hindu ceremonies in various parts of
India.
In most parts of India the Boiler is resident, but it leaves the
open Bombay Deccan for better wooded tracts, according to several
observers, during the breeding-season. It breeds from March in
Upper India, from January in Ceylon, till June or July, but chiefly
in March, April, and May, making use of a hole in a tree, or
sometimes in an old wall or the roof of a house. The nest is
generally lined with a varying amount of vegetable fibre, grass, a
few feathers or some old rags, but the lining is often omitted
altogether. The eggs are a broad oval, of the purest china-white
and very glossy, usually 4 in number (occasionally 5) ; they measure
about 1-3 by 1-06.
1023. Coracias affinis. TJie Burmese Roller.
Coracias affinis, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 164 ; Blyth, J.A.S. B.
xiv, p. 190 ; id. Cat. p. 51 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 574 ; Jerdon, B. L
i, p. 217 ; Hume, S. F. iii, pp. 50, 262 ; v, p. 18 ; xi, p. 43 ; id. Cat.
no. 124 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 72 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 72 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped,, Aves, p. 581 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 69 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 589 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 56 ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 548 ;
id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 13.
Katnas, Konsa, Assam ; Tak-ral, Lepcha ; Hnet-Kah, Burm.
Coloration. Head above pale dull green, passing into bright pale
verditer-blue on the broad and long supercilia ; back, scapulars,
and tertiaries olive-brown ; smaller and median wing-coverts dark
blue, greater secondary-coverts bluish green, greater primary-
coverts pale blue, quiUs deep blue with a bar of pale blue across
the terminal half of the primaries ; rump deep blue ; upper tail-
coverts pale blue ; middle tail-feathers dusky green, the others
deep blue at the base, light blue on the terminal half, slightly
tipped with dusky ; sides of head, chin, and throat purplish blue, the
throat-feathers with shining blue shaft-stripes ; breast vinaceous
brown, passing on lower abdomen into dark, then into pale blue ;
wing-lining deep purplish blue throughout.
Bill dark brownish black, mouth yellow ; edges of the eyelids,
lores, and skin at the back of the eye yellowish orange ; iris brown ;
legs yellowish brown.
Length about 13 ; tail 4'75 ; wing 7'5 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from
gape 1*7.
Distribution. Throughout Burma except in the extreme south
of Tenasserhn, also in Siain and Cochin China, and through the
106 COEACIAD^B.
countries north of Burma to the foot of the Himalayas in Assam.
This species is found in Tipperah, Cachar, and Sylhet ; but north
of the head of the Bay of Bengal, from Calcutta to Tipperah and
from Eastern Nepal to Assam, over a belt 150 or 200 miles broad
between E. long. 88° and 91°, intermediate forms between C. in-
dica and C. affinis prevail. These I regard as hybrids, as each of
the two forms is found constant in character throughout a wide
area.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of C. indica. This bird breeds in
March, April, and May, and lays 4 or 5 white eggs, measuring
about 1-37 by 1-09.
1024. Coracias garrula. The European Roller.
Coracias garrula, L. Syst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 51 ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 570; Jerdon, B. L i, p. 218 ; Stoliczka, J. A.
S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 19 ; Brooks, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 73 ;
Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; G. F. L. Marsh, ibid. p. 205 ; Blyth, Ibis,
1873, p. 80 ; Hume $ Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 177 ; Hume, S. F.
i, p. 168 ; Blanford, East. Pers. ii, p. 125 ; St. John, S. F. v, p. 502 ;
Butler, 8. F. vii, p. 181 ; Hume, Cat. no. 125 ; Bidd-ulph, Ibis,
1881, p. 48 ; Scully 9 ibid. p. 429 ; C. Swinh. Ibis, 1882, p. 102 ;
Davidson, S. F. x, p. 296 ; id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i, p. 176 ;
Littledale, ibid. p. 197 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 98 ; St. John, Ibis,
1889, p. 157 ; Oates in Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 56 ; Sharpe,
P. Z. S. 1890, p. 549; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 15.
Nila Kras, Kashmir.
Coloration. Narrow forehead and chin hoary white ; head, neck,
and lower parts, including the wing-lining, pale blue with a
greenish tinge ; head above and nape brighter, throat with bright
longitudinal streaks ; back, scapulars, and tertiaries light brownish
rufous ; wing-coverts pale blue, smaller coverts along the forearm
deep blue, greater primary-coverts very pale blue, tipped dusky ;
quills black, some of the primaries with a greenish gloss on the
outer web outside, inner webs of all deep blue on the under
surface ; rump deep purplish blue, more or less mixed with light
blue and passing into light greenish blue on the upper tail- coverts ;
middle pair of tail-feathers dull bronze-green, brighter along the
shafts, about the basal two-thirds of outer webs of other tail-
feathers dull green, of inner webs black, terminal portion of both
webs, broader on the outer feathers, pale blue, extreme tips of
outer pair blackish.
Young birds are duller and browner.
Bill black ; iris dark brown ; feet yellowish brown.
Length about 12 ; tail 5 ; wing 7' 8 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from
gape 1*6.
Distribution. A migratory bird, wintering in Africa, passing the
summer and breeding in Europe and Central Asia (Persia, Turkes-
tan). It also breeds commonly in Kashmir and the Peshawur
Valley, and is found during migration in Sind and throughout the
Punjab. Specimens have been collected as far east as Dhulia in
EUEYSTOMUS. 107
Khanclesh, Ahmedabad, the Satpura hills, Ajmere, Mussooree, and
Garhwal.
Habits, <$fc. Very similar to those of C. indica, but the present
species is more often seen away from trees. It has the same
peculiar flight, the same habit of tumbling about in the air
(whence the name of Boiler), and a similar harsh voice, and it lives
on insects in the same way. It nidificates sometimes in holes or
hollows in trees, often in cliffs or sandy banks, or mud walls,
occasionally in ruins, and lays from May to July 4 or 5 or rarely
H white, glossy, long oval eggs, measuring on an average 1*52
by 1-1.
Mr. Blyth states that he saw a skin from Kashmir showing
intermixture of this species with C. indica.
Genus EURYSTOMUS, Vieill., 1816.
Bill short and broad ; width of the gape about equal to the
length of the culmen, the terminal part compressed and the
upper mandible hooked ; no rictal bristles.
A single species is Indian ; other species occur in Madagascar
and tropical Africa, China, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia.
Fig. 30.— Head of E. orientalis.
1025. Enrystomus orientalis. The Broad-billed Holler.
Coracias orientalis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766).
Eurystomus orientalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 51 : Layard A. M. N. H. (2)
xfi, p. 171 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 121 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 219 ; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 345 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli,
pt. 2, p. 277 ; Vipan, S. F. i, p. 495 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 164 ; xi,
p. 43 ; id. Cat. no. 126 ; Morgan, S. F. ii, p. 531 ; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S.B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 72 ; Bour-
dillon, S. F. iv, p. 382 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 285 ; Hume Sf Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 72; Davison, S. F. x. p. 351 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 70;
id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. lii, p. 57 ; Dresser, Ibis, 1891,
p. 99 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 33, pi. ii, fig. 6.
Eurystomus Iretior, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 551 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 36.
108 COEACIADvE.
Eurystomus calorynx, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82 (descr.
nulla).
Eurystomus calonyx, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 551 ; id. Cat. E. M.
xvii, p. 38, pi. ii, fig1. 2.
Tak-rdl-vong, Lepclia ; Mo-goun-hnet, Burmese.
Coloration. Head and neck above and at the sides blackish brown,
more or less tinged with green ; back much greener, passing into
dark bluish green on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and on the
scapulars and tertiaries, and into brighter greenish blue on the
wing-coverts ; primary-coverts deep blue, quills black, deep blue on
the outer webs, the outer primaries crossed near the base by a
broad pale blue band ; tail-feathers black, the outer webs above
and the inner below washed for a varying distance from the base
with deep blue ; throat deep blue, with bright blue shaft-stripes ;
remainder of lower surface greenish blue, darker on the breast.
Bill, legs, and feet deep vermilion, tip of bill black ; iris dark
brown : gape yellowish (Oates).
The young is duller in colour, wants the bright blue streaks on
the throat, and has a black bill.
Length about 12 ; tail 4 ; wing 7'5 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from
gape 1-7.
Ceylon and Travancore birds are deeper in colour, the head very
dark, almost black, and the underparts bluer. These form a well-
marked race or subspecies, E. Icetior of Sharpe. Sharpe also dis-
tinguishes the Himalayan and Chinese and some Burmese and
Malay birds under the name E. calonyx, on account of the
blue on the outer webs of the tail-feathers extending to the ter-
minal half of the feathers and of the outer webs of the secondaries
being washed with blue ; and he regards E. calonyx as a migratory
and E. orientalis as a non-migratory form ; but I find considerable
variation, and doubt whether two forms can be distinguished.
Distribution. Along the base of the Himalayas as far west as
Kurnaun up to about 3000 feet and from Lower Bengal, Cachar,
and Assam locally throughout the Burmese countries to China
and Manchuria, Siam and Cochin China, and down the Malay
Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines ; com-
mon in the Andarnans. Also found in Southern India near the
Malabar coast as far north as the Wynaad, and in Ceylon, where
this bird is rare.
Habits, fyc. A forest bird, resident or locally migratory, haunting
high trees and usually perching on a dead tree or branch, some-
times on a bamboo, whence it flies down to capture insects. It is
somewhat crepuscular in its habits and is generally silent ; its call
is a monosyllablic deep-toned whistle, but occasionally in the
breeding-season it makes a chattering noise. In confinement it
eats plantains. It breeds in March and April, in holes in branches
of trees, as a rule at a considerable height from the ground, and
lays on the bare wood usually 3 white eggs, measuring about
1-38 by 1-15.
MEEOPIDJ3. 1 09
Suborder MEEOPES.
Only the left carotid is present. The manubriurn sterni is
trifid, the inner portion being forked, and the outer single.
Behind the spine is a foramen as in Upupidce and Bucerotidce.
Cervical vertebrae 15. The flexor perforans digitorum gives off
from its inner side the slip which supplies the hallux, before
blending with the /. longus hallucis. The conjoined tendons
then divide into three to supply the other toes. Other characters
as in Coracice.
A single family.
Family MEROPID^E.
Bill long, slender, and curved throughout, culmen ridged, both
mandibles pointed ; legs and feet feeble, syndactyle, the outer or
fourth toe united to the third or middle toe as far as the last
joint, second and third toes united by the basal joint only. Tail-
feathers 12. Primaries 10. Sexes alike or nearly so.
Key to the Getiera.
a. Breast-plumes not elongate ; wing pointed ;
2nd quill longest.
a'. Middle pair of tail-feathers much longer
than the others MEROPS, p. 109.
V. Middle tail-feathers not longer MELITTOPHAGUS, p. 114.
b. Breast-plumes elongate, pendent, and
brightly coloured ; wing rounded ; 4th
quill longest NYCTIORNIS, p. 115.
Genus MEROPS, Linn., 1766.
Bill very long, slender, and pointed, nostrils partially covered
by plumes ; a few small rictal bristles at the base of the bill ; wings
long, pointed, 1 st primary minute, 2nd longest ; the two middle
tail-feathers longer than the others, and with their terminal
portion narrow.
The genus ranges throughout the greater part of the Old
World ; four species are Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. Throat green or chestnut ; middle tail-feathers
exceed others by more than length of
culmen.
a'. Throat green or bluish green : wing 3'6 . . M. viridis, p. 110.
b'. Chin yellow, throat chestnut : wing 5-6.
a'. Tail blue above M. philippinus, p. 111.
b". Tail green above M . persicus, p. 112.
b. Chin and throat yellow ; middle tail-feathers
exceed outer by less than length of culmen . M. apiaste)', p. 113.
110 MEROPID^E.
The habits of all the Bee-eaters are similar. All feed on
insects, and the larger species very much on bees and wasps, which
they capture in the air, seize across the body, and crush, either
with their mandibles or by beating the insect against their perch,
before swallowing. They select a perch with a good look-out,
often a dead branch at the top of a tree or bush, and they are
fond of sitting on telegraph-wires. They generally, after sallying
forth and hunting, return to the same perch. They have a
pleasant whistling note : they generally live in colonies and make
long nest-holes, two or three inches in diameter and often several
feet deep, in the bank of a river, on a hill-side, or sometimes on
level ground ; at the bottom of this hole they hollow out a
chamber, in which their eggs, which are white, glossy, and very
spherical ovals, are laid, usually without any lining.
«
1026. Merops viridis. The Common Indian Bee-eater.
Merops viridis, Linn. Syst. Rat. i, p. 182 (1766) ; Blylh, Cat. p. 53 ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 84 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 205 ; Stoiiczka,
J. A. 8. B. xxxvii, p. 19; Hume, S. F. i, p. 167 ; iii, p. 49;
xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 117 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 ; Bh/th $ Wald.
Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 314 ; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 67, 498; Zeyge, Birds Ceyl. p. 309; Scully, S. F.
viii, p. 237; Damson, S. F. x, p. 350; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 65;
id. in Humes N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 60 ; Barnes, Birds Bomb.
p. 93; Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 31, pi. ix ; Sharye, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 78.
Merops ferrugeiceps and M. torquatus, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc.
p. 82 (1844), descr. nulla.
Merops indicus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 227.
Patringa, Harridl, H. ; Bdnspati in Bengal ; Tailingi, Veda Hdgliu,
Mahr. ; Chinna passeriki, Tel. ; Kurumenne Kurulla, Cin^. ; Kattalan
Kuruvi, Tamil, Ceylon ; Monayyi, Arrakan ; Hnet-pa sin-to, Burm.
Several of these terms are also used for other species of Merops.
Coloration. Upper parts, including wing-coverts and tertiaries,
bright green, sometimes more or less tinged with ferruginous
or golden on the crown, nape, and upper back, tertiaries and
rump a little bluer ; lores and a band under the eye to the ear-
coverts black, primary and secondary quills pale rufous, greenish
on the outer webs, tipped blackish ; tail duller green above, dark
brown below, tips of the elongate middle feathers blackish ; lower
parts green ; a black gorget ; chin and cheeks, and sometimes the
throat, bluish or even verditer-blue ; lower abdomen and lower
coverts also sometimes bluish.
Bill black ; irides blood-red ; feet dark plumbeous (Jerdon) .
Length about 9 ; tail 4-5-5, outer rectrices 2'9 ; wing 3-6 •
tarsus '4 ; bill from gape 1'4.
Specimens with a ferruginous head are more common to the
eastward, especially in Burma ; birds from the North-west
Provinces show the blue throat best, but the intensity of this
colour appears to increase as the plumage gets worn. Both of
the varieties are occasionally found in Southern India.
MEBOPS. Ill
Distribution. Common and resident almost throughout India,
Ceylon, and Burma. Wanting in the Himalayas, where this
species rarely occurs, even in the lower ranges, though there are
specimens from Kashmir and Murree in the Hume Collection.
Absent also as a rule on the higher hills of the Peninsula, and in
some of the denser and damper forests. In Ceylon M. viridis
is only found in the drier parts of the low country. In Tenasserim
it has not been observed south of Mergui, and it does not occur
in the Malay Peninsula nor in the Andamans or Mcobars,
though it is found in Siarn and Cochin Chiua. West of India
it extends through Baluchistan and Southern Persia to North-
eastern Africa.
Habits, <$fc. One of the commonest and most familiar of Indian
birds ; a resident in general, but locally migratory in some places :
thus it is said to leave the island of Bombay from April till
September. It has the usual habits of Bee-eaters, but generally
prefers a lower perch than the larger species ; it lives on various
insects, usually captured in the air, and it has a pleasant whistling
note. It breeds from the middle of March till the beginning of
June, and lays from 3 to 5 eggs at the end of a hole which it digs
to a depth of 1 £ to 5 feet, usually in a bank or cliff. The eggs
are spherical ovals, white and glossy, and measure about *78
by '7.
1027. Merops philippinus. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater.
Merops philippinus, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. xiii (Vindob.}, i, p. 183
(1767) ; Jerdon. Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 228; Blyth, Cat. p. 52;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 86 : Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 42 ; Hume,
S. F. iii, p. 456; iv, pp. 36, 287; xi, p. 42; id. Cat. no. 118;
Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 72 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi,
pp. 67, 498 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 258 ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 306 ; Douj, S. F. viii, p. 370 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 49 ;
Binyham, ibid. p. 152 ; Butler, ibid. p. 381 ; Davison, S. F. x.
p. 350 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 66 ; Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 55, pi. xv ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 94 ; Littledale, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i,
pp. 31, 196 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 63; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 71.
Merops philippensis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 207 ; Ball, S. F. i, p. 57 ;
Anderson, Yunnan Exp., Aves, p. 581.
Merops daudini, Cuv. Kegne Anim. Nouv. ed. i, p. 442 (1829),
descr. nulla ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 162 ; iii, p. 49.
Bar a patrinya, II.; Komu passeriki, Tel. ; Huet-pasin-to, Burm.
Coloration. Lores and a streak past the eye to the ear-coverts
black, bordered above by a narrow pale verditer-blue supercilium
and below by a broader blue line. Upper parts to rump, including
the wing-coverts, green with a rufous tinge passing into the
verditer-blue of the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; tertiaries
also sometimes bluish ; middle pair of tail-feathers with elongate
black tips, and all tail-feathers dark brown beneath : wing-feathers
more rufous green than the back, all except the tertiaries tipped
with black, the outer webs bluish or brighter greenish towards
112 MEEOPID^E.
the tip ; chin yellow ; throat chestnut, passing into green on the
breast, this passes into pale blue round the vent and on the lower
tail-coverts ; wing-lining light brownish rufous.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs dusky plumbeous (Jerdon).
Length about 12 ; tail 5-6, outer feathers only 3'5 ; wing 5'25 ;
tarsus '5 ; bill from gape 2.
Fig. 31. — Head of M. philippinus.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of the Oriental
region. This Bee-eater is generally but somewhat locally dis-
tributed over India, Ceylon, and Burma, extending west to Sind,
but not found in the Himalayas.
Habits, &fc. A resident species, but partially migratory in many
places, and in Ceylon merely a winter visitant ; it keeps much to
forest countries and well-wooded districts, and generally breeds in
the banks of rivers. It feeds on wasps, bees, dragonflies, beetles,
and even butterflies. It sometimes congregates in large numbers,
but is more often seen in small companies or singly. Its voice is
described by Jerdon as a full, mellow, rolling whistle. It breeds,
usually in large colonies, from March to June, in a hole 4 to 7
feet long, the egg-chamber being occasionally lined with grass or
feathers ; it lays usually four or five white, glossy, nearly spherical
eggs, measuring about *88 by "76.
1028. Merops persicus. The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.
Merops persicus, Pall. Reis. Russ. Reichs, \\, Anhang, p. 708 (1773) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 52 ; Davids. $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 77 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 120; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 429: Davidson, 8. F. x, p. 295;
Barnes, Birds Bomb. p. 95 ; Sivinhoe $ Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 61 :
Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 63, pi. xvi ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157 ;
Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 65 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 66.
Merops segyptius, Forsk. Descr. An., Aves, p. 1 (1775) ; Horsf. $ M.
Cat. i, p. 89 ; Jerdon, B. L i, p. 209 ; G. F. L. Marshall, Ibis, 1872,
p. 203 ; Hume, S. F. i. p. 167 ; iii, p. 326 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 j
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 456; vii, p. 181.
The Egyptian Bee-eater, Jerdon.
Coloration. Very similar to M. philippinus, but greener. Fore-
head white, passing into verditer-blue, which unites the long blue
supercilia ; a black streak through the lores past the eye to the
MEROPS. 113
ear-coverts, bordered below by white, passing down into blue and
then into green on the cheeks; upper parts and wings green,
bluer on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; quills greenish rufous,
tipped blackish; tail-feathers also rufescent green, the long
median pair dusky at the tips ; chin yellow, throat chestnut, rest
of lower parts green like the back ; wing-lining brownish rufous.
Bill black ; iris red ; legs and feet fleshy (C. T. Bingham).
Length about 12 ; tail 5 to 6, to end of outer rectrices 3*7 ;
wing 6; tarsus -55; bill from gape 1*75.
Distribution. Migratory, wintering in Africa, and passing the
summer in Western and Central Asia. A summer visitant to North-
western India, breeding in parts of. Sind, Rajputana, the Punjab,
and Afghanistan, and ranging occasionally during migration as far
as Gilgit, Aligarh and Mainpuri in the N.W. Provinces, Mhow,
Khandesh, and even Pandharpur in the Bombay Deccan, where
Mr. Davidson obtained a young specimen in October. This
species has not, so far as I know, been observed in Kashmir
proper.
Habits, $'c. Similar to those of other Bee-eaters. This species
breeds near Delhi, as observed by Bingham, from the middle of
May to the middle of July, and lays 3 to 5 eggs in the usual
nest-hole. The eggs measure on an average -95 by *81.
1029. Merops apiaster. The European Bee-eater.
Merops apiaster, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 182 (1766); Blyth, Cat.
p. 52 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 474 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 210 ; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; Murray, S. F. vii, p. 113 ; Hume, Cat. no. 121 ;
Wardl. -Ramsay, Ibis, 1880, p. 49; Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 215,
453 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 48 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 95 ; St.
John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157 ; Gates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 66 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 63.
Coloration. Forehead white, followed by an indistinct line of
verditer-blue passing into green, that is continued on each side as
a superciliuin ; a black line including the lores and ear-coverts
and passing under the eye ; crown, hind neck, and upper back
chestnut, darkest on the head and passing into pale yellowish
brown, weathering in worn plumage to buff on the lower back
and rump, paler still on the scapulars; secondary -coverts and
quills chestnut ; primary-coverts and primary and tertiary quills
bluish green, all quills except the tertiaries tipped black ; upper
tail-coverts bluish green ; tail-feathers bronze-green above, the
slightly elongate median pair tipped black, all blackish beneath ;
chin and throat rich yellow, followed by a black gorget ; breast,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts greenish blue, paler behind ; wing-
lining buff.
Bill black ; iris red ; legs and feet brown.
Length about 10-5 ; tail 4 to 5, outer rectrices 3-5 ; wing 5-75 ;
tarsus -55 ; bill from gape 1'7.
Distribution. A migratory bird, wintering in Africa, and perhaps
in Southern Arabia, and breeding in summer in Southern Europe
VOL. in. 1
114 MEEOPID^E.
and Central Asia. Within Indian limits this Bee-eater breeds in
Kashmir and probably in Afghanistan, and has been observed
when migrating in the N.W. Punjab, Baluchistan, and on one
occasion in Sind.
Habits, Sfc. Those of the genus. This and other large Bee-
eaters keep more on the wing than M. viridis and feed on various
insects, chiefly bees and wasps. M. a/piaster breeds in Kashmir
during May and June, and lays 4 to 7 eggs (6 being a common
number) in a chamber at the end of a deep hole. The eggs are
white and glossy, and measure about 1-08 by -9.
Genus MELITTOPHAGUS, Boie, 1828.
This genus contains one Indian species, other kinds being
found throughout the Ethiopian region, whilst one, M. quinticolor,
inhabits Java. The only distinction from Merops is that the
middle pair of tail-feathers are no longer than the other
rectrices. Plumage and habits are similar to those of Merops, and
the two types are scarcely worth separating.
1030. Melittophagus swinhoii. The Chestnut-headed See-eater.
Merops erythrocephalus ?, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 463 (1778) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 53 ; Blyth fy Wold. Birds Burma, p. 72.
Merops quinticolor, apud Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 88 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 208 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 318 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. 8. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 266 ; Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 423 ; Jerdon, Ibis,
1872, p. 3 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 301 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb.
N. H. Soc. Ti, p. 332 (nee F.).
Merops swinhoei, Hume, N. $ E. p. 102 (1873) ; id. S. F. ii, p. 163 ;
vii, p. 455 ; xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 119 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 386 ; vii,
p. 203 ; Fairb. S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Armstrong, ibid. p. 305 ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 312; Parker, 8. F. ix, p. 478 ; Damson, 8. F. x,
p. 350 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 95.
Merops leschenaultii, apud Fairb. S. F. v, p. 394; Anders. Yunnan
Exped., Aves, p. 582 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 68 (nee F).
Melittophagus leschenaulti, apud Oates, B. B. ii, p. 68.
Melittophagus quinticolor, apud Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 115, pi. xxvi ;
Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii. p. 67.
Melittophagus swinhoii, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 55.
Kurumenne Kurulla, Pook-Kira, Cingalese.
Coloration. Whole crown with the ear-coverts, hind neck, and
upper back chestnut ; lores and a narrow line running back under
the eye and ear-coverts black ; interscapulars, scapulars, and
outside of wings bright green ; quills the same, but (the tertiaries
excepted) with black tips and rufous inner margins ; rump and-
upper tail-coverts pale blue ; tail-feathers green above, all except
the median pair dusky on their margins and tips ; chin and
throat yellow ; a rufous-brown gorget joining the chestnut of the
upper surface, and bordered behind with black not extending to
the sides of the neck, but succeeded by an ill-defined yellow band ;
NYCTIOBNIS. 115-
breast green, passing into bluish green on the abdomen and lower
tail-coverts.
Bill black ; iris crimson ; legs dusky black (Oates).
Length 8*5 ; tail 4 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus *43 ; bill from gape 1*7.
After going over the original descriptions, I believe the true
Merops quinticolor to be the Javan species. M. leschenaulti is
not recognizable. Vieillot appears merely to have copied
Levaillant's descriptions and localities, and the latter are notori-
ously worthless.
Distribution. A resident, locally distributed throughout Ceylon
and in the hill-forests near the Malabar coast as far north as
Belgaum, ascending the Nilgiris to about 5000 feet. Elsewhere
in the Peninsula this bird is only known to occur in the great
forest-region south-east of Bengal, and there it is very rare ; but
Mr. Ball obtained a specimen in Sarguja and I shot one on the
Grodavari below Sironcha. It ranges throughout the Lower
Himalayas as far west as Dehra Dun, and east of the Bay of
Bengal from Assam to the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and Cochin
China, occurring locally throughout Burma and in the Andaman
Islands.
Habits, <$fc. Similar to those of Merops. This bird is usuaUy
seen perched on a tree, very often on a dead branch, or catching
insects on the wing. It chiefly prefers forests or well-wooded
country near streams. It breeds about March and April,
generally in colonies, in holes of considerable depth, and lays
usually 5 or 6 glossy white eggs in a chamber at the end of the
hole. The eggs measure about '87 by *76.
Genus NYCTIORNIS, Swains., 1831.
Larger than Merops; bill stronger and deeper; ridge of the
culmen flattened ; a hoUow on each side of the ridge ; nostrils
covered by plumes. Wing rounded ; first quill about two-thirds
of the second, third or fourth longest ; tail rather long, even.
Feathers of throat and breast elongate and richly coloured.
Only two species are known, both are found within our area.
Key to the Species.
Middle of throat and of breast light blue N. athertoni, p. 116.
Middle of throat and of breast scarlet N. amictus, p. 117.
1031. Nyctiornis athertoni. The Blue-bearded Bee-eater.
Merops athertoni, Jard. $ Selby, 111. Orn. ii, pi. 58 (1829).
Nyctiornis athertoni, Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 89 ; Jerdon, B.I. i, p. 211 ;
Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds
Burma, p. 73 ; Hume Sf Inglis, S. F. \, p. 18 ; Fairbank, ibid.
p. 394 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 68 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 203 ;
xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 122 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves,
p. 583 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, pp. 153, 472 ; Butler, ibid. p. 382 ;
Damson, S. F. x, p. 351 ; Macyregor, ibid. p. 436 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
i2
116
p. 63 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 58 ; Dresser, Mon.
Mer. p. 7, pi. 3 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 96 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb.
N. H. Soc. vi, p. 333 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 88.
Bucia nepalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 361 (1836).
Merops cyanogularis, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. 8. xi, p. 229 (1840).
Alcemerops athertonii, Blyth, Cat. p. 52.
The Blue-necked Bee-eater, Jerdon ; Bukay Chera, Nepal ; Sany-rhyok,
Lepcha ; Pya-too-huet, Burmese.
Fig. 32.— Head of N. athertoni.
Coloration. Forehead, sometimes to vertex, pale verditer-blue ;
whole upper parts, with sides of neck and breast and upper
surface of wings and tail, grass-green; chin, middle of throat
and of upper breast, forming a broad line, light blue, the long
breast-feathers deep verditer except at the margins ; lower surface
from breast, including the wing-lining, ochreous buff, streaked with
broad green shaft-stripes from breast to vent ; tail-feathers dull
ochreous yellow beneath, their outer margins and tips blackish.
Bill horny, light at the base below ; iris brown : legs fleshy
brown, tinged with green (Oates).
Length 14 ; tail 5*25 ; wing 5'8 ; tarsus *7 ; bill from gape 2-3.
The female somewhat less.
Distribution. Resident throughout the Lower Himalayas as far
west as Dehra Dun, from the plains to about 4000 feet, also from
Assam to Tenasserim, Siam, and Cambodia, throughout the Burmese
countries, in the larger forests. This Bee-eater is replaced in
Southern Tenasserim by the next species, but it is found in the
Malabar forests from the neighbourhood of Belgaum to Travancore.
The only other reported occurrence in the Peninsula of India
is at Sambalpur, whence there are two skins in the Hume Collection.
Not known in Ceylon.
Habits, fyc. A forest-bird, usually seen solitary or in pairs,
perching on high trees, and capturing insects on the wing. The
eggs were obtained by Major Bingham in Tenasserim from a hole
7 feet deep in the bank of a stream on April 23rd ; they were four
in number, hard-set, nearly round, white and glossy, and measured
about 1'14 by 1'03. Several similar nests and eggs were taken by
Mr. Davidson in Kanara at the end of March, and by Mr. E. C.
Steuart Baker in Cachar from March till June. It was long supposed,
doubtless erroneously, that this bird might breed in holes of trees.
NYCTIORNIS. 117
1032. Nyctiornis amictus. The Red-bearded Bee-eater.
Merops amictus, Temm. PI, Col. pi. 310 (1824;.
Nyctiornis amicta, Swaim. Zool, III. ser. 2, ii, text to pi. 56 ; Horsf.
tf M. Cat. p. 383 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 345 ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 73 ; Hume $ Z>av. S. F. vi, pp. 69, 498 ; Hume, Cat. no.
122 bis ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 193 ; ix, p. 153 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 64 ; Dresser, Moti. Met: p. 1, pis. 1, 2 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 90.
Alcemerops amicta, Blyth, Cat. -p. 52.
Nyctiornis malaccenis, Cab. Sf Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 133 (1859) ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 469.
Coloration. Nasal plumes and point of chin pale verditer-green ;
lores and forehead pink, passing into lilac on the vertex ; feathers
on eyelids dark green or blue ; whole upper parts, including ear-
coverts, sides of neck and breast, and upper surface of wings and
tail, grass-green ; cheeks in front of eye, throat, and elongate
plumes in middle of breast scarlet, the latter dark green near the
shafts; lower parts from breast pale green; tail-feathers beneath
ochreous yellow, with broad black tips ; exterior margin of outer-
most feathers also black ; wing-lining ochreous buff.
In the female the forehead and lores are scarlet like the throat ;
vertex only pink. Young birds are green throughout.
Bill black, whitish at base ; iris bright yellow to orange ; legs and
feet pale green, often dingy, sometimes bluish (Davison).
Length 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 5-25 ; tarsus *6 ; bill from gape 2-45.
Females measure rather less and have a shorter bill.
Distribution. Tenasserim and throughout the Malay Peninsula
to Sumatra and Borneo. In Tenasserim this bird is found as far
north as Moulmein, Myawadi, and the Thoungyeng valley, but is
rare north of Tay.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of N. athertoni. The note, according
to Davison, is hoarse, of four syllables, and uttered at irregular
intervals. Nidification not known.
118 ALCEDINLDJE.
Suborder HALCYONES.
No caeca; oil-gland tufted ; 15 cervical vertebrae. Sternum with
four notches on the posterior margin ; manubrium simple, composed
of the spina externa only. Both carotids are present. Spinal
feather-tract well denned on the neck and not forked on the back,
so there is no dorsal apteriuin. Down present in adults on the tracts
not covered by feathers, a character absent in other suborders of
Anisodactyli. No accessory semitendinosus muscle. The two
plantar tendons are generally united, but the slip leading to the
hallux branches off from the flexor perforans digitorum above the
junction as in Meropes. In some cases however, as in Dacelo, this
slip unites with the flexor longus hdllucis, and the latter runs to
the fourth digit only and has no other connexion with the /. perf.
digitorum (Gadow in Newton's Dictionary of Birds, p. 617).
Family ALCEDINID^B.
Bill long, stout, pointed, with a rounded or slightly flattened
culmen ; tarsus and toes feeble ; the fourth or outer toe united to
the third for more than half its length, third and second united
tor basal third.
Primaries 11, the first minute. Tail-feathers 12 (except in
Tanysiptera, which has 10).
All Kingfishers lay white, glossy, rather round
eggs, very like those of Bee-eaters, almost always
in a chamber without lining, dug by the birds in the
earth at the end of a burrow from 6 inches to several
feet in length. There is sometimes, but rarely, a
layer of fish-bones on which the eggs are deposited.
This family is generally divided into two sub-
families, but as Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, to whom we
Fig. 33. are indebted for an excellent monograph of the
Eight foot of Kingfishers, has shown, the distinction between the
A. ispida, \. two is not well marked.
Key to the Genera.
a. Plumage (of Indian species) black and white. CERYLE, p. 119.
b. Plumage varied, not black and white.
a'. Tail shorter than culmen.
a'r. Toes 4 ALCEDO, p. 122.
b". Toes 3 CEYX, p. 127.
CERYLE. 119
b'. Tail longer than culmen.
c1'. Sexes alike.
a3. Bill red.
a4. Bill compressed, culmen flattened,
with a groove on each side PELARGOPSIS, p. 128.
b*. Bill not compressed, culmen rounded.
«5. Primaries white at base HALCYON, p. 131.
b'\ No white on primaries CALLIALCYON, p. 134.
£3. Bill black SAUROPATIS, p. 135.
d". Sexes dissimilar; bill some what depressed.
c3. Bill black above ; plumage not barred. CARIDAGRUS, p. 138.
d3. Bill red throughout ; plumage barred. CARCINEUTES, p. 138.
Genus CERYLE, Boie, 1828.
Bill long, compressed ; culmen slightly curved, flattened or
rounded above, with a groove on each side. Wings rather pointed,
2nd or 3rd quill longest, 1st but little shorter. Tail longer than
culmen.
This genus inhabits the Ethiopian and Oriental regions with the
Southern portion of the Palaearctic and the whole of America.
There are two Indian species, distinguished by their black and white
plumage.
Key to the Species.
Back not barred ; wing 5'5 C. varia, p. 119.
Back transversely barred ; wing over 7 C. lugubris, p. 121.
1033. Ceryle varia. The Indian Pied Kingfisher.
Ceryle varia, Strickland, A. M. N. H. vi, p. 418 (1841) ; Salvad. Ann.
Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 585 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 112.
Ceryle rudis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 49 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 131 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 232 ; Sharpe, Man. Ale. p. 61, pi. 19 ; Hume $
Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 179 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 170 ; iii, p. 52 ;
xi, p. 47 ; id. Cat. no. 136 ; Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 85 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 288; Anders.
Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 580 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 77 ; id. in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 8 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind} p. 112 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 103 ; (nee Alcedo rudis, Linn.).
Koryala-Kilkila, H. ; Phatka Mach ranga, Karikata, Beng. ; Ung-ta-
brik, Lepcha ; Pelihudmoa Waturanuwa, Gomera Pelihuduwa, Cing. ;
Pane-nyin, Bu-dau-nen-jo, Burm.
Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, and small nuchal crest black,
sparingly streaked with white ; lores and a long supercilium white,
a black eye-streak from the base of the bill to the ear-coverts,
connected by a narrow black line with the black gorget ; an imper-
fect white collar ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts black edged
with white ; rump-feathers white, with large black spots ; primaries
with outer web and terminal portion of inner black, the rest white ;
secondaries white, with irregular black markings forming imperfect
bars ; tail-feathers white on the basal half and on^the tip, a broad
120
black band occupying the greater part of the distal half ; lower
parts, with cheeks and wing-lining, white ; some small elongate
spots forming a malar patch ; two gorgets, the upper the broader, on
the breast, and spots on the flanks forming an imperfect belt, black.
There are often black spots on the throat.
Fig. 34.— Head of C. varia, f .
Females want the posterior black gorget and the anterior is
interrupted in the middle.
Bill black ; iris brown ; legs and feet blackish ; soles pale (Legge).
Length about 11*7; tail 3; wing 5'5 ; tarsus '4; bill from
gape 3.
The Indian bird has usually been referred to the African and
Western Asiatic 0. rudis ; but the latter differs in having the basal
half of the tail-feathers more or less spotted with black, the black
subterminal bands marked with large white spots, and the black
marks on the throat and flanks less developed. The two are, how-
ever, only just separable.
Distribution. Common throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma in
the plains, wherever there are rivers or large pieces of water, except
in Tenasserim south of Amherst. This Kingfisher ranges east to
China, but not west of Baluchistan, and does not inhabit the
Himalayas, even to the westward, above a very moderate elevation.
Habits, <$fc. The Pied Kingfisher avoids forest, but is found
haunting all waters in open country. It may be seen on tidal
streams and creeks, on backwaters and even on the sea-shore,
though it is more common inland on rivers, marshes, ditches, and
tanks. It lives entirely on fish, for which it never plunges from a
fixed perch, but it flies over the water, and hovers with its beak
pointed downwards, at a height of frequently 15 or 20 feet above
the surface, when it suspects the presence of a fish. It dives
for its prey after hovering, but not unfrequently checks itself in
its plunge and flies on, uttering from time to time a sharp
twittering cry. It breeds from the end of January till April, and
lays 4 to 6 white, glossy, broadly oval eggs at the end ot a hole
usually made in the perpendicular bank of a river. The eggs
measure about 1*18 by *94.
CERYLE. 121
lo;U. Ceryle lugubris. The Himalayan Pied Kingfisher.
Alcedo guttatus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 22 (nee Bodd. 1783).
Alcedo lugubris, Temm. PL Col. pi. 548 (1834).
Ceryle guttata, Blyth, Cat. p. 48 ; Horsf. # M. Cat. p. 132 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 234; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 19; Sharps,
Man. Ale. p. 57, pi. 18; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 4; Hume, S. F. ii,
p. 470 ; id. Cat. no. 137 ; Walden in Blyttfs Birds Burm. p. 71 ;
Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 69; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14;
Hume Sf Lu/lis, S. F. v, p. 19; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 85;
Binyham, S. F. viii, p. 193 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 76 ; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 409 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 48 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 6.
Ceryle lugubris, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 59 ; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 115.
Machi Bdgh, II. (Dun.) ; Jel butara, Chamba ; Ung-ka-zhu, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. Crown and long nuchal crest, with the sides
of: the head to some distance below the eyes, black, with white
oval spots, that become stivuks at the side; a broad white collar;
remainder of upper parts greyish black or dark grey, with white
bars ; quills and tail black, with transversely elongate white spots.
Lower parts including cheeks white, a stripe of black spots from
the point of the chin down each side of the throat, widening
behind and joining a broad gorget of black spots, the wider part
and the gorget tinged to a varying extent with brownish rufous
that is rarely entirely wanting ; flanks, wing-lining, and under tail-
feathers barred or spotted with grey or black.
Female. No rufous on throat or gorget ; under wing-coverts
pale rufous brown.
Bill black, greenish at the base ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet
olive-green.
Length about 16; tail 4'3; wing 7'4; tarsus -5; bill from
gape 3*3.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Kashmir,
and up to an elevation of 7000 feet to the westward, less to the
eastward ; also in the hills south of Assam, and in the Tenasserim
hills, but not, so far as is known, in the intervening country.
This species is also found in parts of China and in Japan.
Habits, $c. This Kingfisher is only found on wooded hill-streams,
though it follows them in places for some distance into the plains.
It generally occurs in pairs. It lives on fish entirely, and usually
sits in a bush near the water, keeping in the shade ; it swoops
upon fish generally from its perch, but according to Mr. Baker,
who has given an excellent account of its habits, it sometimes
hovers like C. varia. The same observer says this bird has two
notes, one like that of other Kingfishers, but less quickly repeated,
the other a guttural croak which serves as a call. It breeds from
April to June, and lays 3 or 4 large white, rounded eggs in a
chamber at the end of a hole about 2 feet long.
122 ALCEDINIDyE.
Genus ALCEDO, Linn., 1766.
Back bright blue, head banded black and blue. Bill long, coin-
pressed; culmen very slightly curved, the ridge rounded not
flattened above, and with a slight groove on each side. Wing
somewhat pointed, 3rd or 4th quill longest, 1st and 2nd very
little shorter. Tail very short, shorter than the bill and rounded
at the end. Feet weak.
A genus of 10 known species, half of which are Indian. The
generic range extends throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Key to the Species.
a. Size small ; wing 2-5 to 3-2.
a1. Ear-coverts ferruginous in adults ...... A. ispida, p. 122.
b'. Ear-coverts blue in adults.
a". Middle of back pale blue A. beavani, p. 124.
b". Middle of back deep blue A. meninting, p. 125.
b. Size larger ; wing about 3'5.
c'. No green band across breast.
c". Bars on head conspicuous, whitish
blue A. grandis, p. 125.
d" . Bars on head inconspicuous, dull
greenish blue A. euryzona $ , p. 126.
d1. A green band across breast A. euryzona <$ ,p. 126.
1035. Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher.
Alcedo ispida, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 179 (1766) ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale.
p. 1, pi. i ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168 ; id. Cat. no. 134 bis ; Blanf.
East. Pers. ii, p. 121 ; Sutler, S. F. v, p. 208 ; Murray, Vert. Zool.
Sind, p. Ill ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 102 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 141.
Alcedo bengalensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i,p. 450 (1788) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 49;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 129 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 474 ; 1859,
p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 230; Hume fy Senders. Lah. to Yark.
p. 178 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168 ; ii, p. 173 ; xi, p. 46 ; id. Cat.
no. 134; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71; Anders. Yunnan Exped,,
Aves, p. 580; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 81 ; Cripps, 8. F. vii,
p. 260 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 292 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 72 ; id. in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 1 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 101.
Alcedo sindiana, Hume, S. F. i, p. 168.
The Common Indian Kingfisher, Jerdon ; Chota kilkila, Nita or Nika
machrdla, H. ; Khandu, Khandya, Mahr. ; Chota-machranga, B. ; Tint
Konu, Tuntu, Kashmiri ; Ung-chin. Lepcha ; Nila buche gadu, Tel. ;
Dane-nyin, Burm.
Coloration. Crown and nape transversely banded dusky black
and blue ; lores and a band below the eye to the ear-coverts deep
ferruginous, ending in a white or rufous-white patch at the side
of the neck ; lower edge of lores black, a broad stripe from the
lower mandible down each cheek blue ; middle of back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts bright blue; scapulars and wing-coverts greenish
ALCEDO. 123
blue, each of the lesser and median coverts tipped with a bright
blue spot ; quills brown, edged outside with greenish blue ; tail blue
above, brown beneath ; lower parts deep ferruginous, sometimes
paler, always whitish or white on chin and throat. Some birds
are a greener blue than others. Young birds are duller in colour
and have the lower parts tinged with ashy.
Bill black ; basal half of lower mandible in females red or orange ;
iris dusky brown ; feet coral-red (Sharpe}.
Length about 7; tail 1-4; wing 2'75 to 3-1 ; tarsus '37; bill
from gape H).
Fig. 35.— Head of A. ispida, |.
In accordance with the latest views of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe,
•who has made a special study of Kingfishers, I have united the
Indian Kingfisher with the European and Central Asiatic bird.
The former has long been distinguished as A. bengalensis, on
account of its small size ; but unquestionably the two pass into
each other, and the difference in size is probably due to a very
common peculiarity that tropical races (or perhaps southern races)
in Asia are smaller than those of temperate regions.
Distribution. Throughout Europe and Asia, extending to the
Malay Archipelago. In the British Indian area, this bird is only
wanting in the Himalayas, where it is rarely met with far above
the base of the mountains, though it abounds in Kashmir. It is
of course most common in well-watered countries and comparatively
rare in forest-tracts. The smaller race A. bengalensis occurs
throughout South-eastern Asia ; the larger, typical A. ispida only
occurs within Indian limits in Sind and Baluchistan, but inter-
mediate forms are common.
Habits, <$fc. The Common Kingfisher frequents streams of all
sizes, marshes, tanks, irrigation-channels, road-side ditches, flooded
paddy-fields, and even the sea-shore, anywhere, in fact, where small
fish may be found, and perches on a tree or stump, and very often
on a reed, or any post of vantage overlooking the water ; from its
perch it plunges after its prey. It lives mainly on fish, occasionally
on tadpoles or water-insects, but it is rarely, if ever, seen away
from water. Very often these little Kingfishers are in pairs and
they are exceedingly pugnacious, each pair driving away all others
of the same species. It has a peculiar whistling cry or call,
frequently uttered. Its flight is very swift and straight, generally
just above the surface of the water. It breeds in India from
January to June, earlier in the South of India than in the North,
124
but in some parts it breeds at other seasons. It digs in a bank
immediately over water, usually a stream, a narrow hole, about
2 feet in depth and rarely more than 2 inches in diameter,
terminating in a chamber about 5 inches in diameter and 3 or 4
high, in which 5 to 7 eggs are laid, very often on a few fish-bones.
The eggs are white and glossy and measure *8 by *68.
1036. Alcedo beavani. Beavan's Kingfisher.
Alcedo memnting, apudBeavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870,
p. 465 ; Gates, S. F. v, p. 143 ; Brooks, S. F. viii, p. 468 ; Saka-
dori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iy, p. 584 (nee Horsf.).
Alcedo asiatica, apud Ball, S. F. i, p. 59 ; Hume, 8. F. ii, p. 174 j
Ball, S. F. iii, p. 289 ; Blyth $ Wold. Birds Burnt, p. 71 ; Hume,
S. F. iv, p. 383 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 73 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd
ed. iii, p. 6 (nee Swainson).
Alcedo rufierastra, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) xii, p. 487 (1873); id.
Ibis, 1874, p. 136.
Alcedo beavani, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) xiv, p. 158 (1874) ; id. Ibis,
p. 383 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 351 : Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 102 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 160.
Coloration. Crown, nape, and hind neck black, with bright blue
cross-bands ; lores ferruginous, the lower border black ; sides of
head and cheeks bright blue, an elongate buff or white spot on
each side of the neck behind the ear-coverts ; middle of back and
rump bright light blue, sometimes with a slight greenish tint ;
upper tail-coverts rather darker blue ; scapulars, wing-coverts, and
outer margins of secondary quills dull blue, most of the coverts
each with a bright blue spot at the tip ; quills brown, with the
inner margins pale rufous ; tail deep blue above, black below ;
chin and throat buffy white ; rest of lower parts, including wing-
lining, deep ferruginous.
Adult females resemble males ; young birds have the cheeks and
ear-coverts rufous, and the blue on these parts appears to be more
slowly assumed by females than by males.
Bill black, orange at the gape and base ; iris dark brown ; legs
bright red, claws red. Young birds have most of the lower
mandible red and the tip white (Oates}.
Length about 6 '2 ; tail 1-25 ; wing 2*5 ; tarsus '35 ; bill from
gape 1-8-2-2.
Distribution. This Kingfisher is very rare west of the Bay of
Bengal, but has been obtained in Travancore and west of Belgaum
near the Malabar coast, also in the Eajmehal Hills, Manbhoorn, and
Cuttack, and, quite recently, in Ceylon. It is more common at
the base of the Himalayas in Sikhim and Bhutan, in Assam and
Cachar, in various parts of Burma from Bhamo to Southern Tenas-
serim, and in the Andaman Islands, bu£ it is locally distributed.
It has also been brought from Cochin China and Celebes.
ALCEDO. 125
^ «.\r. Very similar to those of A. ispida, except that this
is purely a forest species, being restricted to woodland streams.
The eggs, 4 to 6 in number, were taken from the usual nest-
holes by Mr. Gates in Pegu in the month of July ; they were
glossy white and round, and measured about '78 by *69.
1037. Alcedo meninting. The Malayan King/fisher.
Alcedo meninting, Iforsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 172 (1821) ; BlytTi,
Cat. p. 49 ; Horsf. 8? M. Cat. p. 130 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 83 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135 ter ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 157.
Alcedo asiatica, Swains. Zool. III. 1st ser. i, pi. 50 (1821) ; Sharpe,
Mon. Ale. p. 23, pi. o.
Coloration. Precisely similar to that of A. beavani, except that
the blue of the upper parts is deeper, the spots on the wing-
coverts especially being comparatively inconspicuous ; and the
middle of the back is deep cobalt. Measurements as in A.
beavani.
I am disposed to agree with Gates and to regard A. beavani as
merely a bright-coloured variety. Hume was inclined to the same
view, and the distribution of the two is anomalous if they are
distinct ; but when a series of both is laid out, there is a percep-
tible difference between them.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, extending into the extreme
south of Tenasserim, also in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
1038. Alcedo grandis. Blyttis Kingfisher.
Alcedo grandis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 190 (1845) ; id. Cat.
p. 49 ; id. Ibis, 1865, p. 30, 1866, p. 348 ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 19,
pi. 3; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 4 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2,
p. 69 ; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 47 ;
Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 4 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 156.
Alcedo euryzona, apudBlyth, Cat., Addenda, p. xxviii ; Jerdon, B. I.
\, p. 231 ; nee Temm.
The Great Indian Kingfisher, Jerdon.
Coloration. Whole cap and nape black, with small bluish- white
transverse bars ; a ferruginous spot on the black lores ; a pale
patch in front of the eye, another behind and below it ; cheeks
and ear-coverts blackish, spotted and streaked with bright greenish
blue ; a white longitudinal stripe on each side of the neck ;
middle of back and rump bright pale blue, becoming deeper blue
on the upper tail-coverts ; scapulars and wings dull green outside,
with some bright bluish-white specks on the coverts ; quills
brown, some of the secondaries with greenish-blue edges ; tail
deep blue above, dark brown below ; lower parts deep ferruginous,
whitish on throat and chin. Sexes, so far as is known, alike.
Bill black, red at the base of the lower mandible ; feet red
(Jerdon).
126
Length about 8 ; tail 1-8 ; wing 3*8 ; tarsus '42 ; bill from
gape 2-5.
Distribution. This Kingfisher has only been obtained at low
elevations in the Sikhim and Bhutan Himalayas, in the Dafla
hills east of Bhutan, and in some of the hills south of the Assam
valley.
Habits, fyc. These were unknown until an excellent account of
them was given in the ' Asian ' newspaper by " Rekab " (Mr.
Steuart Baker). He found the bird very shy, keeping to streams
in dense jungle, and feeding chiefly or wholly on fish. It is a
silent bird, its note, only uttered on the wing, resembling that of
A. ispida, and its flight is exceedingly rapid. The eggs, taken on
three occasions in April, were from 2 to fi in number, laid on fish-
bones at the end of a burrow, varying from 1 to 6 feet in length — in
two cases in dark ravines through which a little water trickled in
the rains, and in the third on the slope of a hill amongst the roots
of a tree.
1039. Alcedo euryzona. The Broad-zoned Kingfisher.
Alcedo euryzona, Temm. PI. Col. text to pi. 508 (1830) ; Horsf. fy
M. Cat. p. 128 ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 29, pi. 8 ; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 318; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 75 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 154.
Alcedo ni^ricans, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 1180 (1847) ; id. Cat.
p. 49 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 81, 499 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135
bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 156.
Coloration. Male. Crown and nape sooty black, with narrow
faint greenish bars ; lores duh1 ferruginous ; cheeks and ear-coverts
bluish black, mixed with dull green ; a ferruginous or whitish
band on each side of the neck, forming an imperfect collar ;
middle of back and rump very pale blue, upper tail-coverts deeper
blue ; scapulars and wings sooty black, the scapulars and coverts
tipped and the inner quills edged near the base with greenish blue ;
tail black, washed above with dark blue ; lower parts buffy white,
a broad band of dull green across the breast, the feathers with
white centres ; flanks dusky ; wing-lining rufescent.
Female. Lower parts ferruginous, chin and throat whitish ; no
band across breast ; upper parts as in males.
Upper mandible black, lower very dark brown, paler at the
base in males, dull vermilion in females ; iris dark brown ; feet
milion (JDavisori).
Length about 8; tail 1*5; wing 3-4; tarsus !48; bill from
gape 2-4.
Distribution. Tenasserim, as far north as Muleyit east of
Moulmein, also in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo.
Habits, fyc. This is a rare and shy bird, found only on streams
in deep forest, and apparently restricted in Tenasserim to the
hills. It is generally seen in pairs, lives entirely, so far as is
known, on fish, and has a note similar to that of A. ispida.
CEYX. 127
Genus CEYX, Lace'pede, 1801.
Bill intermediate in form between Alcedo and Halcyon, less com-
pressed than in the former, not grooved ; culmen straight and
slightly flattened. Only three toes, the inner or second wanting.
Tail very short and rounded. Plumage very bright, red often
predominating.
This is a genus of 18 species, ranging almost throughout the
Oriental region and to the Papuan Islands. One species is
Indian.
1040. Ceyx tridactyla. The Indian Three-teed Kingfisher.
Alcedo tridactyla, Pallas, Spic. Zool. vi, p. 10, pi. ii, fig. 1 (1769).
Alcedo erithaca et purpurea, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 449 (1788).
Ceyx tridactyla, Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. 25 ; id. B. I. i, p. 229 ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 391 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. ('2} xii, p. 172;
Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 119, pi. 40; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 173; iii,
p. 51 ; iv, p. 287 ; v, p. 19 ; xi, p. 45 j id. Cat. no. 133 ; Butter,
S. F. ii, p. 455 ; v, p. 503 ; ix, p. 383 ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 137 ;
ix, p. 478 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 80 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.
(2) iv, p. 587 ; vii, p. 433 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 101 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 13 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 174.
Ceyx microsoma, Burton, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 89.
Ceyx erythaca, Blyth, Cat. p. 50.
The Three-toed Purple Kingfisher, Jerdon ; Dein-nygeen, Arrakan :
Punchi Mal-pelihuduwa, Cing.
Coloration. A spot, pointed behind, at base of forehead black,
washed with purple ; crown, nape, hind neck, lower back, rump,
and upper tail-coverts orange-red, with a ruddy violet gloss, espe-
cially over the eye and on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; a
black spot before the eye ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, and lower
parts from the throat orange-yellow ; chin and throat white ; a
deep blue spot behind the ear-coverts bordered behind by white ;
scapulars and interscapulary region deep purplish blue ; wing dark
brown outside, coverts tinged with deep blue ; edge of wing and
smallest coverts, under wing-coverts, outer edge of first primary,
and inner borders of all quills rufous ; tail orange-red.
Bill and feet bright vermilion-red ; irides brown (Davwon). In
the young the bill is paler and shorter.
Length about 5-5; tail 1; wing 2-2; tarsus -3; bill from
gape 1-55.
Distribution. Ceylon, rare ; Carnatic and wrest coast of Southern
India according to Jerdon, but very rare ; also some of the Sahyadri
forests near Bombay. I find no other localities recorded in the
Indian Peninsula, but Jerdon says this species is scattered,
though far from common, over all India. To the eastward this
Kingfisher is found in Lower Bengal, the Sikhim and Bhutan
128
Terai, Assam, Cachar, and the Burmese countries generally, with
the Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Habits, <$fc. A forest bird, usually found singly or in pairs by
hill-streams, but sometimes away from water. It has a shrill
piping note, and its food, so far as is known, consists of small fish
perhaps also of water-insects. It breeds from May to August,
often away from water, in a hole dug by itself, and it lays 4 to 6,
or even 7, very small white eggs, less rounded than those of
Alcedinidce in general.
Genus PELAEGOPSIS, Gloger, 1842.
Size large ; back and rump pale blue, lower parts buff. iBill very
large and strong ; culmen flattened, perfectly straight, with a well-
marked groove on each side. Third or fourth quill longest, first
about equal to tenth. Tail much longer than bill, slightly rounded
at the end.
This genus ranges throughout the Oriental region ; three species
occur within the Indian area.
Key to the Species.
a. Wings and tail brown P. amauroptera, p. 128.
b. Wings and tail blue or greenish blue.
«'. No distinct brown cap ; mantle blue .... P. leucocephala, p. 129.
b'. A distinct brown cap ; mantle dull green. P. gturidl, p. 129.
1041. Pelargopsis amauroptera. The Broivn-winyed Kingfisher.
Halcyon amauropterus, Pearson, J. A. S. B. x, p. 635 (1841) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 313; Horsf. # M. Cat. p. 124; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 224;
Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 465 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 260.
Pelargopsis amauroptera, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 63 : id. Mon. Ale.
p. 97, pi. 30; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Armstrong, S.F.
iv, p. 305; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 73; Hume, Cat. no. 128;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 78 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 97.
Coloration. Whole head, neck, and lower parts, including wing-
lining, deep ochreous buff (brownish yellow) ; middle of back and
rump bright pale blue; a narrow band across the upper back,
scapulars, wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail dark brown. In young
birds there are dusky edges to the buff feathers, especially on the
hind neck and breast.
Bill deep crimson ; irides brown ; eyelids brick-red ; legs scarlet
(Cripps). The bill is black at the tip and for some distance up
the culmen in immature birds.
Length about 14 inches ; tail 4 ; wing 5*8 ; tarsus *7 ; bill
from gape 3'75.
Distribution. On tidal rivers and creeks, brackish or salt, near
the coast, from Bengal to a little south of Tenasserim ; also occa-
sionally, but rarely, near rivers above the tideway.
Habits, fyc. This Kingfisher is generally seen on salt-water
creeks. It is a noisy bird with a harsh grating cry. Nidification
unknown.
PELARGOPSIS. 129
1042. Pelargopsis leucocephala. The Nicobar Stork-billed
Kingfisher.
Alcedo leucocephala, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 456 (1788).
Pelargopsis leucocephala, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 64 ; id. Mon. Ale.
p. 99, pi. 31.
Pelargopsis fraseri, Ball, S. F. \, p. 57 ; nee Sharpe.
Pelargopsis intermedia, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 166 (1874); id. Cat.
no. 127 ter; Sharpe, S, F. ii, p. 489; id. Cat. B\ M. xvii, p. 99.
Coloration. "Whole head, neck, and lower parts, including wing-
lining, deep ochreous (brownish yellow) ; the crown spotted irregu-
larly with brown from some of the feathers having dark brown
centres, but there is no distinct cap ; upper back, scapulars, wings
above, longer upper tail-coverts, and tail above deep blue, slightly
greenish on the upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts ; primaries,
except the outer webs near the base, inner webs of secondaries,
and lower surface of quills and tail-feathers dark brown ; middle
of back, rump, and anterior upper tail-coverts bright pale cobalt-
blue.
Bill coral-red, dusky towards the tip ; irides deep brown ; orbital
skin and feet bright orange-vermilion (Davison).
Length about 15 ; tail 4 ; wing 6 ; tarsus -65 ; bill from gape
3-75.
Distribution. Borneo and the Nicobar Islands. Specimens from
the latter were distinguished by Hume under the name P. inter-
media on account of being deeper in colour, especially on the back,
and wanting the whitish throat. I find, however, that fine Bornean
skins are not distinguishable.
Habits, fyc. A salt-water form, occasionally seen on the sea-shore,
and haunting tidal creeks like P. amauroptera. Nidification
unknown.
1043. Pelargopsis gurial. The Brown-headed Stork-billed
Kingfisher.
Halcyon capensis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 231 ; Layard,
A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 171 ; nee L.
Halcyon gurial, Pearson, J. A. S. B. x, p. 632 (1841) ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 47 ; id. Ibis, 1865, p. 30 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 95.
Halcyon bruniceps, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 143
(1845).
Halcyon leucocephalus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 123 (partim) ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 222 ; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 108 ; nee Gm.
Halcyon capensis, Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 553 ; nee L.
Pelargopsis gurial, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 66 ; id. Mon. Ale. p. 105,
pi. 34 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 386 ; vii, p. 203 ; Fairb. S. F. iv, p. 254 ;
v, p. 394 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 18 ; xi, p. 44 ; id. Cat, no. 127 ;
Oripps, S. F. vii, p. 259 ; Lcgge, Birds Ceyl. p. 295 ; Vidal, S. F.
ix, p. 49 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 21 ; David? on, ibid. p. 296 ; Davison,
ibid. p. 351 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 98 ; Littledale, Jour. Bom.
VOL. III. K
130 ALCEDINIDJE.
N. H. Soc. i, pp. 32, 197 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 11 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 101.
Pelargopsis burmanica, Sharpe, P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 67 ; id. Mon. Ale.
p. 109, pi. 35 ; Ball, J. A. 8. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 277 ; id. S. F. i, p. 57 ;
Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 136 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 165 j iii, p. 50; id.
Cat, no. 127 bis; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Bingham,
S. F. v, p. 83 : ix, p. 154 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 73 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 78 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 12 ; Sharpe.
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 104.
The Brown-headed Kingfisher, Jerdon : Gurial Beng. ; Badami Kow-
rilla, H. (Oude) ; Maha pelihudmca, Waturanuwa, Cing. ; Hsin-pay-
nyin, Burm.
Fig. 36.— Head of P. gurial, f .
Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head, including the
cheeks and ear-coverts, brown, varying in shade from dark brown
to (in some Burmese birds) whity-brown ; neck all round and
lower parts, including wing-lining, varying from buff to deep
brownish yellow, usually deeper on the breast and abdomen ; upper
back, scapulars, wings, longer tail-coverts, and tail dull greenish
blue ; quills and tail bluer ; primaries except outer webs towards
the base, inner webs of secondaries, and lower surface of tail
brown ; back, rump, and shorter tail-coverts bright pale blue.
In young birds the buff feathers of the neck and breast have
dark edges ; the end of the bill, too, is dusky.
Bill dark blood-red ; irides light brown ; legs dull scarlet
(Jerdon). Eyelids pinkish fleshy, the edges red (Oates).
Length about 15 ; tail 4 ; wing 6 ; tarsus *75 ; bill from gape 3-8.
The Burmese race has been distinguished as P. burmanica. Very
many Burmese specimens have pale whity-brown caps and dark
ochraceous lower parts, but birds in abundance occur throughout
Burma that are absolutely undistinguishable from many Indian
individuals. Very dark-headed birds are peculiar to India (the
darkest are from the Malabar coast), but they are not a majority.
The two races are not, I think, sufficiently distinct to be classed
apart.
Distribution. Along rivers and streams and about large pieces
of water in well-wooded countries almost throughout the Empire.
HALCYON. 131
Wanting in Kajputana, Sind, and the Punjab, and very rare in
the open tracts of the North-west Provinces and Central India,
on the Deccan tableland, and in the Carnatic ; but occurring in
Guzerat and throughout the Malabar coast and in Ceylon, in the
wooded country between the Godavari and Bengal, near the base
of the Himalayas as far west as Dehra Dun, and, still more
commonly, in Bengal, Assam, Burma, and the Andaman Islands.
This Kingfisher ranges into the northern part of the Malay
Peninsula, and to Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China. Farther
south in the Malay Peninsula it is represented by another race,
P. fraseri.
Habits, fyc. Unlike the last two, this is chiefly a freshwater
Kingfisher, though it may occasionally be seen on tidal streams.
It is more often found on well- wooded rivers, large marshes, or
tanks, perched on a branch overhanging the water, and plunging
occasionally for fish. It also feeds on frogs, crabs, and it is said
mollusca. According to Davison, it sometimes eats lizards. It has
a loud peculiar cry several times repeated, generally uttered during
flight. It breeds from April to June in Northern India, earlier in
the South, generally in a hole in the bank of a stream ; but
Mr. Cripps in Assam found a nest in a dead and rotten tree, and
Major Bingham in Tenasserim obtained the eggs from a nest of
grass-roots in the fork of a bamboo, and saw the parent bird
distinctly. The eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are of the usual Kingfisher
type, and measure about 1*17 by 1'05.
Genus HALCYON, Svvainson, 1820.
There is much difference of opinion as to the limits of the
present genus. In the British Museum Catalogue it comprises
the forms here referred to Callialcyon, Sauropatis, and Caridagrus,
and contains 53 species, whilst by many writers it is restricted to
the type H. sencgalensis and its allies. I do not see any necessity
for generically distinguishing H. smyrnensis and H. pileata from
//. senegalensis ; but the differences between Halcyon and Sauro-
patis, for instance, appear to me quite as great as those usually
regarded as of generic importance in the present work.
In Halcyon the bill is red throughout, large, rather broad at the
base, the culmen straight, rounded above and without any
distinct groove at the side. The wing is rounded, the 3rd quill
generally longest. Tail moderate, longer than culmen, slightly
rounded at the end. One of the characteristic features in the
plumage is the presence of a large white patch on the wing
formed by the basal portions of the primary quills.
Key to the Species.
Head and neck above chestnut ; no white collar. H. smyrnensis, p. 132.
Crown black ; a white collar H. pileata, p. 133.
K2
132
1044. Halcyon smyrnensis. The White-breasted Kingfisher.
Alcedo smyrnensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 181 (1766).
Alcedo fusca, Bodd. TaU. PL Enl. p. 54 (1783).
Halcyon smyrnensis, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 84 ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. xi, p. 230 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 47 ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 161,
pi. 59 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168 ; ii, p. 167 ; xi, p. 44 ; id. Cat.
no. 129 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 74 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped.,
Aves, p. 579 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 298 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 82 ;
Haley.
Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p.' 347.
Halcyon saturatior, Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 168, 531 ; id. Cat. no. 129 bis;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 226.
Kilkila, H. : Nula muchrdla, Chamba ; Khandu, Khandya, Malir. ;
Sada-buk Machranga, Beng1. ; Lak-muka, Buche gattu, Tel. ; Vichuli,
Tarn. ; Kalari Kuruvi, Tarn. (Ceylon) ; Pelihudmva, Cing. ; Dane-nyin,
Bum.
Coloration. Chin, throat, and middle of breast white, all the
rest of head, neck, and lower plumage deep chestnut or chocolate-
brown ; scapulars and interscapulary tract, tertiaries, outer webs
of secondaries above, and upper surface of tail blue, generally with
a greenish tinge ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
brighter blue ; greater wing-coverts duller and darker blue,
median coverts black, lesser chestnut ; secondary quills except on
outer web above black ; ends of primaries, much longer on the
outer than the inner, black, basal portion white, with the outer
web above pale blue.
Bill dark red, the margins brownish ; iris brown ; legs coral-
red {Oates).
Length about 11; tail 3*3; wing 4'7; tarsus *65 ; bill from
gape 2-8.
The Andaman birds were distinguished by Hume as H. satura-
tior on account of their deep coloration, the blue portion of the
plumage being a darker blue and the chestnut parts chocolate-
brown. The size too is rather large. But similarly coloured
individuals, though rare, may be found in India and Ceylon.
Distribution. Throughout India, Burma, and Ceylon, except in
the Himalayas, into which this species only penetrates up to a
moderate elevation to the westward. It is generally rare or
wanting on the higher hills of the Peninsula, though Davison
obtained it on the Mlgiri plateau. Outside of India it ranges
throughout the Malay Peninsula, Cochin China, &c., to Southern
China, and westwards through Persia and Baluchistan to Asia
Minor and Cyprus.
Habits, fyc. This, like Alcedo ispida and Ceryle varia, is a common
Indian bird, but its habits are very different from those of the
other two Kingfishers, for though it occasionally, but rarely,
catches fish by plunging after them, it lives chiefly on insects and
small lizards, and sometimes on mice or land-crabs. It has a
HALCYON. 133
so roaming cry, almost always uttered during flight. It breeds
from March to July, laying 4 to 7 white rounded eggs in a
chamber at the end of the usual burrow, which is generally made
in the bank of a stream or tank, sometimes in a well, or on a
cliff. In Cachar, however, Mr. E. C. Steuart Baker has described
this bird as building a roughly constructed nest of moss amongst
rocks or large stones. The eggs measure on an average 1*13
by 1-03.
1045. Halcyon pileata. The Black-capped Kingfisher.
Alcedo pileata, Bodd. Tall. PL Enl p. 41 (1783).
Alcedo atricapilla, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 453 (1788).
Halcyon atricapillus, Blyth, Cat. p. 47; Lai/ard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xii, p. 171; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 124; Jerclon, B. I. i, p. 226;
Bearan, Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; 1869, p. 409 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 465 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 168 ; iv, p. 287.
Halcyon pileata, Sharjx, Mon. Ale. p. 169, pi. 62 ; Hume, S. F. ii,
p. 470; xi, p. 45; id. Cat. no. 130; Artnstr. S. F. iv, p. 306;
Bhith $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 70; Wardl.-Rams. Ibis, 1877,
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 100 ; Skarpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 229.
The Black-capped Purple Kingfisher, Jerdon.
Fig. 37.— Head of H. pileata, f .
Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head black, a few white
feathers below the eye ; a broad white or buff collar round the
neck, followed by a blackish band ; scapulars, back, rump, upper
tail-coverts, upper surface of tail, outer webs of secondaries and
tertiaries outside, and greater primary-coverts deep blue, brighter
on the lower back and rump ; remainder of upper wing-coverts
black ; primary-quills black at the tips, the first primaries for half
their length, the inner primaries for less, basal portion white with
the outer web pale lilac, a little of the outer web beyond the lilac
part blue, secondaries black except on the dorsal surface of the
outer web outside ; chin, throat, and middle of breast white ; sides
of throat and breast and remainder of lower surface, with the
wing-lining, ferruginous buff ; tail black beneath.
In young birds and in many females the breast-feathers have
dark borders, and there are black spots on the sides of the throat.
134 ALCEDINIDJE.
Bill deep red; iris dark brown ; legs dark red (Oates).
Length about 12; tail 3'25 ; wing 5; tarsus -6; bill from
gape 2-8.
Distribution. A single specimen was obtained by Jerdon at
Tellicherry, Malabar coast, and another by Layard in Northern
Ceylon. The only other known locality in India is on the
Ganges, where this Kingfisher has been found as high as
Monghyr. It is more common in the Sundarbans and down the
Burmese coast, being especially abundant in the Irrawaddy
delta. It also occurs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It
is seldom found inland, but Gates obtained a specimen on the
Irrawaddy at Palow, below Thayet Myo, and it appears, according
to Davison and Bingham, to wander up the Tenasserim rivers
from September till February. It ranges through the Malay
Peninsula and Archipelago to Celebes, also through Siam, Cam-
bodia and China, to Corea.
Habits, 6fc. This Kingfisher, though chiefly found on salt-water
creeks and mangrove-swamps, haunts fresh-water streams at times.
It lives on fish and crabs and has. like most Kingfishers, a shrill
cry.
Genus CALLIALCYON, Bp., 1850.
This genus is distinguished by its peculiar plumage, being
rufous throughout except on the lower back and rump. There is
no white on the primaries. Otherwise there is no difference
from Halcyon. A single species.
1046. Callialcyon lilacina. The Ruddy Kingfisher.
Alcedo coromanda, Latham, Ind. Orn. i, p. 252 (1790).
Halcyon coromanda, Steph. Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 2, p. 100 ;
Sharpe, Man. Ale. p. 155, p. 57 ; Ball, J.A.8. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 277 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 169, 494 ; xi, p. 44 ; id. Cat. no. 131 ; Blyth $
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70 ; WardL-Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 456 ;
Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 75 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 81 ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. xvii, p. 217.
Halcyon lilacina, Swains. Classif. B. ii, p. 335 (1837) ; Bonap. Consp.
Av. i, p. 156.
Alcyon calipyga, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82 (1844), descr.
nulla.
Halcyon coroinander, Blyth, Cat. p. 47.
Halcyon coromandelianus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. p. 126 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 227.
Callialcyon coromanda, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 302.
Coloration. Upper parts, with the wing and tail, and sides of
the head and neck light chestnut or cinnamon, more or less over-
laid with a red- violet gloss ; middle of lower back and rump white,
mixed with pale blue and occasionally with violet ; lower parts
rufous, varying in depth, paler on the throat and chin.
Young with dark edges to the breast-feathers.
Bill red, blackish at the base ; iris brown ; legs and claws red
(Oates).
SAUEOPATIS. 135
Length about 10-25 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4-3 ; tarsus -65 ; bill
from gape 2'5.
Skins from the base of the Himalayas and from Burma, even
from Tenasserim, are paler above and below, and much less
suffused with violet gloss than Andaman specimens, and the
latter are rather larger. The difference appears greater than in
the case of H. smyrnensis and the variety H. saturatior. Andaman
birds resemble those from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago
(true H. lilacina). Indo-Burmese birds are more like Japanese
(H. schlegeli).
The specific name coromanda, although the oldest, cannot be
applied to a bird that is not found in the Peninsula of India.
Distribution. Lower Himalayas up to about 5000 feet, in East-
ern Nepal, Sikhim, and farther East; Assamese and Burmese
countries, generally distributed but rare ; also the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes,
the Philippines, Eastern China, and Japan.
Habits, <$fc. A shy bird, generally found in forests and* not un-
frequently near the coast in mangrove-swamps.
Genus SAUROPATIS, Cab., 1860.
Bill shorter and broader than in Halcyon, and black not red,
above at all events ; lower mandible much more curved upwards.
Plumage marked by a prevalence of bluish green or greenish blue.
Sexes alike. This group is chiefly found in the Malay Archipelago,
Australia, and Polynesia, but two species come within our limits.
Key to the Species.
Crown not surrounded by a buff or white band . . 8. chloris, p. 135.
Crown surrounded by a buff band inside a black
one S. occipitalis, p. 137.
1047. Sauropatis chloris. The White-collared Kingfisher.
Alcedo chloria, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl p. 49 (1783).
Alcedo collaris, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 90 (1786).
Todirhamphus collaris, Blyth, Cat. p. 48 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 228 ;
Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 554 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 221 j Beavan,
Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; 1869, p. 409.
Halcyon collaris, Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 127.
Sauropatis chloris, Cab. # Heine, Mus. Hein. pt. 2, p. 160 ; Walden,
Ibis, 1873, p. 302 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ; Salvadori,
Ann. MILS. Civ. Gen. (2), vii, p. 433.
Halcyon chloris, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 229, pi. 87 ; Ball, 8. F. i,
p. 58 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 451 ; ii, p. 170 ; vii, p. 168 ; id. Cat.
no. 132 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 306 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi,
p. 78 ; Tidal, S. F. viii, p. 414 ; ix, p. 50 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 85 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 100 ; Davison, Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. xvii, p. 273, pi. vii, fig. 3.
136 ALCEDIKEDJE.
Halcyon armstrongi (subspecies of H. chloris), Sharpe, t. c. p. 277,
pi. vii, fig. 1.
Halcyon vidali (subsp. of H. chloris), Sharpe, t. c. p. 278.
Halcyon humii (& H. davisoni, subsp.), Sharpe, t. c. p. 281, pi. viii.
Fig. 38.— Head of 8. chloris, $.
Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head to below the eye
bluish green ; a white streak above the lores occasionally extending
back above the eye ; ear-coverts black in some varieties, and with
a black band round the nape, separated from the green of the
crown by an ill-defined white space (these black and white bands
are often entirely wanting) ; a broad white collar ; upper back
and scapulars dull bluish green to greenish blue; lower back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts bright blue ; upper surface of wings
and tail deeper blue, sometimes with a greenish tinge ; quills,
except on outer webs outside, black ; lower surface of tail the
same ; lower parts white, sometimes tinged with buff, especially
on the flanks.
Upper mandible, tip and edge of lower mandible greenish
black ; rest of lower mandible pinkish white ; irides deep brown ;
legs plumbeous (Davison).
Length 9-5; tail*2'75; wing 4; tarsus -6; bill from gape 2-3.
Distribution. Though represented by a variety (H. abyssinica) in
the Red Sea, this Kingfisher has only been obtained in the Indian
Peninsula near Batnagiri ; it is, however, common in the Sundar-
bans and throughout the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal,
more abundantly to the southward, in the Andaman Islands (it
appears to be replaced in the Nicobars by H. occipitalis\ and
throughout the Malay Archipelago to the Philippines and
Celebes.
In the British Museum Catalogue Dr. Sharpe has divided this
type into several species and subspecies, all the Indian forms of
which appear to me to be races varying considerably amongst
themselves and passing into each other. These races are : —
H. chloris typical, from the Malay Archipelago, a greenish bird
with black ear- coverts and a well-marked black nuchal band.
H. armstrongi : Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, North Borneo,
Burmese coast, and Sundarbans. Ear-coverts green, and generally
no black nuchal band.
H. vidali, from Katnagiri, like H. armstrongi but greener.
H. humii inhabits the Malay Peninsula with Southern Tenas-
SAUROPATI8. 137
serim and Sumatra, and is described as a distinct species. It is a
very blue form, some birds having scarcely any green tinge on
the back even, but others show a complete passage to H. arm-
strongi, which inhabits the same countries. There is no nuchal
band.
H. davisoni, the Andaman race, is blue like H. humii, but lias
black ear-coverts and a black nuchal band.
Habits, $c. An inhabitant of sea-shores and of tidal waters,
living chiefly on Crustacea, but partly on insects, centipedes, small
lizards, &c. Hume mentions observing birds of this species
hammering shells that contained hermit-crabs against stones in
order to break the shells. They are noisy birds. The nest is
said to be sometimes made under a stone or bush, but Davison
found one in a deserted ants' nest tenanted by hornets (from the
description much like a termites' nest, a pile of hard clay against
a tree trunk) at Mergui. The eggs are said to measure about
1-4 by 1.
1048. Sauropatis occipitalis. Blyth's White-collared Kingfisher.
Todiramphus occipitalis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, pp. 23, 51, 369;
Sail, J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 31.
Todirharnphus collaris, var. Blyth, Cat. p. 48.
Halcyon occipitalis, Pdzeln, Novara Reise, Vb'yel, p. 46 ; Ball, S. F.
i, p. 58; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 171 ; id. Cat, no. 132 bis; Davison,
Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. in, p. 19 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 265.
Coloration. Similar to that of S. chloris, but the crown is sur-
rounded by a buff rim formed by the lores, supercilia, and a band
round the nape ; outside this again is a black band, more or less
washed with green, especially behind the eyes, and commencing
from the eye, including eyes and ear-coverts, and passing round
the nape. The lower parts are buff, especially the flanks, wing-
lining, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts. As in S. chloris, some
specimens are greener than others. In young birds the feathers
of the white collar and breast have dark edges.
Upper mandible, and the tip and edge of the lower dark horny,
rest of lower mandible pinkish ; legs and feet pinkish (Hume).
Length about 10 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 4-25 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from
gape 1*7.
Distribution. The Nicobar Islands, where this is a common bird.
Its nearest ally, H. julicp, inhabits the New Hebrides.
Habits, $c. Very similar to those of H. chloris, but this bird is
said by Davison to be more often found in forest. It lives
chiefly on lizards and shell-fish. Davison found three nests on
Camorta, all in ants' nests of clay, 12 to 30 inches in diameter
and 4 to 20 feet from the ground, against trunks of trees. There
was a tunnel 6 inches long and 2 or 2| in diameter, leading to the
bird's nest, a chamber 7 inches across. A single egg, obtained
from a female that was shot, measured 1*16 by *98.
138 ALCEDINID^E.
Genus CARIDAGRUS, Cab., 1860.
Sexes differing in plumage, and one or both spotted. Bill
broader and tail shorter than in Sauropatis. Two or three
species are found in the Philippines, and one, a Malay form,
ranges into Southern Tenasserini.
1049. Caridagrus concretus. The Sumatran Kingfisher.
Dacelo concreta, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 846 (1825).
Halcyon varia, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 101.
Todirhamphus varius, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 11 ; id. Cat. p. 47.
Halcyon concreta, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 219, pi. 83 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 76 ; Hume, Cat. no. 131 bis ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 84 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 285.
Caridagrus concreta, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 161.
Coloration. Male. Crown and nape deep green, paler, brighter,
and sometimes bluer on the nuchal border ; the lores and a band
from them, including the eye, passing above the ear-coverts
and round the nape black, forming a border to the green crown ;
a ferruginous superciliuin extending to the lores in front and to
above the ear-coverts behind ; another ferruginous band from the
gape including the ear-coverts and extending to the broad collar
round the hind neck, which is of the same colour but deeper in
tint ; a broad blue cheek-stripe below the ferruginous band ; a
narrow black collar behind the ferruginous collar ; interscapular
region, scapulars, and upper surface of wings and tail deep blue ;
wing-coverts and scapulars with brighter edges ; middle of lower
back, of rump, and generally of upper tail-coverts bright pale
cobalt-blue ; sides of lower back and rump black ; quills black,
except basal parts of outer webs above, which are blue, and the
inner borders, which are buff ; lower surface of tail-feathers also
black ; lower parts ferruginous, whitish or white in middle of
abdomen and on lower tail-coverts.
Female. Back and wings above dull green, with pale buff spots
on the scapulars and wing-coverts. Young males have similar
pale spots, although except in being duller the plumage resembles
that of adults of the same sex. Nestlings of both sexes resemble
adults of the same sex.
Bill above black, lower mandible and edges of upper chrome-
yellow ; irides deep brown ; legs chrome-yellow (Davisori).
Length about 9'6 ; tail 2'5 ; wing 4-5, tarsus *75 ; bill from
gape 2'4.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula with the extreme south of Ten-
asserim, Sumatra and Borneo.
Habits, <$fc. According to Davison this Kingfisher is not found
near water, but in thick forest, and lives on lizards and large
wood-lice.
G-enus CARCINEUTES, Cab., 1860.
A small genus of only two species, one confined to Borneo,
while the other is found in Burma &c. Sexes very different in
CABCINEUTES. 139
colour, the males barred with blue and black above, the females
with rufous and black. Feathers of nape slightly elongate. Bill
broad, comparatively short ; culrnen straight, rounded. First
primary shorter than all the other primaries ; tail moderately long,
rounded at the end.
This approaches Dacelo, the " laughing jackass " of Australia, in
structure, more than any other Indian or Burmese Kingfisher does.
1050. Carcineutes pulchellus. The Banded Kingfisher.
Dacelo pulcliella, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 175 (1821) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 46 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. p. 122.
Carcineutes pulchellus, Cab. $ Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 163 ; Sharpe,
Mon. Ale. p. 251, pi. 96 ; Blyth # Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70 ;
Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 79, 499 ; Hume, Cat. no. 132 ter ;
Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 193 ; ix, p. 154 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 86 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 198.
Carcineutes amabilis, Hume, S. F. i, p. 474 ; Sharpe, S. F. ii, p. 484 ;
Hume, ib. p. 485.
Fig. 39.— Head of C. puchellus, |.
Coloration. Male. Broad frontal band, sides of head and neck,
and a more or less perfect collar round the hind neck chestnut ;
occiput and nape cobalt-blue, base of the feathers white, banded
with black near the blue tip ; remainder of upper plumage, including
the wings and tail, banded black and verditer-blue, the feathers
barred with white instead of blue except at the ends or exposed
portions ; quills black with white inner margins, the secondaries
with white spots forming imperfect bars ; lower parts white ; breast,
flanks, and under wing-coverts tinged with dull rufous ; tail-feathers
barred with white beneath.
Female. Upper parts and sides of head and neck transversely
banded with black and pale brownish rufous, more narrowly on the
head and neck ; primaries brown, unhanded ; lower parts white,
with black spots forming imperfect bars on the breast and flanks.
Bill vermilion ; irides purplish grey ; legs and feet dull pale green
(Davisori).
Length about 8-5 ; tail 2'75; wing 3-5 ; tarsus -5 ; bill from gape
1-8.
Distribution. Pegu (not Arakan) and Tenasserim, more common
in the latter ; the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java.
Habits, #c. Generally found away from water in forest, feeding
on small lizards and various insects. Nidification unknown.
Fig. 40. — Dichoceros bicornis and nest.
Suborder BUCEROTES.
Caeca wanting; oil-gland tufted. Sternum with two shallow
notches, one on each side in the posterior margin ; behind the
ill-developed manubrium is a perforation as in Meropidce. Both
carotids present as a rule, though there are . exceptions. Spinal
feather-tract not defined on the neck, which has no lateral bare
tracts or apteria ; no aftershaft ; no down on bare parts of skin.
Deep plantar tendons as in Coracice.
Family BUCEROTIIXE.
An enormous bill, generally curved, and furnished in most
genera with a casque upon the basal portion of the culmen ; this
casque varies in shape, and is generally hollow or cellular, but the
anterior part is solid in RTiinoplax. Primaries 11. Tail-feathers
10. The under wing-coverts as a rule do not cover the basal part
of the quills, and this may, as Mr. Ogilvie Grant has suggested,
account for the extraordinary noise made by some of the larger
forms when flying, the sound being produced by the air rushing
between the quills. The eyelids are furnished with strong eye-
BUCEROTIDJE. 141
lashes. The sexes are as a rule alike in plumage, but often differ
in size, in the form of the casque, and in the coloration of the soft
parts.
The Hornbills are a very well-marked family found nearly
throughout the Ethiopian and Oriental regions and occurring also
in the Papuan subregion. They are especially remarkable for
their nidification, the account of which was long regarded as a
fable, but has now been confirmed by numerous observers. A
hole in a tree is selected, and then the female, usually with the aid
of the male, encloses herself and shuts up the orifice with the
exception of a narrow vertical slit, by means of earth mixed with
the birds' own droppings. In some cases, as Aceros nepalensis and
Lophoceros birostris, the droppings alone are used, and the process
of enclosure is then performed by the female from within the nest.
She is thus enclosed before she begins to lay, and apparently
remains in the hole till the young, which are naked when they
leave the egg, are fledged, being fed all the time by the male
through the slit left in the enclosing partition, which just allows
room for the bird's bill to be pushed through. The eggs are white
when laid, but generally become discoloured during incubation.
All Oriental forms belong to one subfamily. By Europeans in
India Hornbills are commonly, but incorrectly, called " Toucans."
The true Toucans (Rhamphastidce) are peculiar to South America,
and are allied to the Barbets.
Key to the Genera.
a. Casque, when present, cellular within ; bill
considerably curved; hind neck and
middle of back feathered.
a. Casque large in adults, as high as upper
mandible or higher,
a". Casque broad, concave above, ending
anteriorly in two points DICHOCEROS, p. 142.
b". Casque compressed, ending in a single
point ANTHRACOCEROS,P. 143.
b'. Casque moderate or small or wanting.
c1' Casque low, broad, rounded above,
composed of transverse ridges RHYTIDOCEROS, p. 146.
d". No casque ; oblique ridges at side of
base of upper mandible : size large . . ACEROS, p. 149.
e". Casque small, compressed, its upper
edge curving down in front.
a3. Crest moderate, of ordinary feathers.
a4. Chin and throat naked ANORRHINUS, p. 150.
64. Chin and throat feathered PTILOLJEMUS, p. 151.
b3. Crest very large, loose-textured . . BERENICORNIS, p. 153.
/". Casque small, compressed and pointed,
or wanting ; no ridges on side of bill :
size of birds small , , . , LOPHOCEROS, p. 154.
b. Casque solid in front ; bill nearly stra-'ght ;
neck all round and middle of back naked ;
middle rectrices very long RHINOPLAX, p. 158.
142 BUCEROTID^E.
Genus DICHOCEROS, Gloger, 1842.
Size large. Bill very large, stout and much curved ; casque large
and broad, covering more than the basal half of the culmen, the
sides flat and vertical behind, the top overhanging in front, the
posterior edge broad, projecting over the head behind and
rounded, the upper surface flat behind, concave in front, ter-
minating anteriorly in two lateral points that are blunted in old
birds. No conspicuous crest; feathers of head loose-textured;
chin covered with feathers ; tail slightly rounded at end. Sexes
alike in plumage.
The casque is small and pointed in front in the young and
becomes gradually developed as in all Hornbills.
A single species.
1051. Dichoceros Mcornis. The Great Hornbill.
Buceros bicornis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 153 (1766) ; Elliot, Ibis, 1877,
p. 416.
Buceros cavatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, pt. 1, p. 18 (1812) ; Jerdon,
Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 37 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 986 ; xvi,
p. 993 ; id. Cat. p. 42 ; Tickell, J. A. 8. B. xxiv, p. 279 ; Baker,
J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 292.
Buceros homrai, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. i, p. 251 (1832) ; id. As. Ees.
xviii, pt. 2, p. 169, pi.
Dichoceros cavatus, Gloger, Hand- u. Hilfsb. p. 335 ; Fairbank, S. F.
iv, p. 254 ; Hume fy Bourdillon, ibid. p. 384 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F.
v, p. 20 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 98 ; Oates, S. F. vii, p. 45 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 140 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 51 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,
p. 461 ; ix, p. 158 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 50 ; Butler, ibid. p. 383 ;
Damson, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 104 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 333.
Homraius bicornis, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anisod. p. 2 ; Horsf. 8f M.
Cat. ii, p. 583 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 242 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 4 ; Godw.-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154.
Buceros (Homraius) cavatus, Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 176.
Dichoceros bicornis, Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 68 ; Wardl.-
Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 454 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. vi ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 87 ; id. Ibis, 1888, p. 72 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 68; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 571 ; vii, p. 381 ;
Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 355
Homrai,H. Nepal; £anrao,H. Mussooree; -K"w#m?#,Lepcha; Garuda,
Can. ; Garud, Mahr. ; MalleMoraki, Mai. ; Hwang, Assamese ; Ouk-chin-
gyee, Burm.
Coloration. Head all round as far back as ends of ear-coverts
black ; neck all round fulvescent white ; back, rump, scapu-
lars, median and lesser wing-coverts, breast and under wing-
coverts black ; greater coverts and quills black, with the bases and
ends white ; lower abdomen, upper and under tail-coverts white ;
tail yellowish white, with a broad subterminal black band on
each feather.
Bill and casque yellow, -tinged with red at the tip and with
orange in the middle. In the male the culmen in front of the
casque, a triangular patch at each side of the anterior end of the
ANTHRACOCEBOS. 143
casque, and the posterior portion of the casque are black, but not
in the female, in which, however, the posterior portion of the
casque is red. In both sexes the base of the mandible is black.
Irides in male blood-red, in female pearly white ; eyelids black ;
orbital skin dark fleshy pink ; legs and feet greenish plumbeous.
Length about 52 inches ; tail 15 ; wing 20; tarsus 2-9 ; bill from
gape to point in a straight line 1O5. Females rather less,
wing 18; bill from gape 9. Tenasserim birds are decidedly smaller
than Himalayan.
Distribution. Along the Sahyadri or Western Ghats from the
neighbourhood of Bombay to Cape Comorin ; this bird is unknown
elsewhere in the Indian Peninsula, and is wanting in Ceylon, but
is found throughout the Himalayas as far west as Kumaun, up to
about 5000 feet ; and is generally distributed in Assam, Cachar,
Tipperah, and other countries between Assam and Burma,
throughout Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra.
Habits, fyc. Like the other large Indian and Burmese Hornbills
this is a forest bird, and generally keeps to high trees ; it appears
never to descend to the ground. Wherever it is found, it makes
its presence known by the great noise produced by its wings in
flying, a sound that may be often heard a mile away. Its flight
is an alternation of a series of flappings of the wings and of sailing
along with the wings motionless, but the flapping predominates
and the flight is less undulating than in many Hornbills. Some-
times this bird is found in pairs, more often in flocks of from five
to twenty or more. The food consists mainly of fruit, but insects
and lizards are also eaten, as Tickell has shown ; the fruit or other
food, as with many other Hornbills, is tossed in the air and allowed
to fall into the bird's throat. The nidification was observed first
by Tickell, subsequently by Mr. E. Thompson, Major Bingham,
and others, and is typical. The eggs, usually two or three in
number, are laid about April in the Himalayas, but in February in
Tenasserim, Kanara, and Travancore, and measure about 2*62
by 1-88.
Genus ANTHRACOCEROS, Eeich., 1849.
Casque very large and high, sharp-edged and projecting in front,
broader and carried back above the crown behind, the upper
border curved and parallel with the commissure. Orbital skin
and that on the sides of the throat nude ; chin and middle of
throat feathered. Tail long and wedge-shaped at the end; wings
rounded and short. Plumage of the two sexes similar, but casque
differently coloured.
A genus of five or six species, ranging throughout the greater part
of the Oriental region. Two species are Indian. Both have the
same habits. They are usually found in parties (families) of five or
six, and keep to high trees either in forest or in groves in well-
wooded country, especially near rivers ; they live chiefly on fruit
and berries ; and are very noisy, making a cackling sound in
chorus. Their flight, unlike that of the larger Hornbills generally
144 BUCEROTID^;.
is comparatively silent but weak and undulating, and consists of
alternate flapping and sailing. The breeding-habits are the same
as those of other Hornbills.
Key to the Species.
Outer tail-feathers entirely white A. coronatus, p. 144.
Outer tail-feathers only white at the ends A. albirostris, p. 145.
1052. Anthracoceros coronatus. The Malabar Pied HornUll.
Buceros coronatus, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. p. 53 (1783).
Buceros pica, Scop. Del Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 87 (1786) ; Blyth,
J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 993 ; xviii, p. 802 ; xxi, p. 352 ; id. Cat. p. 43 ;
Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 179.
Buceros malabaricus, varr. /3 et y, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 143 (1790) ;
Tickell, J. A. 8. B. ii, p. 579 ; Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 38 ;
Blyth, J.A.S.B. xii, p. 993; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii,
p. 260.
Buceros violaceus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, p. 19 (1811); Blyth, J. A.
S. B. xii, p. 994.
Hydrocissa coronata, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 588 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 245 ; Holdsioorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 425 ; Ball, 8. F. ii, p. 387 ;
iii, p. 290 ; vii, p. 204 ; Hume, Cat. no. 141 ; Vidal, S. F. ix,
p. 51 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 383 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 105.
Anthracoceros coronatus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. xi ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 272 ; Parker, 8. F. ix, p. 478 ; id. Ibis, 1886, p. 184 ; Oyilvie
Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 362.
DJian Churi, H. ; Suliman Murghi, Pakhani ; Bagma dunes, Ben*?. ;
Kuchla-Kha, Uriya ; Wayera, Mahr. ; Kannari, Concan ; Peshta ganda,
Gond. ; Porowa Kcendetta, Atta Kcendetta, Cing. ; Errana-chundoo-
kuravi, Tamil (Ceylon).
Coloration. Whole head and neck and upper parts throughout,
including the wings above and the middle pair of tail-feathers,
black glossed with dark green ; lower breast, abdomen, lower tail-
coverts, and all the tail-feathers except the middle pair white, as
are broad tips of all quills except the first two primaries and the
tertiaries, the bases of the primaries and part of the edge of the
wing ; under wing-coverts and axillaries black.
The casque is large and compressed, not convex at the sides.
Bill and casque are waxen yellow, except the base of both man-
dibles and a large spot occupying about the anterior three fourths
of the upper portion of the casque, which are black. In the male,
but not in the female, the back of the casque is black. Irides
orange-red in males, brown in females ; naked skin blackish round
the eye in males, white in females ; bare skin on the throat flesh-
coloured ; legs and feet grey.
Length about 3 feet ; tail 12-5 inches ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2-f> ;
bill from gape 7'5. Females rather less. As usual Ceylon birds
are smaller than those of Orissa and Northern Malabar.
In the young the basal half of the outer tail-feathers is black,
ANTHRACOCEROS. 145
and there is at first no black on the casque, which is small. The
nestling, according to Parker, has a brownish-white bar on the
black feathers, except on the quills and rectrices.
Distribution. Ceylon, in the dry forests of the low country,
woods at the base of the Western Ghats in Malabar as far north
as Batnagiri, and the forest-region of South-western Bengal,
Orissa, Bastar, and the Eastern Central Provinces ; not recorded
elsewhere.
Habits, fyc. The nidification has not been recorded by an eye-
witness, but, as shown by Legge, Parker, and others, is undoubtedly
similar to that of other Hornbills. This bird breeds in Ceylon
from March to June and lays 2 to 4 eggs, measuring about 2 by 1*5.
1053. Anthracoceros albirostris. The Indo- Burmese Pied
Hornbill.
Buceros inalabaricus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 359 (1788).
Buceros albirostris, Shaw fy Nodd. Nat. Misc. xix, p. 819 (1790-
1813) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 995 ; xvi, p. 994; xviii, p. 803 ;
id. Cat. p. 43 ; Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 179.
Buceros nigralbus, Hodas. Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1831), descr.
nulla.
Buceros leucogaster, Blyth, J. A. S. B. x, p. 922 (1841) ; xii, p. 177.
Buceros affinis (Hutton), Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 802 (1849) ; id.
Cat. p. 43.
Hydrocissa albirostris, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 589; Jerdon, B. 1. i,
p. 247 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 5 ; Ball, S. F. iii, p. 290 ; vii, p. 204 ;
Godw.-Aust, J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 69; Blyth # Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 68 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 20 ; Binaham, S. F. v, p. 84 ; viii,
p. 462 ; ix, p. 158 ; Wardl.-Ravns. Ibis, 1877, p. 455 ; Hume 8f Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 100; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 577; Gates,
S. F. vii, p. 46 ; Hume, Cat. no. 142 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 51.
Hydrocissa affinis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 247 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 349 ;
Hume, S. F. vi, p. 103 ; vii, p. 205 ; id. Cat. no. 143.
Hydrocissa coronata, apud Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 266 ; xii, pt. 2, p. 143.
Anthracoceros malabaricus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. xiii ; Oyilvie Grant,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 365.
Anthracoceros albirostris, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 90 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 72 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mm. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 588 ;
vii, p. 428.
The Bengal Pied Hornbill, The Dehra-Doon Hornbill, Jerdon ; Hay-
tuk tek-ee, Assamese ; Ouk-khyen, Burmese.
Coloration. Similar to that of A. coronatus, except that the four
outer pairs of tail-feathers are black for three-fourths of their
length and only white for 3 or 4 inches at the tip. The casque is
very different in shape, not compressed, but convex at the sides
and swollen. The black marks on the bill and casque are different :
in males there is a black band running obliquely downwards and
backwards from the anterior point ; the back of the casque, the
base of both mandibles, and part of the commissure are black. In
females the back of the casque, the anterior half of the casque,
VOL. III. L
146 BUCEROTID^;.
the culmen in front of the casque, and the whole commissure and
tips and base of both mandibles are black, and there is a red-brown
mark on the lower mandible in front of the black base. The iris
is reddish brown ; legs and feet plumbeous in both sexes.
Fig. 41.— Head of A. albirostris, rf, $.
Distribution. There are two varieties, distinguished by size alone :
the larger (A. afftnis) inhabits the Lower Himalayas, as far west
as Dehra Dun, the Eajmehal Hills, Midnapore, and parts of Chutia
Nagpur, where it meets A. coronatus. It is also found in Assam
and the Khasi and Naga hills, and measures : length in males
about 35 inches, tail 11 '5, wing 12-5, tarsus 2-3, bill from gape 6 ;
females being rather less. The smaller race, A. albirostris, ranges
from Cachar and Manipur to Southern Tenasserim, Siam, and
Cochin China, and measures in males : length 28-5, tail 10-5,
wing 10*75, tarsus 2, bill from gape 5 ; females somewhat
smaller. The difference in weight is considerable, fine males
weighing according to Hume 2*87 and 1*75 Ibs. respectively.
I quite agree with all Indian ornithologists who reject the mis-
leading name malabaricus for this species.
Habits, Sfc. G-eneric. This species has been observed by Mr.
Inglis to catch and eat fish ; it is also, according to Wardlaw
Eamsay, very fond of snakes. It breeds in Burma in March, and
lays usually 2 or 3 eggs, measuring about 1-9 by 1'35.
Genus RHYTIDOCEROS, Eeich., 1849.
Casque small, low, rounded, and apparently composed of imbricate
plates, covering the basal portion of the culmen, their upper edges
forming alternating furrows and ridges, which are curved forward
in the middle and backwards at the sides. These ridges are
wanting in the very young and increase in number to 7 or 8 with
age. Chin and throat naked, forming a pouch. Commissure
much worn in old birds, but not nearly so much broken away as
in Aceros. Feathers of crown and nape lengthened and loose-
textured, forming a crest.
Three species occur in the Eastern part of our area ; the only
other form known, R. plicatus, is Papuan.
EHYTIDOCEROS. 147
Key to the Species.
a. Base of both mandibles with transverse
ridges in adults : wing 17-20 R. undulatus, p. 147.
b. Base of both mandibles smooth
a'. Wing 14 to 17 R. subruficottis, p. 148.
b'. Wing 11 to 12 -R. narcondami, p. 149.
1054. Rhytidoceros undulatus. The Malayan Wreathed
Hornbill.
Buceros undulatus, Skate, Gen. Zool. viii, p. 26 (]811).
Buceros plicatus, apud Mutter $ Schleg. Verhandel. pp. 24, 30 ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 319 ; nee Latham.
Buceros ruficollis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. x, p. 922, partim ; xii, p. 176 ;
nee Vieillot.
Buceros pucoran, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 990.
Buceros pusaran, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 998 ; id. Cat. p. 45 ;
Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 180.
Rhyticeros plicatus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 598; Godw.-Aust. J. A.
S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 96 ; Blyth. Ibis, 1866, p, 350 : Jerdon. Ibis,
1872, p. 5.
Aceros, sp. indet., Godw.-Ausi. I. c.
Rhyticeros obscurus, apud Hume, N. fy E. p. 115 : nee Buceros
obscurus, Gm.
Aceros plicatus, Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 69.
Rhytidoceros undulatus, Tiueeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 292; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 93 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 80 ; Elliot, Mon. BUG.
pi. 35 ; Offileie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 382.
Rhyticeros undulatus, Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. Ill ; Hume, Cat.
no. 146 bis ; id. S. F. ix, p. 247 ; xi, p. 52 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,
pp. 194, 463 ; ix, p. 159.
Mah-doh-la, Assamese.
Fig. 42.— Head of tf . undulatus,
Basal portion of both mandibles obliquely, somewhat irregularly
ridged at the side, in adults ; the ridges wanting in the young and
increasing in number with age.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, middle of crown, and whole nape
deep rich chestnut, passing into black on the hind neck ; sides of
head, including lateral portions of crown, sides and front of neck
white, more or less tinged with buff ; tail entirely white ; remainder
of plumage black, glossed with dark green and purple.
Bill pale yellow, reddish towards the base, the hollows between
the ridges of the casque dark ; irides orange-red ; orbital skin dull
L2
148 BUCEROTID,E.
red ; gular skin bright yellow, with a broad transverse interrupted
band black or dusky ; legs and feet blackish.
Length about 45 ; tail 13 ; wing 20 ; tarsus 2'75 : bill from
gape 9. Tenasserim birds are smaller than those from Assam :
wing 19 ; bill from gape 8.
Female. Black throughout except the tail, which is white ; gular
skin blue, with a dark transverse bar ; other soft parts as in male.
Length 38 ; tail 10 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 2-6 ; bill from gape 6-5.
Distribution. Assam, Khasi and Naga hills, Cachar, Manipur,
Arrakan, Toungngoo, Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra,
Java, Borneo.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of the other large Hornbills.
This is a bird of powerful and steady, not undulating flight, and the
noise made by its wings when flying may be heard for a very great
distance. It lives almost entirely on fruit, and often travels long
distances for its food ; it not unfrequently associates in consider-
able flocks when flying. Its call-note is dissyllabic according to
Tickell. Like other fruit-eating birds, it wanders about and does
not always occupy the same forest tract. It breeds about March,
usually laying two eggs, that measure on an average 2*45 by 1*75.
1055. Rhytidoceros subruficollis. Blyih's Wreathed Hornbill.
Buceros subruficollis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 177 ; id. Cat. p. 320.
Buceros plicatus, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 991; xvi, p. 998;
id. Cat. p. 45 ; nee Forster.
Rhyticeros subruficollis, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 600 ; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 112; Wardl-Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 455 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 146 ter ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 463 ; ix, p. 159.
Aceros subruticollis, Blyth $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 69 ; Oates, 8. F.
vii, p. 46.
Rhytidoceros subruficollis, Tweeddak, Ibis, 1877, p. 295; Elliot,
Mon. Buc. pi. 36 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 91 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 81 ; Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 384.
This only differs from R. undulatus in smaller size, in having no
dark bar across the yellow or blue throat, and especially in the
sides of both mandibles being smooth, there being no trace of the
grooves that are found on the bills of adult R. undulatus.
Length of males about 34 ; tail 10 ; wing 16-5 ; tarsus 2*1;
bill from gape 7. Females are smaller : length about 30 ; wing
14-5 ; bill 6.
Distribution. Arrakan, Eastern Pegu, and Tenasserim, more
common from Moulmein to Tavoy than farther south ; also
Sumatra and Borneo, and probably the Malay Peninsula.
Habits, <$fc. Similar to those of the last species except that,
according to Bingham, this is less of a hill bird. It is generally
seen in large flocks, flying low. Oates found birds of this species
feeding on snails on the ground in an open plain. Tickell noticed
Hornbills of this or the last species bathing in a river in the evening.
The eggs have been taken in Pegu and Tenasserim at the end of
ACER08. 149
February and in March ; the nest-hole is usually on very high trees
and at a great height from the ground, the number of eggs one to
three and the size about 2-29 by 1*61.
1056. Rhytidoceros narcondami. The Narcondam Hornbill.
Rhyticeros narcondami, Hume, S. F. i, p. 411 (1873) ; ii, pp. 108,
176; id. Cat. no. 146 quat.
Rhytidoceros narcoudami, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 38 ; Ogilvie Grant,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 386.
Coloration. Male. Head and neck rufous ; throat a little paler ;
tail white : remainder of plumage black glossed with dark green.
Female. Black throughout except the tail-feathers, which are
white.
In both sexes the bill and casque are pale horny yellow,
brownish red towards the base ; furrows on the casque blackish
brown ; irides pale red ; orbital skiu pale smalt-blue ; gular skin
white, tinged with greenish blue ; legs and feet brown.
Length about 26 ; tail 7 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 2'1 ; bill from gape
4'8. The female a little smaller.
Distribution. The island of Narcondam, east of North Andaman,
Bay of Bengal. Only a single pair are known ; these were obtained
by Mr. Hume when he visited Narcondam in 1873.
Genus ACEROS, Hodgson, 1844.
No true casque, but the basal portion of the upper mandible is
thickened and crossed at the sides by dark oblique grooves not
extending across the culmen, wanting in the young and increasing
in number with age ; cheeks, chin, and throat naked ; tail long
and graduated. Feathers of head and neck loose-textured, both
shafts and webs hair-like. Commissure of the bill greatly broken
away in adults. Coloration of sexes different.
A single species.
1057. Aceros nepalensis. The Rufous-necked Hornbill.
Buceros nepalensis, Hodgs. As. Res. xviii, pt. 1, p. 178, 2 pis.
(1829) ; id. Gl. Set. i, p. 249 ; Blyth,J. A. S. B. xi, p. 970; xii,
p. 989 ; xvi, p. 997, pi. xliv, tig. 1 ; id. Cat. p. 45 ; Tickell, Ibis,
1864, 5. 182.
Aceros nipalensis, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844) ; Horsf.
&f M. Cat. ii, p. 601 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 250 ; Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 95 ; Blyth, Birds Burnt, p. 69 ; Gammie, S. F. iii,
p. 209 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 45 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 110 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 146 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 98 ; id. in Hume's N.^JE.
2nd ed. iii, p. 77 ; Beddard, P. Z. S. 1889, p. 588 ; Salvadori, Ann.
Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 572 ; vii, p. 382 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 380.
Aceros leucostiema, Salvadori. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, pp. 516,
573 (1887).
150 BUCEEOTID^;.
Coloration. Male. Head, neck, and lower parts rufous, darkest
on the abdomen and flanks ; end of middle primaries and terminal
half of tail white ; remainder of plumage black, glossed with dark
green ; in the lower tail-coverts some chestnut is often mixed
with the black.
Female. Black, except the ends of the middle primaries and the
terminal third of the tail, which are white. The young resemble
adults of the same sex, except in wanting the ridges at the base of
the upper mandible, these increase in number with age up to
about seven.
Bill yellow, the grooves chestnut ; iris red ; naked skin round
eyes and at base of bill velvety light blue ; naked skin of throat
bright scarlet (Jerdori): feet dark brown (Hodgson}.
Length 4 feet ; tail 18 inches ; wing 18'5 ; tarsus 2-5 ; bill
from gape 8-5. Females are less : length 42 inches ; tail 16 ;
wing 17*5.
Fig. 43. — Head of A. nepalensis,
Distribution. The Himalayas of Nepal, Sikhim, and farther east,
from 2000 to about 6000 feet ; the hills south of Assam, Karennee,
and the Muleyit range in Tenasserim.
Habits, fyc. Pood, mode of flight, and nidification similar to
those of other large Hornbills. This bird has a monosyllabic
croak. A full account of the nidification has been given by
Mr. Gammie, who twice, both in April and in May, took a single
egg from the hollow in a tree in which the female was enclosed in
the usual manner. The number of eggs is said to be generally
two. One egg measures 2-25 by 1-75, the other 2*12 by 1'57.
Genus ANORRHINUS, Eeich., 1849.
Casque small, compressed, sharp-edged, with the upper ridge
parallel to the culmen, posteriorly curved downwards in front ;
both mandibles serrated on the commissure (serrations indistinct
in young individuals) and much worn down in aged birds. Chin
and throat naked. Crest well developed, its feathers of ordinary
texture. Tail slightly rounded, not white at the end. Sexes
alike.
A single species.
PTILOL^EMUS. 151
1058. Anorrhinus galeritus. The Bushy-crested Hornbill.
Buceros galeritus, Temm. PL Col pi. 520 (1824) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 44.
Buceros earinatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 187 ; xvi, p. 996.
Anorrhinus galeritus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 594 ; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 318 ; id. Cat. no. 145 quat. ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 109, 500 ;
Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 42 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 95 ; Oyiloie Grant, Cat.
B. M. xvii, p. 391.
Coloration. Head, neck, body above, and wings brownish black,
glossed with green, becoming browner on the breast and abdomen
and still paler round the vent and on the lower tail-coverts ; basal
two-thirds of tail-feathers brownish grey, terminal third black.
Bill black ; irides lake-red ; gular and orbital skin pale blue ;
angle of gonvs, base of throat, and eyelids mottled white and
black ; legs and feet black.
Young birds have the greater and median wing-coverts, secondary
quills, and scapulars with pale buff edges to the outer webs, and
the anterior part of the bill whitish yellow.
Length of male 33; tail 11; wing 14'5; tarsus 2 ; bill from
gape 5-75. Females are smaller, wing 13-3.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into South Tenas-
serim as far north as JNTwalabo mountain ; also Sumatra and
Borneo.
Habits, fyc. Davison describes this Hornbill as a shy birdr
keeping to high trees in forests, in parties of five or six, and never
descending to the ground. The note resembles that of Anthra-
coceros coronatus and is uttered at short intervals.
Genus PTILOUEMUS, Grant, 1892.
Like Anorrhinus, but with the throat covered with feathers ; tail
more rounded ; feathers of crest, throat, and fore neck somewhat
lax in texture ; tail-feathers all tipped with white. There are two
species, both peculiar, so far as is known, to British territory east
of the Bay of Bengal.
Key to the Species.
Sides of head, chin and throat rufous P. tickelli, p. 151.
Sides of head, chin and throat white P. austeni, p. 153.
1059. Ptilolaemns tickelli. TickelCs Hornbill.
Buceros tickelli, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 266 (1855) ; xxviii,
p. 412 ; Tickell, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 285.
Toccus tickelli, Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 173, pi. iii.
Anorrhinus tickelli, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 67 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc.
pi. 43 ; Hume, Cat. no. 144 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 96 ; id. in
Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 76.
Ocyceros tickelli, Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 103 ; Hume, S. F. vii,
p. 499 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, pp. 194, 460, 462 ; ix, p. 158.
Ptilolaemus tickelli, Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 392.
152 BUCEKOTIDvE.
Coloration. Male. Plumes at each side of forehead dull rufous ;
crown and nuchal crest dark greyish brown, the feathers with
whitish shaft-stripes and rufous edges ; back, rump, upper tail-
coverts, scapulars, tertiaries, and wing-coverts dark brown, larger
secondary-coverts pale-edged, larger primary-coverts black, some
of them white-tipped ; primaries black, slightly glossed, tipped
white and with a broad buff outer border for an inch or two near
the middle, but gradually nearer the tip in the later primaries ;
secondaries black, outer web greyish brown and the margin buff ;
middle tail-feathers dark brown, other tail-feathers black glossed
with green, all tipped white, the outer more broadly ; sides of neck
and lower parts bright rufous, feathers of fore-neck with pale
shaft-stripes ; thigh-coverts mixed with dusky ; wing-lining dark
brown, edge of wing in front of winglet buff.
Fig. 44.— Head of P. tickelli, ?.
Female. The plumes at the sides of the forehead are concolorous
with the crown ; there are no white tips to the primary-coverts,
and those to the quills are small or wanting ; lower parts duller
and darker than in the male, growing blackish on the chin and
dusky on the vent and lower tail-coverts.
Bill and casque yellowish white in the male, the tip of the
lower mandible blackish, and a saffron patch on each side of the
base ; bill and casque of female brownish black ; irides in both sexes
bright brown ; skin around orbits and at base of lower mandible
bluish white or blue ; legs and feet brownish black.
Length of male 30; tail 11-5; wing 13; tarsus 2; bill from
gape 5. The female is smaller : wing 12 ; bill 4-5.
Distribution. Only known from the Tenasserim hills east of
Moulmein.
Habits, $c. A shy restless bird, keeping to high forest, usually
in parties of 8 or 10, and flying with the almost noiseless flight of
Anthracoceros, alternately flapping and sailing. The nest has been
described by Major Bingham, who found from 3 to 5 eggs in each
of the usual nest-holes in February. The eggs are white originally,
but generally stained during incubation, and average 1'82 by 1*34
in dimensions. These birds, according to Major Bingham, are far
less wary in the breeding-season than at other times.
BERENICORNIS. 153
1060. PtilolaBmus austeni. Godwin-Austen's Hornbill.
Anorhinus galeritus, apud Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 96 ; xli, pt. 2, p. 143 ; id. Ibis, 1878, p. 206 ; nee Temm.
Anorhinus austeni, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 6 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 493 ;
v, p. 117 ; vii, pp. 167, 499 : xi, p. 52 ; id. Cat. no. 144 ter ;
Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 426.
Ptilolsemus austeni, Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 393.
Coloration. Male. Similar to that of P. ticTcelli, except that the
cheeks, throat, sides of neck, and fore-neck are white instead of
rufous, and the rest of the lower parts paler ; the secondaries and
middle tail-feathers too are not tipped white. The upper parts
appear greyer, but this may be due to the state of the plumage.
Female unknown.
Length about 31 ; tail 11*5 ; wing 12*5 ; tarsus 2 ; bill from
gape 4-7.
Distribution. The only specimen known for a long time was
obtained by Colonel Godwin-Austen at Asalu, in the North
Cachar hills ; subsequently three more were shot by Hartert in
the hill-forest south of the Dehing ; this species was also observed
by Hume in Manipur.
Habits, #c. Very little known. Hartert came upon a flock of 8
or 10, and far from being as shy as P. tickelli, they allowed him to
fire six shots and kill four birds, one of which was left hanging in
a high tree, before they flew away. Their flight was rather noisy.
They had eaten a few insects (Mantides, Blattce, and locusts) besides
fruit.
Genus BERENICORNIS, Bonap., 1850.
The only species of this genus is distinguished by its very full
crest of loose-textured, hair-like feathers. This crest covers the
crown ; the feathers of the lores are similar and equally long, and
are directed upwards and forwards. Bill large, curved, com-
pressed ; casque as in Anorrhinus, but small. Tail long, white,
middle pair of feathers considerably exceeding the others.
1061. Berenicornis comatus. The Long-crested Hornbill.
Buceros comatus, Rqffl. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 339 (1822) ; Hay,
Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 149 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 99*6,
pi. xliv, fig. 2 : id. Cat. p. 44.
Berenicornis comatus, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 91 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat.
ii, p. 594 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 318 ; v, p. 20 note : id. Cat. no. 145
ter; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 106, 500; Kelham, Ibis, 1881,
p. 385 ; Offilme Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 423.
Anorrhinus comatus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 39 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 94 ; Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 369.
Coloration. Male. Head, neck, breast, and anterior part of
abdomen, tips of all quills except the first primary, the last
secondaries and the tertiaries, a patch inside carpal bend of wing,
and the whole tail white ; rest of plumage black.
] 54 BUCEROTIDjE.
Female. Crown, chin, tips of wing-feathers, and whole tail
white, rest of plumage black, shafts of crest-feathers black. In
the young male most of the white feathers are black at the base,
and the tail is black with white tips.
Bill black, slightly mottled with green at the base of both
mandibles ; iris wax-yellow ; facial skin deep dull blue ; legs and
feet black. In younger birds the bill is chiefly dull horny green,
and the facial skin pale blue or pink.
Length of adult male about 40 ; tail 18 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2*5 ;
bill from gape 7. Females a little less : wing 14, bill 5- 75.
Distribution. Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ranging
into Southern Tenasserim as far as the base of Nwalabo, near
Tavoy.
Habits, $G. According to Davison this Hornbill is found in
forests about the lower trees and undergrowth ; it lives in small
parties, often feeding on the ground and eating lizards, &c., as
well as fruit ; the flight is uniform and almost noiseless ; the call
a peculiar cry (a mewing sound according to Hartert) repeated
several times in quick succession.
LOPHOCEROS, Hemp. & Ehr., 1828.
Size small. Casque either small, compressed, and terminating
anteriorly in a point or entirely wanting. Bill much curved,
carinate above. Tail graduated in all Indian species. Crest
moderate. Plumage of Indian birds chiefly grey.
I refer to this African type (which is identical with Tockus
of Lesson) the three small Hornbills of India and Ceylon. By
Jerdou, Hume, and others they have been divided into two
genera ; by Ogilvie Grant they have been united and placed in a
genus apart from their African relatives on account of their more
wedge-shaped tail. This distinction I find does not hold good ;
neither Indian nor African forms are all alike in the relative
lengths of the rectrices. I do not place the Indian L. birostris in
a separate genus from the other two species, because the type of
Lophoceros, the Abyssinian L. nasutus, closely allied to the Indian
forms but without a casque, is only distinguished from the
S. African L. epirhinus by the presence in the latter of a small
casque, precisely like that of L. birostris, but smaller. It is clear
that in this group of small Hornbills the presence or absence of a
small casque is not a generic character.
The genus Lophoceros comprises 17 African species ; two occur
in the Peninsula of India and one in Ceylon. None extend
farther east.
Key to the Species.
a. A small casque, pointed in front L. birostris, p. 155.
b. No casque.
«'. Nostrils in an elongate groove L. griseus, p. 156.
b'. Nostrils round, not in a groove L. gingalensis, p. 157.
LOPHOCEKOS. 155
1062. Lophoceros birostris, The Common Grey HorMll.
Buceros birostris, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insub. \\, p. 87 (1786) ;
Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 995 ; id. Cat. p. 44.
Buceros ginginianus, Latham, Ind. Orn. i, p. 146 (1790) ; Blyth,
J. A. S. B. xii, p. 996.
Tockus bicornis, Horsf. 8? M. Cat. ii, p. 597 (1856-8).
Meniceros bicornis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 248 ; Blifth, Ibis, 1866, p. 350 ;
King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 214; Home, P. Z. S. 1869,
p. 241 ; C. 8f G. Marshall, IS. F. iii, p. 331 ; Butler, S. F. iii,
p. 457 ; v, p. 218.
Ocyceros ginginianus, Hume, N. $ E. p. 113 ; Ball, S. F. ii,p. 388.
Ocyceros bicornis, Fairbank, S. F. v, p. 394.
Lophoceros birostris, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 48.
Ocyceros birostris, Davids, Sf Wend. S. F. vii, p. 78 ; Ball, ibid. p. 205;
Hume, Cat. no. 144 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 384 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 22 ;
Davids, ibid. p. 296 ; Barnes, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 61 ; id.
Birds Bom. p. 106 ; Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 74 ;
Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 394.
Chakotra, Dhanmar, Dhand, Dhanel, Lamdar, H. ; Selagilli, H. at
Saugor ; Puttial dhanes, Beng. ; Rundu-mukala-yuwa, Tel. ; Muntt-
mukala-kaka, Irawache, Tarn.
Fig. 45.— Head of L. birostris,
Coloration. Upper parts light brownish grey, broad supercilia
whitish ; ear-coverts and cheeks blackish grey ; primary and
secondary quills blackish brown, all except the first two primaries
tipped with white, the secondaries fringed with grey outside, the
middle primaries with part of the outer web white, halfway down
at first, but gradually nearer the tip on the inner feathers ; tail
above browner than back, each feather with a broad subterminal
black or blackish-brown band glossed with green and a white tip ;
below from the chin to the breast grey, then passing into the white
of the abdomen. The white tips of the primaries are wanting in
immature birds.
Bill and casque blackish, the tips and outer edges of both
mandibles (not of the casque) white ; irides red-brown ; feet dark
plumbeous. In young birds most of the bill is white.
Length of male about 24 ; wing 87 ; tail 11-5 ; tarsus 1-9 ; bill
from gape 4. Females are smaller, wing 7'9.
Distribution. From the base of the Himalayas throughout the
better wooded parts of the Peninsula of India, except on the
Malabar coast ; wanting in Sind, Western Rajputana (except at
Mount Abu), and the Punjab ; rare in the Gangetic delta in Lower
156 BUCEKOTID-E.
Bengal, and not found farther east. This species does not occur
in Ceylon.
Habits, <$fc. This little Hornbill is generally seen in small
parties about open jungle, groves of trees, and gardens, but not in
thick forest. It lives chiefly on fruit, but occasionally eats insects
also. It has a harsh cry, and an undulating flight, with alternate
flappings and sailings. An excellent account of the nidification
at Mainpuri is given by Mr. Home, who watched the female bird
shut up, with her own droppings, the opening of the nest-hole in
a sissoo tree, except the slit through which she received food from,
the male. The female never leaves the nest from before laying
her first egg till the young are about a week old. The eggs, 3 to 5
in number, are laid from April to June ; they are dull white in
colour and measure about 1'7 by 1*22.
1063. Lophoceros griseus. The Malabar Grey Hornbill.
Buceros griseus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 147 (1790).
Tockus gingalensis, apud Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. 8. xi, p. 38 ; id. B. I.
i, p. 250; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 5; nee Buceros gingalensis, Shaw.
Buceros gingalensis, Baker, J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 292 ; nee Shaiv.
Tockus griseus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 350 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ;
v, p. 395 ; Hume $ Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 387 ; Hume, Cat. no. 145 ;
Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 54 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 51 ; Butler, ibid.
p. 384 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 106 ; Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. \\, p. 334.
Ocyceros griseus, Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 396.
The Jungle Grey Hornbill, Jerdon ; Kaldal-haki, Can.
Fig. 46. —Head of L. griseus, §.
Coloration. Upper parts dark slaty grey, brownish on the back ;
nasal plumes and broad supercilia, extending far backwards,
brownish white ; ear-coverts blackish ; feathers of head, crest,
throat, and breast with whitish shaft-stripes ; quills black, pri-
maries, from 3rd to 7th, 8th, or sometimes 9th, with broad white
tips ; tail-feathers black glossed with green, the three outer pairs
white for some distance from the tips ; lower parts ashy grey,
paler on the chin and on the abdomen ; vent and lower tail-coverts
rufous.
Both mandibles are thickened at the side by a kind of incrusta-
tion towards the base ; nostrils elongate, in a groove, the posterior
portion of which is covered by membrane and overhung by a tuft
of feathers.
Bill horny yellow, with a brownish-red tinge except towards the
tip, dusky or black along the commissure ; irides red-brown ;
orbital skin black ; legs and feet greenish. In the female the bill
LOPHOCEBOS. 157
is paler and has black patches on the top of the culmen and at
each side of the lower mandible, near the base in both cases.
Young birds have dull white or yellow irides.
Length about 24 ; tail 9; wing 8-5; tarsus 175; bill from
gape 4-25. Females measure rather less.
Distribution. Forests along the Malabar coast, as far north as
the neighbourhood of Bombay. This Hornbill does not ascend
the hills of Southern India above about 3000 feet. Tockus yinga-
lensis is included in Dr. King's list of Groona birds, but doubtless
by mistake.
Habits, fyc. A forest species, shy, usually keeping in small flocks,
living on fruit, and having a peculiar call. The flight, according to
Bourdillon, is more rapid and easy than that of L. birostris.
Mr. Baker found 3 eggs in a nest that he took ; Mr. Davidson, in
Kanara, 2 or 3. The latter found several nests in February and
the beginning of March. The breeding-habits are similar to those
of L. birostris.
1064. Lophoceros gingalensis. The Ceylonese HornUll.
Buceros gingalensis, Shaiv, Gen. Zool. viii, p. 37 (1811); Blyth,
J. A. S. B. xii, p. 998 ; xvi, p. 996 ; id. Cat. p. 44 ; Layard
A. M. JV. H. (2) xiii, p. 260.
Tockus gingalensis, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 350; 1867, p. 296; Holds-
worth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 425; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 14; 1875,
p. 282 ; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 275, pi. xiv ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 55 •
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 36ft ; id. Cat. no. 145 bis.
Ocyceros gingalensis, Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 397.
Kandetta, Cingalese.
Coloration. Crown and nape greyish brown, the feathers with
pale shaft-stripes ; an indistinct pale superciliary band extending
over the ear-coverts, which are blackish ; upper parts dark ashy
grey, browner on the hind neck ; wing-coverts dark-edged ; quills
black ; outer webs of secondaries grey above, the five middle
primaries, beginning with the third, with long white tips ; tail-
feathers blackish brown, the middle pair throughout, the others
with long white terminations, the three outer pairs become entirely
white in old birds ; lower parts white, greyish in the young ; vent
and lower tail-feathers pale rufous.
Nostril round, free from feathers. Bill in males yellowish
white, with a black patch on each side of the base of the upper
mandible, and another beneath the lower mandible ; in females the
bill is black, with a long white patch on the lower half of the
upper mandible ; irides red ; orbital skin black ; legs and feet
greenish plumbeous.
Length about 23 ; tail 875 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 175 ; bill from
gape 4-25. Females are smaller, the wing measuring 8-25, arid
the bill 3-4.
Distribution. Throughout Ceylon, in forest up to an elevation of
4000 feet.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of the last species, but the flight as
158 BUCEROTID^E.
observed by Legge appears to resemble that of L. birostris. This
Hornbill lives mainly on fruit, but occasionally eats lizards,
scorpions, and insects.
Genus RHINOPLAX, Gloger, 1842.
Bill moderate, pointed, nearly straight. Casque high, flat at
sides, rounded above, vertically truncated in front, all the front
part solid. Whole chin and throat, neck all round, and middle of
back naked. Middle tail-feathers in the male twice as long as the
others. Sexes alike in plumage.
This very remarkable and aberrant genus contains a single
species only.
1065. Rhinoplax vigil. The Helmeted Hornbill.
Buceros vigil, Forster, Ind. Zool. p. 40 (1781).
Buceros scutata, Bodd. Tabl PL Enl. p. 55 (1783).
Buceros galeatus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 360 (1788) j Blyth, J. A. 8. B.
xvi, p. 998 ; id. Cat. p. 45.
Rhinoplax scutatus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 581 ; Hume, 8. F. iii,
p. 318.
Rhinoplax viaril, Elliot, Mon. Sue. pi. 10; Hume fy Dav. S.'F. vi,
p. 115 ; Hume, Cat. no. 146 quint ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 89 ; Hartert,
J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 366 ; Ogihie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 427.
Coloration. Forehead, crown, and nape black ; feathers behind
eyes and ear-coverts chestnut ; breast, sides of back, and outside of
wings black ; scapulars, tertiaries, and rump browner ; abdomen,
upper and lower tail-coverts, and under wing- coverts white ; base
and tips of all quills, except the first primary and the last second-
aries, white ; long middle pair of tail-feathers whity brown, the
others white, all with a broad subterminal black band.
Anterior half of bill and front of casque yellow, rest of casque
and posterior half of bill crimson ; iris dark red ; bare skin of neck
and back, legs and feet, and skin everywhere beneath feathers
dull deep red in male, in the female the naked back and hind-neck
are reddish lilac, sides and front of neck greenish blue, veined with
sky-blue {Hartert}.
Length of male about 5 feet ; tail 34 inches ; wing 19 ; tarsus 3 ;
bill from gape 6'5. Female : length about 50 ; tail 26 ; wing 16*5 ;
bill 5-75.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, extending into the extreme south
of Tenasserim ; also Sumatra and Borneo.
Habits, &fc. A very shy bird, inhabiting high forest generally in
pairs, not descending to the ground, and living on fruit. The
flight is weak. The note is very peculiar and powerful ; it begins
with a series of whoops, uttered at intervals that grow gradually
less till, after ten or a dozen quick repetitions, the call ends in a
harsh cackling laugh. This account is taken from Davison, whose
observations are confirmed by Hartert. Nothing is known of the
nidification, nor of the use to which the bird puts its very singular,
straight, pointed bill and heavy casque.
159
Suborder ~UPUPM.
Caeca wanting ; oil-gland tufted ; sternum with two deep posterior
notches, one on each side ; rnanubrium not forked, flat and broad,
a perforation behind it ; spinal feather-tract well-defined on the
neck, and forked on the upper back. Only the left carotid is
present. Deep plantar tendons free from each other, as far as the
subdivision of the flexor perforates digitorum, but a vinculum from
the flexor longus hallucis leads to that slip from the other tendon
which supplies the third digit or middle toe, the union of the
vinculum with the slip taking place below, not above the root of
the toe *.
The Hoopoes have been shown by numerous observers, especially
Murie (Ibis, 1873, pp. 181-211), to be closely allied both in struc-
ture and nesting-habits to the Hornbills. There are two families,
Upupidce and Irrisoridce, the latter confined to Africa.
Family UPUPIDJE.
Genus UPUPA.
This is the only genus in the family. Bill slender, long, curved
from the base ; tongue very short. A well-marked and long
coronal crest, the hinder feathers longest. Tarsus short, scutellate
behind as in Alaudidce. Wing rounded, with 10 primaries. Tail
moderate, of 10 rectrices.
The Hoopoes feed on the ground on grubs and insects and use as
nests holes in trees, banks, or walls, frequently lining the hole
with a little grass, feathers, or hair. The female sits very closely
and is fed by the male. The nest-hole and the young smell very
offensively, apparently owing to the dirty condition of the nest.
The eggs are pale bluish or greenish white.
The genus ranges throughout the temperate and tropical parts
of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Two species are Indian.
Key to the Species.
White between buff and black of crest-feathers U. epops, p. 159.
No white on crest U. indica, p. 161.
1066. TJpupa epops. The European Hoopoe.
Upupa epops, Linn. Sy*t. Nat. i, p. 183 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 46;
Horsf. Sf M.Cat. ii, p. 723 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 390 ; Scott, Ibis, 1866,
p. 222 ; 1867, p. 135 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 26 ;
Beavan, This, 1870, p. 310 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 99 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 71 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 21 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B.
* This discovery has just been made by Gadow, and is announced in
' Newton's Dictionary of Birds ' (pt. iii, 1894), pp. 617.. 618, fig. Vd. Hitherto it
had been supposed that the plantar tendons of Hoopoes were free, as in Passeres.
160 UPUPID^E.
xli, pt. 2, p. 44 ; Brooks, ibid. p. 75 ; Hume 8f Senders. Lah. to
Yark. p. 182 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 174; xi, p. 87 : id. Cat. no. 254 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 462; v, p. 228; ix, p. 391 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 209; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 57 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 364 ; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 412 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 141 ; Oates in
Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 337 j Salvin, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 4.
Hud-hud, Pers. & H. ; Sutdr, Mahr. ; Sukdudu, Chamba ; Katkuto,
Sind.
Fig. 47.— Head of U. epops, f .
Coloration. Crest rufous-fawn, all the feathers with black tips,
and on the longer feathers the rufous passes into pure white
before the black end is reached ; sides of head, chin, neck all
round, and breast varying from sandy to pale rufous with a vinous
tinge ; upper back and wings along forearm light brown, then a
black band, followed by a buffy-white one, crosses the wings and
back, with a second black and a second white band on the wings,
but the lower back is black or brown ; the rump white ; upper tail-
coverts black, and tail black with a white bar across it halfway
down ; quills black, the first primary generally, but not always,
with a white spot on the inner web, the other primaries with a
white band across them, imperfect on the innermost ; secondaries
with white bases and four white bands ; tertiaries brown, edged with
buff and with an oblique buff band near the shaft on the inner
web ; abdomen white, with dark brown streaks in front.
Bill dark brown, pinkish at the base ; irides red- brown ; legs
and feet plumbeous.
Length about 12 ; tail 4 ; wing 5-8 ; tarsus 9 ; bill from gape
straight to point 2-5. Females rather less : wing 5-5 ; bill 2-3.
Distribution. In summer throughout the Southern Palaearctic
region, including the Himalayas, migrating in winter to Africa,
Arabia, and India as far south as Eatnagiri, the Deccan, Chutia
Nagpur, Sylhet, and Manipur. Henderson found this bird common
on the desert plateau of Ladak.
Habits, fyc. Hoopoes are chiefly found in open country, cultivated
UPUPA. 161
or waste, and keep generally on the ground, though they perch
occasionally. They are sprightly and familiar birds, and may be
seen running about and searching for insects and especially grubs,
which they extract with their long bills from some distance
beneath the surface. The crest is usually kept folded back, but is
raised quickly if the bird is excited or alarmed. The note is a
double or treble sound like hoop. This species breeds in the
Western Himalayas in April and May, and lays from 4 to 7 pale
bluish-white eggs, measuring about 1-14 by '7.
1067. Upupa indica. The Indian Hoopoe.
Upupa senegalensis, apud Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 189; id. Cat.
p. 46 ; nee Sw.
Upupa indica, Reich. Handb. spec. Om. p. 320, pi. dxcvi, fig. 4037
(1851-4); Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 578; Salvin, Cat.
B. M. xvi, p. 10.
Upupa ceylonensis, Reich, t. c. pi. dcxv, fig. 4036; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,.
p. 366 f Hume, Cat. no. 255 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 142 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. ii, p. 334.
Upupa nigripennis, Gould MS., Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 725 (1858) ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 392; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 22; MacMaster,.
J.A.S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 235 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 462 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 278.
Upupa longirostris, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 393 ; Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 89 ;
xi, p. 88 ; id. Cat. no. 254 bis ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 69 ;
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 202 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 62 ; id. in
Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 338.
Hudhud, H. ; Sutdr, Mahr. ; Kondeh pitta, Kukudeu guwa, Tel.
Chaval kuruvi, Tarn., Ceylon ; Toun-bee-sote, Burm.
Coloration similar to that of U. epops, except that there is no
white on the crest, that the head, neck, back, and breast are more
rufous, and that this colour extends farther over the abdomen :
thighs often rufous.
Typical Burmese specimens have the wing in males 5-6, bill
from gape 2*6 ; in females 5'3 and 2*4 : but Indian and especially
Ceylonese specimens run smaller — wing in Ceylonese males 5'3,
in females 4-85 ; bill 2-4 and 2-1. Skins from India, especially
from the North, very often show a tinge of white on the crest ;
these specimens Salvin regards as intermediate between U. indica
and U. epops, hybrids in fact, and I agree with him. To separate
the Indian and Burmese forms, and to make three species on such
very small distinctions as exist, is neither necessary nor reasonable.
Distribution. With the exception of Sind and the Western
Punjab, throughout India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and
the countries eastward to Hainan. A resident species.
Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of U. epops. The breeding-season
in various parts of India is from February till May, earlier to the
southward ; in Ceylon, according to Legge, November to April.
The eggs are 4 to 7 in number, sometimes, it is said, more, pale
bluish or greenish-white in colour, and measure about '97 by *66.
VOL. III. M
Order VI. MACROCHIRES.
The families of Swifts, Nightjars, and Frogmouths, here classed
together, afford an even more difficult case than that of the
Anisodactyli, their differences being of so well-marked and
important a character as to make it very doubtful whether they
can belong to the same order. The hallux in all is connected
with the flexor perforans digitorum, and the arrangement of the
deep flexors (except in Macropterycc] is Galline, as in Coracias and
Buceros ; the oil-gland is nude or wanting, the manubrium sterni
very small or absent, the coracoids separate, and the number of
both primary-quills and tail-feathers 10. The spinal feather-
tract is well-defined on the neck, but forked on the upper back.
All, too, have a short bill and an excessively broad gape, and all
live on insects captured in the air.
The three families Cypselidw, Caprimulgidce, and Podaryidce
form suborders.
The Trochilidce, or Humming-birds of America, are generally
placed in this order, but their relations to the Swifts are
disputed by a few naturalists.
Another American family, Steatornithidce, appears probably
allied to the Podargidce.
The other suborders are all Indian, and may be thus dis-
tinguished : —
a. Palate segithognathous ; no basipterygoid pro-
cesses ; no caBca ; a nude oil-gland CYPSELI.
6. Palate schizognathous ; basipterygoid pro-
cesses present; cseca functional; a nude
oil-gland CAPEIMTJLGI.
c. Palate desmognathous ; no basipterygoid pro-
cesses ; caeca large ; no oil-gland ; a powder-
down patch on each side of the rump PODAEGI.
Suborder CYPSELI.
No cseca. Oil-gland present, but nude. Palate segithognathous ;
no basipterygoid processes. No median wing-coverts. Sternum
without posterior incisions, the keel high. No semitendinosus
muscle. A large aftershaft.
CYPSELID^E. 163
Nidification varies greatly, but all the Swifts lay elongate white
eggs, and in all the saliva is used to cement together the materials
of the nest and to attach it to some surface. In some forms of
Collocdlia the nest consists entirely of inspissated saliva. The
salivary glands are greatly developed, especially at the breeding-
season. The young are hatched naked.
A single family.
Family CYPSELID^E.
Bill small, hooked at the end, gape very broad. Wings long,
the primaries greatly developed, curved ; secondaries very short.
Humerus very short. Feet weak, the first or hind toe is more or
less reversible, and all four toes are often directed forward in
some of the genera.
This family is cosmopolitan, except that it does not occur in
Arctic or Antarctic regions. There are three subfamilies, thus
distinguished : —
a. Tarsus feathered ; three anterior toes (2,
3, 4), each with three phalanges ; wings
extending far beyond tail Cypselince, p. 163.
6. Tarsus generally naked ; second toe
with 3, third with 4, fourth with 5
phalanges as usual.
a'. Tarsus equal to middle toe or longer ;
wings extending far beyond tail . . GTiceturince, p. 172.
V. Tarsus shorter than middle toe ; [p. 179.
wings not extending beyond tail . . Macropterygince,
Subfamily CYPSELIN.E.
This includes the typical Swifts, in which the hind toe is
completely reversible, and the third and fourth toes have only
three phalanges each. Sexes always alike. Two genera are
Indian.
Key to the Genera.
a. Toes all directed forward as a rule CYPSELUS, p. 164.
b. Toes in pairs; inner and hind toes directed
inwards, the other two outwards TACHORNIS, p. 170.
M2
164 CYPSELIDjE.
Genus CYPSELUS *, Illiger, 1811.
The true Swifts have the toes as a rule all directed forward, but
the first or hinder toe is reversible. They are birds of powerful
flight, though inferior in this respect to Chcetura. All make nests-
attached to rocks or buildings, or very rarely to trees.
Fig. 48.— Left foot of C. apus, \.
Key to the Species.
a. No white on rump.
a'. Abdomen white C. melba, p. 164.
V. Abdomen brown.
a". General colour blackish brown C. apus, p. 165.
b". General colour greyish brown C. murinus, p. 166,
b. A white band across rump.
c'. Tail deeply forked.
c". Larger : wing 7 C. pacificus, p. 167,
d". Smaller : wing 6 C. leuconyx, p. 167.
d'. Tail even or nearly even.
e" . Lower tail-coverts greyish brown, paler
than abdomen C. affinis, p. 168.
f". Lower tail-coverts blackish brown like
abdomen C. subfurcatus, p. 169,
1068. Cypselus melba. The Alpine Sivift.
Hirundo melba, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 345 (1766).
Hirundo alpina. Scop. Ann. i, p. 166 (1769).
Cypselus melba, Illiger, Prodr. p. 230 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 85 ; Layard,
A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 167 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 :
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 175; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Stolicz/ca, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 208;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 453 ; v, p. 218 ; ix, p. 379 ; Blanford, S. F.
v, p. 245; Davidson & Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 77; Ball, ibid.
p. 202; Hume, Cat. no'. 98; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 317; Vidal,
S. F. ix, p. 43 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 293 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H,
* The name Micropus, Meyer and Wolf, 1810, which has one year's priority
over Cypselus has oeen substituted for the latter by some -writers, and especially
by Mr. Hartert in the British Museum Catalogue, vol. xvi. But the existence
of a Linnsean genus Micropus in Botany affords a fair reason for adhering to
the well-known name of Cypselus for typical Swifts. The generic name
Micropus (1837) used by Sharpe and Gates (ante, Vol. I. p. 294) for a genus of
Bulbuls, is of later date than Meyer and Wolf's genus, and must be changed to
Microtarsus, Eyton (1839).
CYPSELUS. 165
Soc. i, p. 177 ; Littledale, ibid. pp. 31, 196 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 347 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 85 ; id. Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 47 ;
iv, p. 4 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 155 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. iii. p. 20.
Cypselus alpinus, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 235 (1840).
Micropus melba, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 165 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,
p. 438.
Coloration. Upper parts, sides of head and neck, a broad band
across the upper breast, and the lower tail-coverts brown, varying
slightly in depth of tint, nearly uniform in old birds, the feathers
darker near the end, and with whitish edges in young individuals ;
chin, throat, lower breast, and abdomen white, feathers sometimes
black-shafted; under wing-coverts always with whitish edges,
especially near the bend of the wing.
Bill black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet blackish purple.
Length about 8-5 ; tail 3 ; wing 8-5, tarsus 0-6. The tail is
deeply forked, the outer feathers being about -75 inch longer than
the middle pair.
Distribution. Europe as far north as the Alps, Northern Africa,
South-western Asia, India, and Ceylon. This bird is resident,
and breeds in the Himalayas, on rocky precipices amongst the
Western Ghats, and doubtless in other hilly parts of the
Peninsula. The nests and eggs have been taken by Miss Cockburn
on the Nilgiris near Kotagiri, and nests have been seen by
Mr. Davidson near Nasik, and by Mr. Littledale in Kashmir;
whilst the hills of Ceylon (Legge), the cliffs of Gersoppa (Jerdon),
Satara (Davidson), and Gawilgurh in Berar (McMaster) have been
shown to be probable breeding-places. The Alpine Swift may be
seen at times throughout the peninsula, and it has been recorded
from Darjiling and Assam, but not farther east.
Habits, fyc. This fine Swift is probably, with the exception of the
larger species of Chcetura, the swiftest and most powerful flyer
amongst birds. It roosts and breeds in companies on rocky cliffs,
but flies enormous distances each day, generally in scattered flocks,
and may be found hawking insects in the air hundreds of miles
from its roosting-place. It has a shrill cry, often uttered during
flight. The nests have walls about an inch thick made of feathers,
dry grass, &c., firmly cemented together by the saliva of the birds ;
they are 4 or 5 inches in diameter, not lined. Several nests are
often clustered together. The eggs are laid in Europe about May
and June ; they are white, elongate, 3 or 4 in number, and measure
about 1-2 bv '75.
1069. Cypselus apus. The European Sivift.
Hirundo apus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766).
Cypselus apus, ///. Prodr. p. 230 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 85 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 109 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 177 ;
id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18 ;
Hume, S. F. i, p. 165; id. Cat. no. 99; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 85 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.
166 CYPSELID^!.
Cypselus acuticauda, Blyth MS., Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 870 (1864) -r
Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 45; 1866, p. 339; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 355 j
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 156 ; id. Cat. no. 99 bis.
Cypelus pekinensis, Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 435; 1871, p. 345;.
Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 231; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 132; x, p. 100; id.
Ibis, 1881, p. 428 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 365 ; viii, p. 411 ; id. Cat.
no. 99 quat. ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 112.
Micropus apus (& M. pekinensis, subsp.), Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvir
pp. 442-444.
Coloration. Except the chin and middle of the throat, which
are whitish, generally with indications of dark shaft-stripes, the
whole plumage is dark brown, or blackish brown, with a greenish
gloss. In younger specimens the forehead is pale, and the
feathers, especially on the crown, wing-coverts (above all the
under coverts near the edge of the wing), and abdomen, have pale
edges.
Bill blackish brown ; iris dark brown ; feet purplish
brown.
Length about 7 ; tail 3 ; wing 7 ; tarsus 0*5 ; the outer exceed
the middle rectrices by about an inch or rather more.
Distribution. A migratory bird, breeding throughout the greater
part of the Palaearctic region, and spending the winter chiefly in
Africa. It is found in Kashmir and the Western Himalayas
generally, and in Afghanistan. A single specimen was shot at
Port Blair, Andaman Islands, on July 30th, 1873, but the species
has not been observed in the Eastern Himalayas, Assam, or
Burma.
Habits, fyc. This is a bird of powerful flight, though inferior to
the Alpine Swift. It is almost constantly on the wing in the
daytime hawking insects, generally high in the air, or playing
about in flocks, and uttering its harsh screaming call. It roosts
and breeds on high buildings and cliffs, much as C. affinis does,
but it has not been observed to breed within Indian limits, where
it is, as a rule, only a winter visitor.
1070. Cypselus muriuus. The Pale Brown Swift.
Cypselus murinus, Brehm, Vollstdnd. Vogelfang, p. 46 (1855).
Cypselus pallidus, Shelley, Ibis, 1870, p. 445 ; 1871, p. 47 ; Hume,
S. F. vii, p. 365 ; viii, p. 411 ; id. Cat. no. 99 ter.
Micropus murinus (subsp. ofM.. apus), Hartert, Cat. M. xvi, p. 446.
Similar to C. apus, but distinctly paler ; greyish brown (mouse-
brown) almost throughout ; the white throat more extended and
passing more into the brown on its edges. On the abdomen the
dark subterminal bands and whitish edges of the feathers appear
persistent at all ages. Wing 6-5 to 6-7, or a little shorter than
in C. apus.
Distribution. The desert region ; Northern Africa (and occa-
sionally Southern Europe) and South-western Asia. This species-
CYPSELTTS. 16'
is probably non-migratory, and has been obtained in Sind and
Baluchistan.
1071. Cypselus pacificus. The Large White-rumped Swift.
Hirundo pacifica, Latham, Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. Iviii (1801).
Cypselus vittatus, Jard. $ Selby, III. Orn. iv. pi. 39 (1840) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 85 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 385 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 369.
Cypselus pacificus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, pp. 212, 548 ; Jerdon,
Ibis, 1871, p. 355 ; Hume $ Gates, S. F. iii, p. 43; Blyth $ Wold.
Birds Burm. p. 84 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 48 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 101 bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 31 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. ix, p. 246 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 1 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vr
p. 573.
Micropus pacificus, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 448.
Coloration. Upper plumage blackish brown ; the feathers in
young birds with pale edges, that grow indistinct in older speci-
mens ; a broad white band, the feathers black-shafted, across the
rump ; chin and throat whitish, the shafts dark ; rest of lower
parts brown, each feather with a subterminal blackish band and a
whitish edge at all ages.
Bill black ; iris deep brown ; feet purplish black (Davisori).
Length 7 ; tail 3'2 ; wing 7 ; tarsus 0*45 ; the outer exceed the
middle tail-feathers by about 1-25 inch.
Distribution. Assam, Cachar, and Manipur, throughout the
Burmese countries and the regions to the eastward, from Japan
to Australia.
Habits, <${c. But little known ; it is even uncertain whether this
species is resident in Burma. It was seen by Oates, generally
in large flocks, flying at a considerable height, during the greater
part of the year, but he doubts if it breeds in the country. It is
known to breed on rocks and houses in islands off the coast of
China.
1072. Cypselus lenconyx. Blyih's White-rumped Swift.
Cypselus leuconyx, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 212 ; id. Cat. p. 85 ;
Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144 (1844) ; Horsf. % M.
Cat. i, p. 109; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 179 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Sclater,
P. Z. S. 1865, p. 600 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 45 ; 1866, p. 340 ;
1870, p. 161; Tytler, Ibis, 1868, p. 195; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 44;
id. Cat. no. 101 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 379 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 86.
Cypselus pacificus, apud Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18 ;.
nee Lath.
Micropus leuconyx, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 450.
The White-clawed Swift, Jerdon.
Coloration similar to that of C. pacificus, but dimensions much
less, so as fully to justify separation. The feet (not the claws)
are pale coloured, almost albescent in some specimens (Hume).
168
Bill blackish ; iris dark brown ; feet flesh-colour (Delme Rad-
cliffe).
Length about 6 inches ; tail 2-5 ; wing 6 ; tarsus -4 ; the outer
exceed the middle rectrices by about -75 inch.
Distribution. Common in the North-western Himalayas at mode-
rate elevations " between the outer ranges and the higher and
more interior hills " (Jerdon} ; probably resident. Jerdon states
that he obtained a specimen in the western part of the Deccan
and several in Malabar, where it frequents rocky hills, but no one
appears to have observed specimens in the Peninsula since Jerdon
wrote.
1073. Cypselus affinis. The Common Indian Swift.
Cypselus affinis, Gray $ Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 35, fig. 2 (1832) ;
Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 235 ; Tickell, J. A. S. B. xvii,
p. 303 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 86 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 106 ; Adams,
P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 177 ; JBlyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 339 ; Hume, 8. F. i, p. 166 ; Aitken, S. F. iii, p. 214 ; Ball, S. F.
vii, p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 100 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 234 ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 319 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Butler, ibid. p. 379 ;
Davison, S. F. x, p. 347 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 3 (note) ; id. in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 21 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 86 ;
Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 31 ; Barnes, ibid. p. 43 ;
iv, p. 4 ; Newriham, op. cit. ii. p. 55 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.
Cypselus nepalensis, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 780 (1836).
Cypselus montanus, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144
(1844).
Cypselus abessynicus, Streubel, Isis, 1848, p. 354; Blanf. J. A.
8. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169 ; Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 405.
Micropus affinis, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 453.
Ababil, Babila, H. ; Pdkoli, Mahr ; Hawabil-bil, Saharanpur ; Batasi,
Pahari, Sikhim ; Wcehcelaniya, Lceniya, Cing.
Fig. 49.— Head of C. a
Coloration. Very dark brown, almost black, with a distinct gloss
above and below; crown and nape paler, forehead and lower tail-
coverts paler still; a black spot before the eye and slight pale
supercilia ; quills glossed with green ; a broad white band across
the rump, and the chin and throat white, the feathers more or less
dark-shafted.
Bill black ; iris deep brown ; feet vinous brown (Legge).
Length about 5-5 ; tail 175; wing 5-25; tarsus -4. The tail
is nearly square, the outer scarcely longer than the middle
rectrices.
CTPSELUS. 169
Distribution. Besident throughout India and Ceylon, but locally
distributed ; very common in places, wanting in others, ascending
the Himalayas to about 6000 feet. To the westward this Swift is
found in Kashmir, the Punjab, and Sind, throughout South-
western Asia, including Persia and Palestine, and in the greater
part of Africa ; but it is replaced east of the Bay of Bengal by the
next species.
Habits, <$fc. The Indian Swift is highly gregarious, and is com-
monly seen about old buildings, being perhaps most common in
large towns ; it is also found haunting rocky cliffs, and it breeds
on cliffs, houses, temples, tombs, &c. Its flight is very like that
of C. apus, but rather less powerful ; its call is similar, but even
shriller. Its nests vary in shape and materials ; they consist of
feathers, grass, or straw, with an occasional admixture of wool,
twine, or rags, cemented together with saliva. Generally several
nests are found clustered together. In some cases this Swift is
said to lay its eggs in deserted Swallows' nests, and this doubtless
accounts for some observers having supposed that it used mud in
building. The eggs are from 2 to 4, generally 3 in number,
white, not glossy as a rule, long ovals, measuring on an average
•87 by '57. The breeding-season lasts from February to August,
both months included, two broods being produced in the year.
The same nest is used by a pair several times.
1074. Cypselus subfurcatus. The Malay House-Sivift.
Cypselus subfurcatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 807 (1849) ; id.
Cat. p. 85 ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 602 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 41,
note ; 1870, p. 161 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153 ;
Hume, S. F. li, p. 524 ; xi, p. 30 ; id. Cat. no. 100 bis ; Hume $
Inylis, S. F. v, p. 17 ; Hume % Dav. S. F. vi, p. 47 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 2.
Micropus subfurcatus, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 456.
Very similar to C. ajfinis, but darker, being blackish brown
except on the white rump, chin, and throat ; head, and especially the
under tail-coverts, blackish brown like the other parts, only the
forehead paler; tail longer and distinctly subfurcate or emar-
ginate.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet varying from deep
purplish black to flesh-colour.
Length about 5'75 inches ; tail 2 ; wing 5*5 ; tarsus *4 ; outer
rectrices '3 longer than middle pair.
Distribution. Cachar and the Khasi hills, not rare ; Manipur,
and here and there throughout Burma, but very few localities are
recorded ; China as far north as Amoy, Cochin China, doubtless
Siam, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java. This Swift
abounds in Penang. A single specimen from Chanda was found by
Hume in the Calcutta collection : this was doubtless a straggler.
Habits, fyc. similar to those of C. affinis. Godwin- Austen found
this Swift breeding on cliffs near Shillong in June.
170 CYPSELID^E.
Genus TACHORNIS, Gosse, 1847.
The toes are arranged in pairs, the 3rd and 4th toes outwards,
the 1st and 2nd (inner and hind) inwards. Size small.
The nests are always attached to the leaves of palms (where
palm-leaves are employed in thatching huts, the Swifts make their
nests on the thatch).
This genus is found throughout the Oriental and Ethiopian
regions and in the West Indies. Two species are found within
our limits.
Fig. 50.— Left foot of T. batassiensis, \.
Key to the Species.
Dull earthy brown above T. batassiensis, p. 170.
Glossy blackish brown above T. infumatus, p. 171.
1075. Tachornis batassiensis. The Palm-Swift.
Cypselus balasiensis (batassiensis), Gray, in Griffith's An. Kinyd.,
Aves, ii, p. 60 (1829) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 86.
Cypselus batassiensis, Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 108 ; Jerdon, B. I. ir
p. 180; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 340; Holdsivorth, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 420 ; Davidson $ Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 77 ; Davidson, ibid.
p. 172; Ball, ibid. p. 202; Cripps, ibid. p. 257; Hume, Cat.
no. 102 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Biebler, ibid. p. 379 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl p. 322 ; Hume, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 87 ;
Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 31 ; Oates in Hume's N. $E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 25 ;
St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.
Cypselus palmarum, Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool i, pi. 35, fig. 1
(1832) ; Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 236 ; Hume, N. % E. i,
p. 87 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 454.
Tachornis batassiensis, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 466.
Tdri ababil, Tal-chatta, Patta deuli, H. ; Batassia, Chamchiki, Beng. ;
Ambattan Katthi, Tamul ; WceTicelaniya, Cing.
Coloration. Dull brown above, head slightly darker, wing and
tail-feathers much darker ; beneath pale greyish brown, chin and
throat palest.
Bill black ; iricles reddish ; feet dusky brown.
Length about 5-25 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4-5 ; tarsus -4 ; tail deeply
forked, outer rectrices about 1'2 inches longer than middle pair.
Distribution. Peninsula of India and Ceylon wherever there are
fan-palms (Borassus faibelliformis). Wanting in the Punjab and
Sind, and found in Eajputana only at Mount Abu. Common
throughout Bengal and as far east as Dibrugarh in Assam ( Cripps),
TACHOBNIS 171
but replaced in the Assam hills and in Burma by the next
species.
Habits, fyc. This Swift keeps to the neighbourhood of the palms
on which it builds its nest. The flight is, as Jerdon says, rather
irregular and not very speedy. The nest is attached to the under-
side of a palm-leaf, usually to one of those that hang bent down-
wards, and consists of a small pocket-like cup, inserted in one of
the furrows of the leaf, and made of vegetable down or small
feathers glued together by the salivary secretion of the bird.
Usually the nest is on the fan-palm (tar or toddy tree), but
occasionally on the betel-nut (Areca). This bird breeds probably
twice in the year, about March and July in Northern India, but
from October to April in Ceylon. The eggs are generally three in
number, white, long ovals, measuring on an average '71 by *46.
1076. Tachornis infumatus. The Eastern Palm-Swift.
Cypselus infumatus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 602 ; Hume, Ibis,
1870, p. 533 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 355, pi. x ; Walden in Bhjttts
Birds Burm. p. 85 ; Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 44 ; Hume 8f
Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 48, 497 ; Hume, Cat. no. 102 bis ; id. S. F. xi,
p. 32 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 192 ; ix, p. 149 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 4; id. in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 27.
Cypselus tectorum, Jerdon, P. A. S. B. 1870, p. 61 ; Godw.-Aust.
J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 94.
Cypselus minusculus, Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii,
p. 383.
Tachornis infumata, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 467.
Pyan-hhua, Burmese (applied to all Swifts).
Coloration similar to thnt of T. batassiensis, but much darker,
upper parts blackish brown, wing and tail-feathers black above
with a slight purplish gloss ; lower plumage smoky brown, throat
slightly paler.
Bill and feet black ; iris brown (Oates).
Length about 5-2 inches ; tail 2-2 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus -35 ; tail
less forked than in T. l.atassiensis ; the outer tail-feathers exceed
the middle pair by '9 inch.
Distribution. Hill-tracts south of the Assam valley and through-
out the Burmese countries, to Southern China, the Malay Penin-
sula, Borneo, and Java.
Habits, <$fc. precisely similar to those of T. batassiensis, this bird
haunting palms (Borassus and Areca) and breeding in them. In
the Naga and Garo hills, where the people thatch their huts with
two layers of palm-leaves, this Swift attaches its nest to the upper
side of the leaves in the lower layer.
172 CYPSELIDJ3.
Subfamily CH^ETURINLE.
This subfamily contains the Spiny-tailed Swifts, and the
Swiftlets which make the edible nests.
Key to the Genera.
Shafts of rectrices very stiff, the ends projecting
beyond the webs CH^TUBA, p. 172.
Shafts of rectrices pliable, no projecting points. COLLOCALIA, p. 175.
Genus CHJETUEA, Stephens, 1825.
The principal character of this genus is that all the tail-feathers
have rigid shafts, the ends of which project for some distance
beyond the web. The tarsi are naked as in other members of the
subfamily; feet as in Cypselus; claws stout and much curved.
Wings very long and pointed, first quill longest.
This genus of Swifts occurs throughout Eastern Asia, the Oriental
and Australian regions, Tropical Africa, and nearly the whole of
America. Four species occur within Indian limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Large, wing 7 to 8 inches.
a'. Chin and throat white C. nudipes, p. 172.
b'. Chin and throat brown C. indica, p. 173.
b. Small, wing 4 to 5 inches.
c'. Rump and abdomen white; upper tail-coverts
black C. sylvatica, p. 174.
d'. Rump and upper tail-coverts light grey ; [p. 175.
abdomen black C. leucopygialis,
1 1077. Chaetura nudipes. The White-necked Spine-tail.
Chaetura nudipes, Hodgs. J. A. 8. B. v, p. 779 (1836) ; Deless. Voy.
de rinde, Hist. Nat. p. 25, pi. 9 ; Hume, Cat. no. 97 ; id. S. F.
ix, pp. 230, 286 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 474.
Acanthylis fusca, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 84 ; nee Stephens.
Acanthylis nudipes, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 111.
Acanthylis caudacuta, apud Jerdon, B. Z i, p. 173 ; id. Ibis, 1871,
p. 354 ; nee Lath.
Acanthylis ciris, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 339; nee Pallas.
Chaetura gigantea, apud Hume fy Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 30 ; nee Temm.
SilU-ang tiphi-timbo, Lepcha.
Coloration. A small black preocular spot ; crown and sides of
head, nape, hind-neck, upper surface of wings and tail, sides of
rump and upper tail-coverts blackish brown, glossed with metallic
green ; inner webs of tertiaries partly or wholly white ; back
brown, whitish in the middle ; chin, throat, a band down the
CHjEIFBA.
173
hinder part of the flanks, area behind vent, and lower tail-coverts
white ; breast and abdomen brown, with a slightly reddish tinge.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet purplish Livid
(Jerdon).
Length about 8 ; tail 2 ; wing 8 ; tarsus *6. Tail nearly square,
the spinous tips projecting *15 inch.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Hazara to Upper
Assam. This bird has been shot at Dibrugarh.
Fig. 51.— Tail of C. nudipes, \.
Habits, #c. This and other large Spine-tails are, I believe,
absolutely the swiftest of living birds. Their flight far excels
that of the Alpine Swift, and I doubt if any Falcon can approach
them in speed. They are generally seen in scattered flocks that
play about for a time, and disappear at a pace that must be seen
to be appreciated. They roost and breed, so far as is known,
amongst rocks.
C. caudacuta, which ranges from Siberia to Australia, is closely
allied, but is distinguished by its white forehead.
1078. Chaetura indica. The Brown-necked Spine-tail.
Acanthylis caudacuta, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 84 ; Layard, A.M.NH.
(2) xii, p. 170; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 94; nee
Latham.
Acauthylis gigantea, Horsf. # M. . Cat. i, p. 387 ; Jerdon, B. I. i.
p. 172 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 317 ; Blyth 8? Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 84 ; Wardlaw-Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; nee Temm.
Chsetura indica, Hume, S. F. i, p. 471 (1873) ; ii, p. 155 ; iv, pp. 223,
286; xi, p. 30; id. Cat. no. 96; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 17;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 46 ; Hume Sf Bourdillon, S. F. vii,
p. 34; Damson, S. F. x, p. 347 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 475.
Hirundinapus giganteus, apud Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 131; nee
Temm.
Chaetura gigantea, apud Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144 ;
Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 885 ; Hume, S. F. iv, pp. 223, 287 ; id.
Cat. no. 96 bis ; Hume § Dav. S. F. vi, p. 46 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 314.
Hirundinapus giganteus & II. indicus, Gates, B. B. ii, p. 5.
Coloration. A large velvety black spot before the eye, with
a white spot in front extending to the nostril ; crown and
174 CYPSELIDjE.
sides of head, hind-neck, sides of rump and upper tail-coverts,
upper surface of wings and tail blackish brown, with dark metallic
green gloss ; back pale brown, darker on the edges ; lower parts
rich brown ; chin and throat much paler, but the feathers of the
latter with dark tips ; a longitudinal band on the flanks behind
the thighs ; area behind vent and lower tail-coverts white.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet pale fleshy pink
(Baker).
Length about 9 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 8 ; tarsus -68. The tail is
slightly wedge-shaped, and the shafts of the feathers are very
strong and project nearly half an inch.
Distribution. Ceylon and Southern India ; not observed north of
lat. 12° in the Peninsula; commonest about the Nilgiris and other
ranges; also Cachar, the Assam hills, and Manipur, through-
out the Burmese countries, apparently passing farther south into
the allied C. gigantea, which is only distinguished by wanting the
white loral spots. The specimen from Tenasserim referred by
Hume to C. gigantea, though not belonging to that race, may be
an intermediate form. The two are merely races.
Habits, tyc. Similar to those of C. nudipes, these Swifts being
equal, or possibly even superior, in speed. So wonderful is their
flight that Mr. H. E. P. Carter remarked that a flock of Alpine
Swifts, passing over immediately after some of the present species,
"seemed to fly like Owls after the arrow-like speed of the Spine-
tails." He found that those he shot had fed on beetles, green
bugs, sand-wasps, and grasshoppers. The nests were discovered
by Mr. E. C. S. Baker in the North Cachar hills, on April 26th,
and described by him in the ' Asian/ They were large, shallow,
oval cups attached to the walls of (artificial) limestone caves, and
composed of moss and mud. They measured about 6 by 3| inches
outside, 4| by 3 inside, and nearly an inch deep. Only fragments
of eggs, which were white and devoid of gloss, were found, but in
one nest were three young birds.
1079. ChaBtura sylvatica. The White-rumped Spine-tail.
Acanthylis sylvatica, Tickell, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 284 (1846) ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 170; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354; Blanford, J. A. 8. B.
xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169; Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 114;
Ball, S. F. iii, p. 289 ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 356.
Chaetura sylvatica, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 614 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 95 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 346 ; Hartert,
Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 489.
Coloration. Upper parts black or blackish brown, with slight
green gloss ; a broad white band across the rump ; chin, throat,
and breast greyich brown ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white,
the two colours passing into each other: wing beneath blackish
and glossy. In young birds the white feathers of the rump,
abdomen, and lower tail-coverts have black shafts.
Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris dark brown.
COLLOCALIA. 175
Length about 4-25 ; tail 1-5 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus -4. The under
tail-coverts extend nearly to the end of the tail.
Distribution. The forest country from Bengal to the Godavari
and west as far as the Wyne Gunga, also Seoni in the Central
Provinces, Garhwal and Sikhim in the Himalayas, the Wynaad,
and Coonoor in the Nilgiris. Widely spread but local.
Habits, <$fc. A forest species, generally seen in smaller or larger
parties hawking insects amongst high trees, especially near streams,
or frequenting open cultivated spaces in the jungle. The flight is
not, I should say, much more rapid than that of the Palm-Swift.
Nidification unknown.
1080. Chaetura leucopygialis. The Grey-rumped Black Spine-tail.
Acanthylis leucopygialis, myth, J. A. S. JB. xviii, p. 809 (1849) ; id.
Cat. p. 85 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 339.
Acauthylis eoracinus, Mull. Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 64 (1850).
Chsetura coracina, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 614; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 318 ; Hume % Dav. S. F. vi, p. 45.
Chsetura leucopygialis, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 518 ; id. Cat. no. 95 bis ;
Hartert, Cat. B. M. x\i, p. 490.
Rhaphidura leucopygialis, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 6.
Coloration. Black, with a bluish gloss throughout, above and
below, except the rump and long upper tail-coverts, which are
greyish white (pearly grey) with narrow black shafts.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet livid purple.
Length about 4*75 ; tail 1'7 ; wing 4'9 ; tarsus *4. The upper
tail-coverts extend to the end of the webs of the tail-feathers ; the
naked shafts of the latter project -3 to -4 inch.
Distribution. The extreme south of Tenasserim, ranging through-
out the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.
Habits, 6fc. very similar to those of C. sylvatica, but by Davison's
account this appears to be a swifter bird.
Genus COLLOCALIA, Gray, 1840.
Feet small ; the hind toe directed backwards normally and only
partially reversible. Tail-feathers of ordinary form and the shafts
not rigid. Second quill longest ; tail slightly forked.
This genus contains the birds generally designated Swiftlets by
Indian ornithologists, some of which build the " edible nests " of
commerce. These nests are shaped like a half saucer, and some of
them are white, glistening, and composed of a substance resembling
isinglass. This was formerly supposed to be seaweed, then as-
certained to be a secretion produced by the bird, and finally shown
by Blyth (J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 210 ; Ibis, 1860, p. 323) to be de-
rived from the bird's salivary glands, which are greatly developed
in both sexes at the nesting-season. Hume showed that in the
Andamans the pure white nests are always made by one species,
C. francica, whilst other species use extraneous substances such as
grass and feathers cemented together by the inspissated saliva, and
176 CTPSELID^.
their nests are consequently either less valuable, or, in some kinds,
not worth collecting. All lay two white, very elongate cylindrico-
ovate eggs, and make their nests in caves. During the day the
birds hunt about for insects, frequently travelling great distances-
for the purpose ; Jerdon relates how the birds at Vingorla Bocks
did not return to their roosts till 9 p.m., having been away all day.
The flight is rapid. None, so far as is known, are truly migratory,
though they wander over considerable distances. The gentis
inhabits the greater part of the Oriental and Australian regions.
Key to the Species.
a. Abdomen brown like throat and breast.
a'. Tarsi naked.
a". No pale band across rump C.fudphaga, p. 176.
b". A pale band across rump C.frandca, p. 178.
V. Tarsi feathered.
c". Smaller, wing 5; pale rump-band in-
distinct C. brevirostris, p. 177.
d". Larger, wing 5*3 ; pale rump-band dis-
tinct C. innominata, p. 177.
b. Abdomen white ; tarsi naked C. linchi, p. 178.
1081. Collocalia fuciphaga. The Indian Edible-nest Swiftlet.
Hirundo fuciphaga, Thunb. Kon. Svensk. Vet.-Ak. nya Handl. xxxiiir
p. 151, pi. iv (181 2).
Hirundo unicolor, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 238 (1840) ; xiii,
pt. 1, p. 173 ; xiii, pt. 2, p. 144.
Cypselus concolor, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 886 (1842).
Collocalia unicolor, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, pp. 209, 212 ; Hume, S. F.
i, pp. 295, 296 ; id. Cat. no. 103 ; Hume fy Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 374 ;
Vidal $ Hume, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Terry,
ibid. p. 470 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 87 ; Oates in Hume's N. 8f E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 28.
Collocalia nidifica, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 55 (1845) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 86, pt. ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 98, pt. ; Jerdon, B. L i, p. 182, pt.
Callocalia brevirostris, apud Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 168,
necMcClell.
Collocalia f uciphaga, Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 384 ; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 420 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 498.
Collocalia francica, apud Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 132, partim ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 324 ; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 313 ; nee Gmel.
Coloration. Very dark brown above, almost black, with purplish
or greenish gloss on the wings and tail ; rump not paler ; lower
parts greyish brown, the feathers sometimes dark-shafted. Tarsi
quite naked.
Irides dark brown (Bourdillon).
Length about 4-75 ; tail 2-1 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus -4. The middle
tail-feathers are about half an inch short of the outer.
Distribution. Ceylon and the neighbourhood of the Malabar
coast as far north as Vingorla, common on the higher hills,
Nilgiris, Anamalis, &c. A few birds of this species have also been
COLLOCALIA. 177
obtained in the Western Himalayas. Not known elsewhere
within our area, but widely distributed in the Malay Archipelago,
Papuasia, and the Philippines.
Habits, $c. Those of the genus. The nests, found in caves in the
Ceylon, Nilgiri, Palni, and Travancore hills, and on Vingorla
Kocks, Pigeon Island, and other islets off the Malabar coast, are
small shallow cups made of grass, moss, and feathers cemented
together by inspissated saliva. They always contain extraneous
materials and are never pure white. The breeding-season on the
hills is from March to June, but on the coast rather earlier. The
eggs, two in number, measure on an average *83 by *54.
1082. Collocalia brevirostris. The Himalayan Swiftlet.
Hirundo brevirostris, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 155.
Collocalia nidifica, Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 182, pt. ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 232.
Collocalia fuciphaga, apud Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 44; nee
Thunb.
Collocalia brevirostris, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 232 ; ix, p. 290 ; xi, p. 32 ;
Hartert (C. fuciphagae subsp.), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 501.
Collocalia unicolor, apud Scully, S. F. viii, p. 235 ; nee Jerdon.
Coloration. Almost identical with that of C. fuciphaga, but the
upper parts are a little darker in general, whilst the rump is
slightly but distinctly paler than the back. Tarsi always feathered
in front.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; tarsi and toes brownish fleshy
(Hume).
Length about 5-4 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -4. The outer tail-
feathers exceed the middle pair by '25 to *4 inch.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Dal-
housie, up to considerable elevations (I have seen this species at
12,000 feet in Sikhim), also in Assam and Manipur.
Habits, <$fc. Those of the genus. Nidification unknown.
1083. Collocalia innominata. Hume's Swiftlet.
Collocalia innominata, Hume, S. F. i, p. 294 (1873) ; ii, pp. 160,
493 ; ix, p. 1 12 ; id. Cat. no. 103 ter ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 49 ;
Gates, B. B. ii, p. 7 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 503.
Collocalia maxima, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 223 (descr. nulla).
Coloration. Upper parts blackish brown; crown and nape
darker, sometimes forming a distinct cap ; wings and tail black
with purplish or greenish gloss ; rump pale greyish brown, with
dark shafts ; lower parts greyish brown, the feathers dark-shafted.
Tarsi feathered in front throughout ; bill and feet black ; legs
blackish brown (Davison).
Length 5-25 ; tail 2'2 ; wing 5*3 ; tarsus -46.
Distribution. Southern Tenasserim and the Andaman Islands.
A skin has also been obtained at Selangore in the Malay Peninsula.
The nidification is unknown.
VOL. III. S
178 CYPSELIDJE.
1084. Collocalia francica. The Little Grey-rumped Siviftlet.
Hirundo francica, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, pt. ii, p. 1017 (1788).
Collocalia francica, G. R. Gray, List Spec. Birds B. M., Fissirostres,
p. 21 (1848) ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 132 (part.) ; 1876, p. 356
(part.) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 503.
Macropteryx spodiopygia, Peale, U.S. Expl. Exped. p. 170, pi. 49
(1848).
Collocalia spodiopygia, Hume, S. F. i, p. 296; ii, pp. 102, 160; iii,
p. 318 ; id. Cat. no. 103 quat. ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 51 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 8 ; id. in Hume's N. Sr E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 35.
Collocalia inexpectata, Hume, S. F. i, p. 296 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M.
xvi, p. 505 (C. francicee subsp.).
Collocalia fuciphaga, apud Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 85 ; nee Thunb.
Collocalia merguiensis (C. francicse subsp.}, Hartert, t. c. p. 506.
Zee-wa-so, Burmese (generic).
Coloration. Very similar to that of C. innominata, but the size is
smaller and the tarsi are naked. The rump-band varies in distinct-
ness, being ill-defined and brownish grey in Andaman birds
{C. inexpectata), greyish white and well marked in those from
Tenasserim (C. merguiensis). The pale rump-feathers are always
dark-shafted, those of the lower surface sometimes.
Bill black ; irides very dark brown ; legs and feet brown (Davison).
Length 4-75 ; tail 2-1 ; wing 4*7 ; tarsus -4.
Distribution. Islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans from
Samoa to Mauritius, ranging and breeding throughout the Malay
Archipelago to the coasts of Burma (Tenasserim and Arrakan)
and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Habits, fyc. So far as is known, this bird, which produces the
best kind of the edible birds' nests of commerce, keeps mainly to
the sea-coast. The nests are entirely, as Hume has show;n, com-
posed of inspissated saliva ; they are white except where they are
fastened to the rock. The breeding-season in the islands of the
Bay of Bengal begins in March. Eggs measure '81 by -53.
1085. Collocalia linchi. , Horsfield's Swiftlet.
Collocalia fuciphaga, apud Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 548 ; xv, p. 22 ;
id. Cat. p. 86 ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 135 ; nee Thunb.
Collocalia linchi, Horsf. & M. Cat. i, p. 100 (1854) ; Pelzeln, Novara,
You. p. 39, pi. ii, fig. 2, pi. vi, fig. 2 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2,
p. 276 ; id. S. F. i, p. 55 ; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 64, 83, 108, 157 ;
id. Cat. no. 103 bis ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 85 ; Hume
fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 49 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 10 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 33 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 508.
Collocalia affinis, Tytler, Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 318; Blyth, Ibis,
1868, p. 131 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 302 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 296.
Coloration. Upper parts black, glossed with bluish green or
purple, the feathers brown at the base ; sides of head and neck,
chin, throat, and upper breast brown ; feathers of remainder of
lower parts the same, but with broad white edges, so that the
MACBOPTERYX. 179
abdomen is all white except the dark shafts ; tail and wings black
beneath.
Tarsus naked ; bill and legs black (Beavan).
Length 4 ; tail 1-5 ; wing 4 ; tarsus -32. Tail nearly square.
Distribution. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mergui Archipelago
{Elyih}, Johore and Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
Habits, &fc. similar to those of other species. The nests are usually
in caves, and according to Hume and Davison, the latter of whom
watched the process of building, consist of brown moss firmly
agglutinated with saliva. These nests are never collected for sale,
as they are not regarded as edible. The present species at Port
Blair in the Andamans has taken to buildings, and even makes its
nests at times in inhabited rooms. The eggs, five in number,
measure about *7 by *45.
Subfamily MACROPTERYGIN^E.
Genus MACROPTERYX, Swaiuson, 1831.
The Crested Swifts form a subfamily composed of a single genus,
distinguished by their short naked tarsi, and by the wings when
folded not extending or scarcely extending beyond the tail. There
are, however, several other characters of importance. The plumage
is softer than in other Swifts, and there is a patch of silky downy
feathers on each flank. The sexes differ, and the plumage of the
nestling is unlike that of the adults, both characters not found in
other members of the family. The sincipital feathers are more or
less elongated and erectile ; in some species there are also elongate
superciliary or moustachial tufts. The tail is long and forked.
The hind toe is not reversible. The posterior portion of the
sternum has two foramina, one on each side.
Quite recently, too, it has been shown by Mr. E. A. Lucas (Ibis,
1895, p. 300) that the deep plantar tendons in Macropteryx coronata
differ from those of other Cypseli. The flexor longus haUucis gives
off a slip to the hallux (which is not supplied by the /. perf. diyi-
torum), and then goes on to blend, not with the f. perf. digitorum as
a whole, but with that branch of it which goes to supply the fourth
digit.
The nidification on trees is described under M. coronata. Only
a single egg is laid. The genus is found in the Oriental region
and Papuasia, three species occurring within our limits.
Key to the Species.
(i. Sincipital crest long ; no superciliary or mous-
tachial tufts.
a'. Back bluish grey M. coronata, p. 180.
b'. Back greenish bronze M. longipennis, p. 181.
b. Crest smaller ; white superciliary and mous-
tachial stripes elongated into tufts behind. , M. comata, p. 182.
N2
180 CYPSELID7E.
1086. Macropteryx coronata. The Indian Crested Swift.
Hirundo coronata, Tickell, J. A. 8. E. ii, p. 580 (1833).
Macropteryx coronata, Btyth, J. A. 8. B. xv, p. 21 ; id. Cat. p. 87 ;
Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 167 ; Fairbank, 8. F. iv, p. 254 ;
Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 86 ; Wardl.-Rams. Ibis, [1877,
p. 458; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 12 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 36; Hartei't, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 512.
Dendrochelidon coronata, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 185 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1865,
p. 405 ; 1869, p. 405; Blanf. J. A. 8. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169;
Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 114 ; Ball, 8. F. ii, p. 384 ; vii,
'. F. vi, p. 51 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 328 ;
'Hume, Cat. no. 104 ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 48 ; Butler, ibid. p. 380 ;
Parker, ibid. p. 476 ; Davidson, 8. F. x, p. 294 ; Terry, ibid. p. 470 ;
Swinhoe fy Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 60 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 88 ;
Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 196.
Fig. 52. — Head of M. coronata, j.
Coloration. Male. Upper plumage and sides of neck, throat,
breast, and flanks bluish ashy ; sincipital crest and upper wing-
coverts darker and glossed with bluish green ; wing and tail-
feathers dark brown with a green gloss; a very narrow white
superciliary line ; lores velvety black ; ear- coverts and a moustacbial
stripe from them to the chin chestnut ; chin the same but paler ;
abdomen and lower tail-coverts white, which passes gradually into
the grey of the breast and flanks.
Female without any chestnut ; ear-coverts blackish grey, bordered
below by a narrow whitish stripe from the gape ; chin grey like
the throat and breast.
Young barred ; the feathers of the upper plumage with broad
brownish-grey borders, white at the edge, those of the lower parts
with brown subterminal bars.
Bill black ; iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs pinkish
brown (Oates).
Length about 9-5; tail 5-25 to end of outer, 1-75 to end of
middle feathers ; wing 6-2 ; tarsus -4.
Distribution. The better wooded parts of India and Ceylon, and
throughout Burma, except in Southern Tenasserim; also in Siam.
1 This Swift occurs along the base of the Himalayas as far west as
Dehra Dun ; it is wanting in the Punjab, Sind, and the parts of
MA.CROPTERYX. 181
Rajputana, the Deccan, Garnatic, &c. that are deficient in trees,
and is, even where common, very locally distributed.
J/abits, fyc. The Crested Swift is commonly seen in small parties
.about groves of trees and pieces of water in or near forest, flying
elegantly but not very rapidly for a Swift, and frequently perching
on dead branches at the tops of trees. It has a habit when perching
of erecting its peculiar sincipital crest. It has, as Jerdon says, a
loud parrot-like call, often uttered on the wing and also when
perching. It makes a minute saucer-shaped nest, only about
1| inches in diameter, of flakes of bark and sometimes a few
feathers cemented together, and attached to the side of a horizontal
dead twig or branch with saliva. The nest is so small that it is
with difficulty seen, and the Swift sits on the branch with its body
over the nest. The breeding-season is from April to June, and a
single egg is laid, white, without gloss, and elongately-oval in shape.
An egg in Mr. Hume's collection measured -85 by '55 inch, but
he looked on this as small.
1087. Macropteryx longipennis. The Malayan Crested Swift.
Hirundo longipennis, Rafinesque, Bull. Soc. Philom. iii, p. 153 (1802).
Hirundo klecho, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 143 (1821).
Macropteryx longipennis, Sivains. Zool. III. ser. 2, ii, pi. 47 ; JBlyth,
Cat. p. 322; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 13; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,
p. 514.
Dendrochelidon klecho, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 166 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 110 ; Bernstein, J.f. Orn. 1859, p. 183, pi. ii, figs. 3, 4, 5 (nest
& egg) ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 616 ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 374.
Dendrochelidon longipeunis, Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 52, 498 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 104 ter.
Coloration. Crown, nape, back, sides of neck, upper back, scapu-
lars, wing-coverts, and upper tail-coverts metallic greenish bronze,
the sincipital crest and wing-coverts tinged with metallic blue as a
rule ; lower back and rump bluish ashy ; tertiaries partly whitish
grey ; the other wing-feathers and the tail-feathers blackish, with
a purple or green gloss ; lores velvety black ; ear-coverts deep
.chestnut ; chin, throat, breast, and flanks bluish ashy grey, passing
into white on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts.
The female has the ear-coverts black with a greenish gloss, not
chestnut. In the young the plumage is barred ; the feathers of
the upper parts pale brown, with dark borders and white outer
edges ; crest-feathers with rufous tips ; those of the lower parts
whitish with dark edges.
Iris dark brown ; legs and feet dull purple (Kelham).
Length about 8-5 inches ; tail 4, the outer feathers 2 inches
longer than the middle pair ; wing 6'5 ; tarsus '35.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo,
ranging into Tenasserim as far north as Mergui and Nwalabo
mountain.
Habits, fyc. similar to those of M. coronata.
182 CYPSELID^E.
1088. Macropteryx comata. The Tufted Tree-Swift.
Cypselus comatus, Temm. PL Col. 268 (1824).
Macropteryx comata, Blyth, Cat. p. 87 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 14 ?
Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 517.
Dendrochelidon comata, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 110 ; Hume, S. F. in,
p. 318; id. Cat. no. 104 bis; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 61.
Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, throat, sides of neck just behind
ear-coverts, and upper and under wing-coverts metallic purplish
blue ; narrow frontal band, long supercilia, chin, and broad mous-
tachial stripes, extending back below and beyond the ear-coverts,
white ; lores black ; ear-coverts chestnut ; wing and tail-feathers
blackish, glossed with purplish blue ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts,
breast, and abdomen brown, glossed with bronze ; lower tail-coverts
white.
In the female the ear- coverts are metallic blue. The young has
probably brown and white edges to the feathers.
Crest small ; superciliary and moustachial stripes ending behind
in long tufts. Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet purplish
pink (Davison).
Length about 6-3 inches ; tail 3, the outer feathers exceeding
the middle pair by 1*5 ; wing 5 ; tarsus *25.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, including Celebes
and the Philippines, extending into the extreme south of Tenasserim
as far as Choungthanoung, 90 miles south of Mergui.
Suborder CAPRIMULGI.
Caeca present and functional. Oil-gland nude. Palate schizo-
gnathous, the vomer truncated behind; basipterygoid processes
present. Sternum with a broad shallow incision on each side
behind. Semitendinosus muscle present. Aftershaft to feathers
very small.
Nest none : the eggs, generally two in number, are laid on the
ground and (doubtless because of the protection thereby afforded)
differ from those of all other Macrochires by being coloured. The
young are hatched helpless, but covered with down. All members
of this suborder are crepuscular and nocturnal.
A. single family.
CAPKIMULGID.E.
Family CAPRIMULGID^.
Bill short, weak and flexible ; gape very wide. Nostrils
tubular. Wings long, the second quill generally
the longest. Middle toe long, the claw (in the
typical forms) pectinated on the inside. Fourth
(outer) toe with only 4 phalanges. Plumage soft
and finely mottled.
This family is found in nearly all tropical and
temperate regions. Two genera are Indian, both
belonging to the typical section, with a pectinated
claw to the middle toe.
Fig. 53.
Left foot of
C. asiaticus.
Key to the Genera.
Strong rictal bristles ; no ear-tufts CAPRIMULGUS, p. 183.
No rictal bristles ; ear-tufts present LYNCORNIS, p. 192.
Genus CAPKIMULGUS, Linn. 1766.
Wing long and pointed, first primary shorter than second and
generally than the third ; tail long, more or less rounded. Sexes
generally distinguished by the presence of white spots on the
wings and tail in males ; represented by buff or rufous spots, or
else wanting altogether, in females and young birds. In some
species, however, the sexes are alike. Strong rictal bristles,
generally white at the base. No ear-tufts.
The range is that of the family.
Key to the Species.
a. Tarsus almost naked.
a'. No distinct black streaks on back.
a". Outer tail-feathers tipped white in $ ,
buft' in $ C. mahrattensis, p. 184.
6". Outer tail-feathers white throughout
except at tip in tf , banded and mottled
throughout in $ C. monticola, p. 185.
b'. Distinct but narrow black streaks on back C. asiaticus, p. 186.
6. Greater part or whole of tarsus feathered ;
back with black streaks or spots,
c'. Two outer pairs of tail-feathers tipped
white in $ .
c". Black shaft-stripes in middle of crown
only.
a3. A white spot in d" on first three
primaries ; tarsi three-quarters
leathered C. europaus, p. ]87.
184 CAPEIMULCHDJE.
b3. A white spot in rf on first four
primaries ; tarsi feathered through-
out C. macrurus, p. 188.
d". Black spots over nearly whole crown . C, andamanicus, p. 190.
d1. Four outer pairs of tail-feathers with
subterminal white spots in $ C. indicus, p. 190.
The habits of all Nightjars are similar. They rest usually on
the ground amongst vegetation or stones during the day, and issue
forth at dusk to feed. Their food consists of insects, and largely
of beetles, which they capture, chiefly at all events, on the wing.
Their flight is noiseless and tolerably rapid. Prom time to time
they settle on the ground, on a stump of a tree, or a branch, or on
a stone, and thence utter a peculiar rather monotonous reiterated
note, which varies much in different species. When a Nightjar
perches it selects a branch of considerable size, and sits as a rule
longitudinally, not across like an ordinary passerine bird, and
whenever it alights it rests with its whole body on the ground or
perch. Besides their calls most Nightjars have a chuckling note,
uttered during flight.
The following terms are generic and apply to all Nightjars : —
Chippak or Chappa, H. ; commonly Dab-churl or Dabliak (dabna to
crouch) and Andha-chiriya (blind-bird) ; Kdpu, Mahr. ; As kappri
yadu, Tel., also Kappa pitta (frog-bird) ; Bimbasa, Rabasa, Omerel-
liya, Cing. ; PatheJcai (roadside-bird), Pay-marretai (devil-bird),
Tamul in Ceylon ; Tamor, Lepcha ; Wapaislwi, Naga ; Hnet-pyin,
Burmese.
1089. Caprimulgus mahrattensis. Sykes's Nightjar.
Caprimulgus mahrattensis, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 83 ; id. J. A. S. B.
iii, p. 422; Horsf.fy M.Cat.'i, p. 114; Blyth, Ibis, 1862, pp. 304, 386 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 197 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 232 ;
Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 406 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 167 ; iii, p. 455 ;
id. Cat. no. 113 ; C. H. T. fy G. F. L. Marshall, S. F. iii, p. 331 ;
Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Blanford, East. Pers. ii, p. 128 ; Butler,
S. F. vii, p. 181 ; ix, p. 381 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 372 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 92 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 8, pi. fig. 113 (egg) ;
Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 49 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M.
xvi, p. 561.
Caprimulgus arenarius, Blyth, J.A. 8. B. xv, p. 21 (1846).
Coloration. Male. General tint of the upper parts sandy grey,
mottled and vermiculated with but few and small black streaks
and spots, none on the back, whilst those on the head and
scapulars consist of transverse spots, each produced in the middle
down the shaft of a feather, the rest of the feather buff ; sometimes
there is a collar of buff spots, but this is often inconspicuous ;
much buff on the wing-coverts ; a large white spot on the middle
of the first three primaries ; middle tail-feathers pale buffy grey,
with distinct but very broken and irregular blackish cross bars ;
two outermost pairs with pure white ends 1$-1% inches long;
lower parts fulvous grey with dusky mottling, a white spot on
CAPRIMULGUS. 185
the throat, and the abdomen distinctly barred ; lower tail-coverts
buff, without bars.
The female has the white tips to the outer rectrices shorter than
in the male, and often sullied and mottled ; the spots on the
primaries are generally buff.
Legs and feet pale fleshy brown ; claws black ; bill and irides
dark brown (Hume}.
Length about 9 ; tail 4-2 ; wing 7 ; tarsus, only feathered at the
base, '8.
Distribution. Throughout North-western India, extending west-
ward to Afghanistan and Baluchistan, eastward to Upper Bengal
(Jerdon obtained a specimen near Caragola, south of Purneah) and
south to Belgaum, but rare except in Sind and the neighbouring
provinces.
Habits, &fc. This Nightjar is chiefly met with on sandy ground.
It breeds in Sind about May and June, and perhaps at other
seasons. The eggs are pale grey or greyish lilac, spotted and
blotched with pale sepia-brown, and measure about 1*18 by *80.
1090. Caprimulgus monticola. Franklins Nightjar.
Caprimulgus raonticolua, Franklin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 116 ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 84; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 114; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 198;
Beavan, Ibis, 1865, p. 406, 1869, p. 406 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 342 ;
Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 385 ; vii, p. 203 ; God w-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 83 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 455 ; x, p. 349 ; xi, p. 40 ; id. Cat.
no. 114; Butler, S. F. v, p. 227 ; ix, p. 381 ; Damson, S. F. v,
p. 453 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 59 : Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ;
Bingham, ibid. p. 151; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 295; Macgregor,
ibid. p. 436 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 18 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 51 ; C. 11. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 409 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 92 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 43 ; iv, p. 8,
pi. fig. 114 (egg) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 547.
Coloration. Male. General colour above brown or brownish grey,
with indistinct black markings and with rufous edges and spots on
the scapulars and wing-coverts; no black stripes on the back; a
partial collar of buff spots, sometimes inconspicuous ; tail-feathers
\\ith distinct blackish cross-bands ; a large white spot or band in
the middle of the first four primaries; two outer pairs of tail-
feathers entirely white except at the tip ; a white spot on the
throat, the white feathers with dark tips, some rufous spots on the
breast; rest of lower parts to breast mottled brown, the abdomen
mid lower tail-coverts buff, with bars on the former only.
The female has no white on the tail-feathers, which are all
barred throughout, and the spots on the first four primaries are
rufous buff.
Bill and gape pale brown ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet pale
fleshy brown (Bingham).
Length about 10 ; tail 4-5 ; wing 7*5 ; tarsus, almost entirely
naked, '82.
186
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of India, from Sainbhar
in Eajputana, Mount Abu and Kattywar to Mysore (but not
apparently further south, nor in Ceylon); also throughout the
Lower Himalayas, in Burma locally as far south as Amherst, in
Cochin China and Southern China.
Habits, fyc. This bird is badly named, for it is by no means a
hill species ; its especial haunt appears to be thin forest. In the
more jungly parts of the Southern Central Provinces I found it by
far the commonest Nightjar. The call is very similar to that of
G. asiaticus. The eggs are usually cream-coloured, spotted and
blotched with faint purple and pale brown, and measure about
1-16 by -84.
1091. Caprimulgus asiaticus. The Common Indian Nightjar.
Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii, p. 588 (1790) ; Gray in
Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 34 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Horsf. $ M.
Cat. i, p. 115 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 197 ; Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B. xli,
pt. 2, p. 232 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Adam, S. F. i,
p. 371 ; James, ibid. p. 419; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 455 ; ix, p. 380;
Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 59 ;
Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203 ; Hume, Cat. no. 112 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl
p. 343 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ; Bingham, ibid. p. 150 ; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 20 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 17 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 48 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 91 ; id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. ivr
p. 7, pi. fig. 112 (egg) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 558.
Fig. 54. — Head of C. asiaticus, j-.
Coloration. Upper parts yellowish grey, with little or no rufous
tinge ; black elongate spots on the middle of the crown, and very
narrow black shaft-stripes on the back ; a broad buff collar broken
by dusky markings ; scapulars richly marked with large black
spots and broad bright buff edges ; large buff patches on the wing-
coverts, first four primaries each with a white spot in the middle ;
middle tail-feathers like upper plumage, but with ill-marked
narrow black cross-bars, outer two pairs tipped white, the outer-
most pair have frequently the outer webs brown at the tip, but
edged with buff throughout; lower plumage buff, indistinctly
barred with brown, the breast and throat mottled also ; under
tail-coverts unbarred ; a narrow buffy -white moustachial stripe and
a white spot on the throat, the feathers tipped buff and black.
Sexes alike.
Bill flesh-colour at base, the upper mandible reddish, tip dark
brown ; irides brown ; legs and feet pinkish brown.
CAPJUMULGUS. 187
Length about 9-5 ; tail 4*5 ; wing 6 ; tarsus, unfeathered except
on the uppermost part, *8.
Distribution. From Sind and the Punjab throughout India and
Ceylon, and in Burma as far south as the neighbourhood of
Moulmein, but not in the higher hills nor in large forests. The
commonest Indian species.
Habits, fyc. This is a bird of the plains and of open and
cultivated country, of groves, and gardens and low jungle. It
is commonly found near habitations. The call, constantly heard
at night, has been aptly compared to the sound made by skimming
a stone over ice, the note being repeated slowly at first, then much
more quickly. There is also, as usual, a chuckling note, uttered by
the bird on the wing. The eggs, two in number, pinkish stone to
deep salmon-pink in colour, with faint purplish blotches and
brownish spots, are laid at various times from April to July in
Northern India, but earlier in Southern India and Ceylon, and in
Khandesh in July, August, and September. They measure about
1-04 by -77.
1092. Caprimulgus europaeus. The European Nightjar.
Caprimulgus europseus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 346 (1766) ; Blanf.
East. Pers. ii, p. 127 ; id. Ibis, 1877, p. 250 ; Scully, J. A. S. B.
Ivi, pt. 2, p. 79.
Caprimulgus unwini, Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 406 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 407 ;
iv, p. 501 ; id. Cat. no. Ill bis ; Cock $ Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350;
Butler, S. F. vii, p. 175 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 372 ; Barnes, S. F.
ix, pp. 215, 453 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 48 ; 1882, p. 270 ; Scully,
Ibis, 1881, p. 428 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 90 ; St. John, Ibis,
1889, p. 156 ; Oates in Humes N. # E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 47 ; Hartert,
(C. europaei subsp.}, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 528.
Coloration. Male. Upper surface greyish brown, paler and
greyer in Eastern specimens ; long black spots in the middle of the
crown and shaft-stripes on the back and rump ; some elongate
black spots with buff or whitish borders on the scapulars and
buffy-white patches on the wing-coverts : a few buff streaks 011
the sides of the neck ; first three quills each with a large rounded
white spot beyond the middle ; tail-feathers with ill-marked
blackish cross-bars, the two outer pairs with white ends ; a large
white patch on the throat ; chin, throat, and breast greyish brown
mottled ; lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts buff with
dark bars, which become more distant posteriorly and sometimes
disappear on the under tail-coverts.
The female wants the white spots on the outer rectrices, and
those on the quills are buff or wanting.
Bill and irides black ; legs reddish brown.
Length about 10 ; tail 5 ; wing 7 ; tarsus, about three-fourths
feathered in front, *7.
Distribution. A migratory bird, passing the summer and breeding
in temperate parts of Europe and Asia, and wintering in Africa
and South-western Asia. In winter this Nightjar visits the
Punjab, Sind, and occasionally part of the N.W. Provinces, there
188 CAPRIMULGID.*:.
being an immature specimen in the Hume collection from Etawah ;
in summer it breeds in Kashmir, Gilgit, Afghanistan, Persia, &c.
The Eastern form of this Nightjar, C. umvini, which occurs in
India, is slightly paler and greyer and a little smaller than the
ordinary European bird, whilst the Western European variety
found in England is darker. If, as usually happens, the extreme
forms are compared, there is a considerable difference, but many
Eastern European skins are nearly as pale as G. umvini.
Habits, fyc. Those of the genus. The eggs, usually two in
number, are laid in May or June, and have been taken in the
former month by Colonel Marshall at Murree. They are glossy,
white, greyish white, or buff, blotched or marbled with pale purplish
grey, spotted on the surface with pale sepia-brown, and they
measure about 1-22 by -85. They are laid in a small hollow on
the bare ground. The note of this species is a whirring sound.
1093. Caprimulgus macrurus. Horsfield's Nightjar.
Caprimulgus macrourus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 142 (1821) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 112 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 195 ;
Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 58,
498 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 258 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 150.
Caprimulgus macrurus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 204 ; Hume, S~F.
iii, p. 46 ; xi, p. 39 ; id. Cat. no. 110 ; Anders. Yunnan Evped.,
Aves, p. 588 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 20 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd
ed. iii, p. 45 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 537.
Caprimulgus albonotatus, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 580 (1833);
Blyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 194 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1865,
p. 406 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 266, xlv, pt. 2,
p. 68 ; Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 155 ; Wald. in BlyiKs Birds Burm.
p. 83 ; Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 45 ; id. Cat. no. 109 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 203 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 257 ; Eeid, S. F. x, p. 19 ; Gates, B. B. ii,
p. 19 ; id. in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 43 ; C. H. T. Marshall,
Ibis, 1884, p. 409; Salvation, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 589;
Hartert (subsp. C. macruri), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 537.
Caprimulgus atripennis, Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. 24 (1847) ; id.
B. I. i, p. 196 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 340; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203 ; Hume, Cat. no. Ill ; Butler,
S. F. ix, p. 380 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 349 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 90 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 7,
pi. fipr. Ill (egg) ; Gates in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 47;
Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 542.
Caprimulgus mahrattensis, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 206; id.
Cat. p. 83 ; nee Sykes.
? Caprimulgus sp., Scully, S. F. viii, p. 236.
The Large Bengal Nightjar, The Malay Nightjar, The Ghat Nightjar,
Jerdon ; Khallpecha, B. (Maunbhoom).
Coloration. Male. General colour above brown or brownish
buff, varying much in depth of tint, the feathers very finely
mottled ; crown paler and generally greyer than back and marked
with elongate black spots in the middle, not at the sides ; a few
black shaft-stripes on the back; a rufous tinge round the neck, but
no distinct collar ; scapulars with large velvety-black spots and
CAPR1MULGTTS. 189
some broad buff edges; wing-coverts spotted and stippled black
and buff ; black cross-bars on the tail indistinct ; first four
primaries with a white spot beyond the middle ; outer two pairs of
tail-feathers with white tips 1|-^ inches long; a large white spot
on the throat, the white feathers tipped buff and black, sides of
head more or less rufous ; a whitish rnoustachial stripe ; chin,
throat, and breast mottled brown, darker or paler, with a few
broader buff edges to the feathers ; abdomen and lower tail-
coverts buff, barred throughout, but the bars rather wider apart
posteriorly.
Female with the spots on the primaries and outer tail-feathers
smaller and tinged with buff or rufous.
Bill pinkish brown ; gape flesh-colour ; iris dark brown ; feet
brown (Oates).
Dimensions varying : in the large Northern form (C. albo-
notatus}, length about 13 inches, tail 6-5-7, wing 8-9, tarsus '75 •
in the small Ceylonese race (C. atripennis), length 11, tail 5-5,
wing 7, tarsus *7. The tarsus is feathered throughout.
Somewhat to my surprise I find the South Indian and Ceylon
C. atripennis identical with typical C. macrurus from Java (the
original locality). It is a small bird of very dark colour, the
primaries without any rufous markings in adult males. The large
pale C. albonotatus of Northern India, with a buff-coloured, finely
and very neatly stippled crown, the breast scarcely darker than
the abdomen, and imperfect rufous bars at the base of all
primaries, is, at first sight, a very different bird ; but, as Hume
has pointed out, every intermediate gradation may be found in
the Himalayas, Assam, and Burma. These intermediate forms
have been described by Jerdon and other Indian ornithologists as
G. macrurus. Such intermediate forms are rare in Peninsular
India, though there is considerable variation : thus there is a
Nilgiri skin in the Hume collection the size of 0. atripennis, but
with the coloration of C. albonotatus. I therefore look upon this
as one of the cases in which a large pale form inhabiting Northern
India passes into a small dark variety to the southward on both
sides of the Bay of Bengal.
Distribution. The large pale form (C. albonotatus) is found
throughout the Himalayas at low elevations, in the North-west
Provinces, Bengal, Chutia Nagpur, and Eaipur, and in Burma.
Intermediate forms between the large pale C. albonotatus and the
small dark C. macrurus occur from the Eastern Himalayas to
Tenasserim, Siam, and China. Typical C. macrurus ranges
through the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago to Queensland and
New G-uinea, and also (as 0. atripennis) inhabits Ceylon and
Southern India as far north as the Godavari to the eastward and
Belgaum to the west.
Habits, $c. All the varieties are chiefly forest birds, though
occurring in Northern India in wooded parts of cultivated country.
The call of this species is compared by several observers to the
sound made by striking a plank with a hammer ; a low chirp is
190 CAPRIMULGIB^E.
also uttered during flight. The breeding-season is from March to
May, and two eggs are laid, varying in tint from pale salmon or
buff to lilac-grey, with pale purplish blotches and a few brown
spots. They measure 1-08-1-3 by -S5--95.
1094. Caprimulgus andamanicus. The Andaman Nightjar.
Caprimulgus andamanicus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 470 ; ii, pp. 162, 493 ;
id. Cat. no. 110 bis ; Oates in Hume's JV. 8r E. 2nd ed. in, p. 46 ;
Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 543.
Caprimulgus macrurus, apud Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 131 ; nee Horsf.
Coloration very similar to that of C. macrurus, but the black
spots on the crown are broader, more numerous, and not confined
to the middle ; the mottling of the feathers throughout is coarser,
the buff edges of the scapulars narrower and less conspicuous.
The upper plumage in general much resembles that of C. indicus.
The white spots on the primaries are small and often rufous on
the edges, and the white tips to the outer tail-feathers are shorter
than in C. macrurus. In the female there are no larger rufous
patches on the primaries, only narrow rufous bands and spots.
Length about 11 ; wing 7 ; tail 5-2 ; tarsus, feathered through-
out, -6.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands.
Habits, <$fc. So far as known, those of the genus. One of
Mr.Davison's men obtained the eggs, two in number, on April 12th ;
they were very regular ovals, a delicate salmon-pink, " mottled,
streaked, and ornamented with zigzag and hieroglyphic lines of a
darker and somewhat purplish pink. They measure 1*07 and 1*13
in length and -85 in width."
1095. Caprimulgus indicus. The Jungle Nightjar.
Caprimulgus indicus, Latham, Ind. Orn. ii, p. 588 (1790) ; Gray in
Hardw. Ill Ind. Zool. i, p. 34 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 208 ;
Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. 24 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 82 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat.
i, p. 113; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 192 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii,
pt. 2, p. 19 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 454 ; v, pp. 218, 227 ; ix, p. 380 ;
is, 1875,
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 313 ; Fairbank.
S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 77 ; Ball, ibid.
p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 107 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ; Davidson,
S. F. x, p. 294; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 409 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 89 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 61 ; iv, p. 7, pi.
fig. 107 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 40.
Caprimulgus cinerascens, Vieill. Tali. Enc. Meth. p. 545 (1823) ; id.
Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. x, p. 283.
Caprimulgus jotaka, Temm. fy Schleg. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 37, pi. 12
(1847) ; Wold, in Blyttts Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Godw.-Aust.
J.A.S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 68 ; Hume # Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 56; Hume, Cat. no. 107 bis; id. S. F. xi, p. 38; Scully, S. F.
viii, p. 236 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 21 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 552.
Caprimulgus kelaarti, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xx, p. 175 (1851) ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 193 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Morgan, Ibis,
1875, p. 314 ; Hume # Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 381 ; Hume, S. F.
vii, p. 203 ; id. Cat. no. 108 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 337 ; Butler,
CAPKIMULGUS. 191
S. F. ix, p. 380 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Terry, ibid. 5. 470 ;
Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 41 ; Hartert (C. jotakae
subsp.), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 555.
The Jungle Nightjar, The Ncilgherry Nightjar, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. General colour above dark brown, more
spotted and blotched with black than other Indian species ; crown,
nape, and back with black spots and streaks throughout ; a
partial collar of buff spots, sometimes obsolete ; the black patches
on the scapulars generally distinct, but the buff edgings broken
up ; rounded, fulvous or whitish spots on the wing-coverts ; black
cross-bands on tail generally well-marked ; first four primaries
with a white spot, that on first primary very small ; all the tail-
feathers except the middle pair with a subterminal white band,
the extreme tip dusky or black; a large white spot forming a
band across the throat, and a buff moustachial stripe ; chin to
breast very dark, with a few buff or whitish spots ; abdomen and
lower tail-coverts buff, banded with darker brown, closely in front,
more distantly behind.
Female. No white tips to tail-feathers ; spots on the primaries
small and rufous ; throat-band buff.
Bill vinous brown, paler at the gape, the tip black ; iris deep
brown ; legs and feet vinous brown.
Dimensions variable: in a large Assamese bird (C. jotakd),
length 12'5, tail 5*6, wing 8'5, tarsus '65 ; in small Ceylon speci-
mens (C. Tcelaarti), length about 10*5, tail 5'25, wing 7*25, tarsus *6.
Tarsus feathered throughout.
Hume and others have shown that although typical G. Jcelaarti
from Ceylon is greyer and smaller than ordinary Indian speci-
mens (C. indicus), it is impossible to distinguish them. Hima-
layan and Assamese specimens are larger still, and Japanese
typical C. jotaka largest of all, but there is a complete gradation,
and all appear to belong to one species. According to Hume
there is a difference in the call between C. jotaJca and C. indicus
(C. Jcelaarti) ; but it is difficult to find any distinctive character in
the birds.
Distribution. From the Amur and Japan to Cochin China,
Malacca, Java, Borneo, and New Quinea ; and locally throughout
India and Ceylon, this Nightjar being found in the lower Hima-
layas, the Punjab, Mount Abu, the forest tracts of the Indian
Peninsula, and especially the hills of Southern India and Ceylon,
and scattered sparingly throughout Burma.
Habits, $c. In many places this bird is said to be migratory.
It is especially a forest form, appearing at the edge of forest in
the evening, and uttering its call in the twilight. The breeding-
season in India appears to be generally from March to May,
but eggs have been taken at Eaipur in August — much like
those of other Nightjars, salmon-coloured to creamy-white with
pale purplish and darker brown markings, and they measure about
1-15 by -86.
192 CAPKIMULGLD^E.
Genus LYNCORNIS, Gould, 1835.
This genus is distinguished from Caprimulgus by the want of
rictal bristles and the presence of ear-tufts or aigrettes, consisting
of a few elongate feathers just above and behind the ear-coverts.
Sexes alike. About six species are known, ranging from Southern
India to New Guinea, but only one occurs within our area.
1096. Lyncornis cerviniceps. The Great Eared Nightjar.
Lyncornis cerviniceps, Gould, Icon. Av. pt. ii, pi. 14 (1838) ; Blyth,
J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 209 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 356 ; Blyth $
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 82 ; Hume, 8. F. ii, pp. 102, 469 ; xi, p. 40 ;
id. Cat. no. 114 bis ; Hume fy Inc/lis, S. F. v, p. 17 ; Davison, ibid.
p. 454 ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 60 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 151 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 22 ; id.
in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 52 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvir
p. 604.
Eurostopodus cerviniceps, Blyth, Cat. p. 82.
Lyncornis bourdilloni, Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 302: id. Cat. no. 114ter ;
Hume 8f Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 382.
Twun-dweng-nyat, Arakan ; Din-koo-nah, Assam.
Fig. 55.— Head of L. cerviniceps, f .
Coloration. General colour above rich brown, the surface
beautifully mottled; crown and nape buff, finely vermiculated
with black, and with a few black oval spots in the middle ; sides
of head and chin black, the feathers with rufous edges ; ear-tufts
black, tipped the colour of the crown ; back and rump buff, mixed
with black and chestnut ; scapulars buff and black mixed down
the middle, with a band of black and chestnut in larger blotches
on each side; wing-coverts black and chestnut mixed; quills
black, with broken bands of rufous and black above, buff and
black below; tail with alternating bars of buff and grey, each
mottled with black ; a large white spot on the throat ; fore-neck,
like chin, breast, and abdomen, buff, with black bars.
Bill light horn-colour ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet brownish
fleshy.
Length about 16 ; tail 8 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 0-75.
Distribution. Throughout Burma in evergreen forests near hills,
extending south into the northern part of the Malay Peninsula,
PODARGID^E. 193
and north to Manipur, Upper Assam, and Cachar, where this
bird is common in August and September only. A specimen is
said by Jerdon to have been obtained in the Teesta Valley, Sikhim,
and a large Nightjar, probably this species, has been noticed in
the Andaman Islands. The only other locality is the Travancore
hills, where specimens were shot by Mr. Bourdillon. The first
obtained was regarded by Mr. Hume as distinct on account of its
small size, but other skins show that there is no constant difference
of importance.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of Caprimulgus, except that
L. cerviniceps has been found by Major Bingham roosting in caves
in the daytime. Hume had suggested the probability of this
being the case. This bird appears soon after sundown, according
to Blyth and Davison, flying at a considerable height at first,
then nearer the ground, and capturing the insects on which it
feeds. The note is a characteristic full clear trisyllabic whistle,
uttered on the wing or from a perch. A single egg, found by
Davison on January 10th, was a long cylindrical oval, cream-
coloured, with irregular blotches of pale lilac-grey, looking as if
they were beneath the surface (a common character of Capri-
mulgine eggs). It measured T65 by T18. It was laid on the
ground in a slight depression, without any nest.
Suborder PODAEGI.
Athough these birds are distinguished from the Caprimulgl by
having a desmognathous palate, no basipterygoid processes nor
oil-gland, by the possession of a powder-down patch on each side
of the rump, and by widely different nidification, the Frogmouths,
as they are called, are generally regarded as much more nearly
allied to Nightjars than Swifts are. The sternum has a low keel
and a pair of deep incisions on each side of the posterior border.
The stomach is muscular. The nest is either built of twigs, or
else is a pad or cup of down, leaves, moss, &c. placed on a branch,
and the eggs are one or two in number, white and glossless. Young
hatched helpless and downy. Habits nocturnal and insectivorous.
A single family.
Family PODARGID^E.
Bill large, depressed, extremely broad, much more solid than
in Caprimulgidce, curved, and the tip hooked. Base of the bill
overhung by large numbers of bristly feathers, concealing the
nostrils, which are narrow slits protected by membrane.
YOL. III. O
194 PODARGIDjE.
This family inhabits the Oriental and Australian regions ; one
genus is Indian.
Genus BATRACHOSTOMUS, Gould, 1838.
Wings rounded, short, 4th and 5th quills longest. Tail long,,
graduated. No rictal bristles, but ' there are conspicuous bristly
feathers at the base of the bill ; tufts of the same in front of the
eyes, and ear-tufts, with bristles at the ends of the feathers. Tarsus
short ; feet small, middle toe elongate. Sexes in most species very
different in plumage.
This genus, which is nearly allied to the Australian Podargus,
inhabits the greater part of the Oriental region, and comprises
about nine species, of which three occur within Indian limits.
Key to the Species.
a. General colour speckled greyish brown.
a'. Crown with irregular black blotches ;
wing 5'3 B. hodgsoni c? , p. 194.
b'. Crown without distinct black marks;
wing 4-5 B. affinis rf, p. 196.
c'. Crown with small black spots, each ter-
minating behind in a whitish speck .... B. moniliger <$ , p. 196.
b. General colour chestnut.
d'. Scapulars with large white black-bordered
patches ; no white on wing-coverts.
a". Wing 5-3 ; colour bright B. hodgsoni £ , p. 194.
b". Wing 4-5 ; colour dull B. affinis $ , p. 196.
e'. Scapulars ending in small black and buff
spots ; white spots on wing-coverts .... B. moniliger £ , p. 196,
1097. Batrachostomus hodgsoni. Hodgson's Frogmouth.
Batrachostomus affinis, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 806 (nee
xvi, p. 1180); Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 355; Tweeddale, Ibis.
1877, p. 388, partim ; id. P. Z. 5.1877, p. 426, pt. ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 15, pt. ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 382.
Otothrix hodgsoni, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 101, pi. clii ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 190 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 356 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 377.
Batrachostomus castaneus, Hume, 8. F. ii, p. 349 ; vii, p. 148 :
Blanf. Ibis, 1877, p. 251 ; Tweeddale, ibid. p. 388 ; Hume, Ibis,
1878, p. 120.
Batrachostomus hodgsoni, Walden in BlyiKs Birds Burm. p. 83 ;
Hume, S. F. vi, p. 53; xi, p. 34; id. Cat. no. 106; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 39 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,
p. 642.
Batrachostomus javensis, Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 13 ;
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 147.
Sumbong, Naga, Manipur.
Coloration. Male. Upper surface brown, an intimate mixture
of black and rufous or buff ; supercilia whitish ; crown and nape
BATRACHOSTOMUS. 195-
with irregular black blotches ; a few smaller black spots on the
back ; a whitish collar produced by white feathers with black cross-
bands round the hind-neck ; much white on the scapulars and
whitish buff on the tertiaries ; quills brown, the outer webs and
tips mottled and spotted with rufous-white ; tail banded, paler
and darker, the cross-bands with imperfect blackish-brown edges;
lower surface paler than upper, of rufous, white, and black mixed,
white prevailing on the abdomen ; a more or less distinct white
band across the lower throat.
Female. Rich chestnut throughout ; supercilia white ; chin,
vent, and lower tail-coverts whitish ; a nuchal collar of white
feathers banded with dark brown ; some of the scapulars, a band
of feathers across the throat, and a second across the breast white
with black borders ; tail with darker mottled cross-bands.
Young very imperfectly known, probably each resembles an
adult of the same sex.
Fig. 56.— Head of B. hodgsoni, rf. \.
Bill light madder ; irides marbled buff ; legs light madder tinged
with violet ( W. Ramsay).
Length about 10-5 ; tail 6 ; wing 5-3 ; tarsus -65 ; width \ of
bill at gape 1*2.
Distribution. Sikhim, at low elevations ; Naga hills ; Manipur ;
Toungngoo in Burma ; Karennee. Probably throughout the
country from Sikhim to Northern Tenasserim, but apparently very
rare.
Habits, fyc. Scarcely known at all, but doubtless similar to those
of other species. The stomach of a female brought to Mr. Hume
in Manipur contained beetles. The breeding-season appears to
be from April to June ; the nests are either circular pads or deep
cups composed of moss, roots, or leaves and twigs, lined with
grass or down, placed on a branch or the stem of a tree. The
eggs, one or two in number, are glossless white, and measure
about 1-09 by -64.
196 PODARGIDJE.
1098. Batrachostoxmis affinis. Blyth's Frogmouih.
Batrachostomus affinis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 1180 (1847);
Tweeddale, P. Z. 8. 1877, p. 426 (pt.), pi. xlv; id. Ibis, 1877,
p. 338 ; Hume, Ibis, 1878, p. 120; id. Cat. no. 105 ter ; Bwgham*
S. F. ix, p. 149; Oates, JB. B. ii, p. 15, pt. ; Hartert, Cat. B. M.
xvi, p. 643.
Podargus affinis, Blyth, Cat. p. 81.
Coloration of both sexes very similar to that of B. hodgsoni, but
the male of the present species has on the crown no black spots,
but usually some minute white or buff specks, and there is a
reddish-brown collar above the whitish one, which is more
distinct than in B. hodgsoni. The breast too is more rufous.
The female is darker and duller chestnut. The size is smaller :
length about 8'5 ; tail 4-4 ; wing 4-5 ; tarsus '55 ; breadth of
gape 1-2.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and probably
Sumatra. A single specimen, apparently belonging to this species,
was obtained by Major Bingham in the Meplay valley, south-east
of Moulmein in Tenasserim.
1099. Batrachostomus moniliger. The Ceylonese Frogmouih.
Podargus javanicus, apud Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xi, p. 798.
Podargus javanensis, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2,
p. 143 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 309 (nee Horsfeld).
Batrachostomus moniliger, Layard, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 806 ;
Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 165; Jerdon, B. L i, p. 189;
Holdsiv. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 420 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 12 ; id. 8. F.
iii, p. 198 ; Hume # Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 376 ; Tioeeddale, P. Z. S.
1877, p. 439, pis. xlviii, xlix ; Hume, Cat. no. 105 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl p. 331 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 38 ; Hartert,
Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 644.
Batrachostomus punctatus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 432 ; ii, p. 355 ; iii,
p. 199; iv, p. 377; id. Cat. no. 105 bis; Stanford, Ibis, 1877,
p. 252 ; Tweeddale, ibid. p. 391 ; Hume, Ibis, 1878, p. 122.
The Wynaad Frogmouth, Jerdon.
Coloration. Male. General tint mottled grey, with a more or less
rufous ' tinge ; supercilia whitish ; black spots, each terminated
by a buff speck, on the crown and back ; a white collar on the
hind-neck; scapulars and tertiaries whitish, quills dark brown,
with buff or rufous spots on the outer webs ; tail with pale and
dark cross-bands ; lower parts much like the upper, with an
imperfect white gorget, and much white on the abdomen.
Female. Dull rufous, like B. affinis $ ; supercilia pale; an
indistinct white collar on the hind-neck; scapulars with very
small subterminal black spots tipped with minute white specks ;
some white spots at the ends of the wing-coverts ; beneath, the
abdomen is much paler ; there is a band across the throat of
feathers white at the end with a somewhat irregular subterminal
black bar ; similar feathers are scattered over the abdomen. The
BATRACHOSTOMUS. 197
upper parts are usually more or less mottled with blackish, and
there are indications of cross-bars to the tail-feathers. Young
birds are greatly mottled throughout.
Bill olive-brown, the lower mandible paler ; irides yellow ; legs
and feet fleshy grey (Legge). Tarsus feathered for the greater part
of its length.
Length about 9 ; tail 4'5 ; wing 4'75 ; tarsus *6 ; width of bill
at gape 1*3. The type of B. punctatus was exceptionally small,
tail 4, wing 4-3.
Distribution. Throughout Ceylon, in Travancore, and doubtless
in the Wynaad.
Habits, <Sfc. A shy nocturnal bird, living in forest, and very
seldom seen. Legge, in Ceylon, once found one sleeping perched
across a bamboo in the daytime. When thus perched its bill was
turned upwards and its eyes closed. Both Legge and Bourdillon
noticed a loud chuckling cry, which they attributed to this bird,
and both think this species less rare than it appears to be,
Bourdillon obtained a young one and the nest in Travancore on
February 24th ; the nest was a pad, 2| inches broad, of dead
leaves, fragments of bark, dry wood, and lichen interwoven with
vegetable down, in the fork of a sapling about 15 feet from the
ground. Fragments of the egg showed that it was pure white,
smooth, and glossless.
Order VII. TROGONES.
The Trogons differ from all other birds in the structure of the
feet. The first and second digits are turned backwards, and are
supplied by the flexor lonyus hallucis, and the third and fourth
digits are directed forward and connected with the flexor perforans
digitorum. The two flexor tendons are united by a vinculutn
(fig. 58).
Palate schizognathous (Forbes, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 833). Basi-
pterygoid processes are present. Sternum with four notches on
the posterior border ; manubriurn long, slightly forked ; coracoids
in contact. Oil-gland nude. Cseca present. Spinal feather-tract
well-defined from nape to oil-gland, not forked. Aftershaft of
contour-feathers large. No median wing-coverts. Ambiens
muscle wanting. Plumage of the young nearly resembling that of
.the female.
A single family.
Fig. 57.— Eight foot of Fig. 58. — Deep plantar tendons
Harpactes erythrocephcdus, \. of Trogon puella (Garrod,
P. Z. S. 1875, p. 345).
Family TROGONID^E.
Bill short, strong, wide, the tip of the culmen hooked and
toothed; nostrils and base of bill covered with well-developed
bristles. Feet small, tarsi short. Tail-feathers 12 ; primaries 10.
Plumage soft and dense ; skin very thin.
This family is found in the Oriental and Ethiopian regions and
in Tropical America. Only one genus, which is widely distributed
in the Oriental region, is found within our limits.
. HARPACTES. 199
Genus HARPACTES, Swainson, 1837.
Tail long, with broad feathers, squarely truncated in adults,
pointed in young, the outer three pairs much graduated. Wing
rounded, the inner primaries and secondaries very short. Tarsus
half -feathered. Face naked at sides.
Key to the Species.
n. Head and neck black ; abdomen crimson.
a'. A white band across breast H. fasciatus tf , p. 199.
b'. No white band H. duvauceli <$ , p. 201.
b. Head red ; abdomen crimson H. erythrocephalus 3 , p. 200.
jc. Head yellowish olive ; abdomen orange. H. orescius 3 , p. 202.
d. Head brown or brownish olive.
c'. Abdomen brownish buff H. fasciatus $ , p. 199.
d'. Abdomen red or pink.
a". Crown concolorous with back ;
wing 57 , H. erythrocephalus $ , p. 200.
b" . Crown darker than back ; wing
4-2 H. duvauceli $ , p. 201.
e' ' . Abdomen yellow H. orescius $ , p. 202.
The habits of all the species are similar. All inhabit forests,
and perch on trees, frequently on a large horizontal branch, on
which the Trogon remains motionless and, with its gaudy breast
concealed, but little likely to be seen. It flies out from time to
time in pursuit of insects, chiefly beetles, moths, or cicadas, but it
occasionally feeds on insects on the ground. Indian Trogons
have not been observed to eat fruit, as some of the gorgeous
American forms do. They are generally silent birds, but have
peculiar soft calls, and also utter a mewing sound. Holes or
hollows generally in rotten stumps or branches of trees are
excavated for nests and are not lined ; the eggs are creamy white
and glossy, and generally broadly oval in shape.
1100. Harpactes fasciatus. TJie Malabar Trogon.
Trogon fasciatus, Pennant, Ind. Zool. pi. iv (1769).
Trogon duvaucelii, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 580 (nee Temm.).
Trogon malabaricus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1834, p. 26.
Harpactes malabaricus, Swains. Class. Birds, ii, p. 337 ; Jerdon,
Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 232.
Harpactes fasciatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 80; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xii, p. 171 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 714; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 201 ;
Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 422 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 432 ; vii, p. 507 ;
id. Cat. no. 115 ; Ball, S. F. iv, p. 231 ; v, p. 413 ;_vii, p. 203 ;
Fairbank,
vii,
p.
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 93 ; bates in Hume's 'N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 340 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 485.
Ktifni churi, H. ; Kama, Mahr. ; Kakarne hakki, Can. ; Nawa nila
kurulla, Rantcan kondea, Ginni kurulla, Cing.
Coloration. Male. Head and neck all round with upper breast
200
dull black or blackish grey ; back, scapulars, and coverts along
forearm yellowish brown, slightly paler on the rump and upper
tail-coverts ; wings black, the coverts away from the forearm,
except the greater primary-coverts, tertiaries, and outer webs
of secondaries, finely and closely barred writh slightly undulating
white lines ; the quills white at the base, and the outer webs of
all primaries, except the first and a few of the last, with a white
border ; middle tail-feathers chestnut with a black tip, the
remainder black, generally some chestnut on second and third
pairs from middle, three exterior pairs with long white tips : a
white band between the black upper breast and the rest of the
lower parts, which are pale crimson, the lower tail-coverts paler still,
Female. Head, neck, and upper breast olive-brown, no white
gorget ; rest of lower parts brownish buff ; bars on wing- coverts,
tertiaries, and secondaries light brown, instead of white ; tail-
feathers as in immature males.
Young males have the lower parts mixed with buff and white,
the bars on the wings are fulvous, and the head and neck
brownish. The 2nd and 3rd pairs of tail-feathers from the
middle have more chestnut than in adults, this colour extending
along the shafts and both borders.
Bill deep blue; orbital skin smalt- blue; irides dark brown;,
feet light lavender-blue (Jerdon}.
Length 12 ; tail 6 -75 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape 1 :
females rather less. Ceylonese birds are smaller than Indian.
Distribution. Local and rare throughout the forest country east
of about 80° long., extending from Hazaribagh and Midnapur to
south of the Grodavari ; more common in the forests near the
Malabar coast, from Western Khandesh (whence both Lord Tweed-
dale and Mr. Hume obtained specimens) to Cape Comorin. This
species does not occur in any part of the peninsula beyond the
tracts mentioned, but is found generally distributed in Ceylon.
Habits, <$fc. Those of the genus. The eggs have been taken in
March, April, and May, and are usually three in number, ivory-
white, and about 1*08 by *95 in dimensions.
1101. Harpactes erythrocephalus. The Eed-headed Trogon.
Trogon erythrocephalus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1834, p. 25.
Harpactes erythrocephalus, Swains. Class. Birds, ii, p. 337 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 116 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 41 ; Oates, & F. viii, p. 164 ;
Binqham, S. F. ix, p. 152 ; Hume 4* Inglis, ibid. p. 246 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 99 ; id. in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 339 ; Ogilvie
Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 488.
Harpactes hodgsoni, Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. i. pi. 34 (1838) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 80; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 713 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 202 ;
Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 342; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 95 ; xliii, pt. 2, p. 177 ; Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 47 ; Blyth
§• Wald. Birds Burm. p. 82 ; Hume fy Inglis, S. F. v, p. 18 ; Bing-
ham, ibid. p. 82 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 66.
Suda-sohagin <$ , Cuchcuchia $ , Beng. ; Hamesha piyara <$ (" always
beloved," not "always thirsty," as translated by Jerdon), H. ; Sakvor,
Lepcha ; Htat-ta-yu, Burmese.
HARPACTES. 201
*
Coloration. Male. Head and neck all round, and upper breast,
deep crimson ; chin blackish ; remainder of lower parts bright
crimson behind an ill-marked white gorget; back, scapulars,
and wing-coverts along forearm ferruginous-brown, brighter and
more rufous on rump and upper tail-coverts ; wings as in H. fas-
ciatus ; middle tail-feathers rich chestnut, black-tipped, the next
two pairs black, with usually part of the outer web chestnut ;
outer three pairs black, with long white tips.
Female. Head and neck all round, upper breast, back, and
scapulars orange-brown, rump more rufous; coverts and second-
aries barred light brown and black ; lower parts red as in the
male. The young of both sexes have the lower parts from the
breast white or buff, wholly or in part.
Fig. 59. — Head of H. erythrocephalus, \.
Bill bluish, tips of both mandibles and culmen black; gape
and orbital skin purplish blue ; iris dull red; legs pinkish (Oates).
Length 13 ; tail 7'5 ; wing 5-8 ; tarsus *6 ; bill from gape
I'l. Females rather less.
Distribution. Himalayas as far west as Eastern Nepal, up to
about 5000 feet elevation, also throughout Assam and the Burmese
countries to the Malay Peninsula, in forest.
Habits, fyc. Like those of other species. The eggs, generally four
in number and creamy white, are laid from March to July ; they
measure about 1/14 by *95.
1102. Harpactes duvanceli. The Red-rumped Trogon.
Trogon duvaucelii, Temm. PL Col. pi. 291 (1824).
Harpactes rutilus, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 71 (1845) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 80 ;
Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 712 (nee. Vieill.}.
Harpactes duvauceli, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 318 ; id. Cat. no. 115 bis ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 63, 498 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 101 ; Ogilvie
Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 491.
Coloration. Male. Whole head and neck jet-black ; back,
scapulars, and coverts along forearm orange-brown; rump and
upper tail-coverts and lower plumage from throat crimson ; wings
as in H.fasdatus, but the white bars wider apart; middle tail-
feathers bright chestnut tipped with black, the next two pairs
black, the three outer pairs black with long white tips.
202
Female. Head above dark olive-brown; sides of head, chin, and
throat rufous-brown ; back lighter rufous- brown, becoming orange-
brown tinged with red on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing-
coverts and secondaries barred with buff ; upper breast yellow-
brown, passing into pink on the abdomen. In young birds the
lower parts are chiefly buff.
Tip and ridge of culmen and a narrow streak on each side
horny black ; gape and sides of bill cobalt-blue ; irides dull
brown ; orbital region smalt-blue ; legs and feet the same, varying
in depth of hue (Davison).
Length about 10 ; tail 5 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus -4 ; bill from gape *9.
Females a very little smaller than males.
Distribution. Not uncommon in Southern Tenasserim, as far
north as Tavoy, and throughout the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra
and Borneo.
1103. Harpactes orescius. The Yellow-breasted Trogon.
Trogon oreskios, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 181 (1823).
Harpactes oreskios, Blyth, Cat. p. 80 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 716 ;
Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 538; Hume $ Gates, S. F. iii, p. 47;
Bingham, S. F. v, pp. 50, 82 ; ix, p. 152 ; Davison, S. F. v,
p. 454; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 66, 498; Hume, Cat. no.
116 bis ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 100 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed.
ii, p. 342 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 494.
Orescius gouldi, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, pt. 1, p. 161 (1863) ;
Salvadori, Ann. Mits. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 561.
Harpactes orescius, Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 32 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1869,
p. 407 ; Blyth $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 82 ; Gates, S. F. x, p. 186.
Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, and sides of head yellowish
olive ; hind-neck, chin, throat, and fore-neck more yellow, passing
into rich orange on the breast, and this again into yellow-orange
on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts ; back, scapulars, rump,
upper tail-coverts, and wing-coverts along the forearm chestnut ;
wings as in the other species, except that the white bars on the
wing-coverts, secondaries, and tertiaries are broader, straighter,
and much farther apart ; tail as in H. duvauceli.
Female. Head, neck, and upper breast olive-brown, passing on
back into rufous-browri ; bars on wings buff; lower parts from
breast deep yellow. In immature birds the abdomen is white or buff.
Bill purplish blue, the culmen and tip blackish; orbital skin
bright smalt-blue; iris dark brown ; legs plumbeous blue (Gates).
Length 12 ; tail 6-4 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from gape '9.
Distribution. Arrakan, Pegu, and Tenasserim, Siam, Cochin
China, the Malay ' Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Not
recorded from Upper Burma, nor from any country north of
Arrakan.
Habits, $c. Those of the genus, but, according to Davison, this
species keeps less exclusively to dense forest. The eggs have been
taken by Bingham and Davison in February and March, and are
two or three in number, glossy, pale cafe-au-lait in colour, and
about 1'05 by *83 in dimensions.
Order VIII. COCCYGES.
This order is distinguished from all other zygodactyle groups,
except the Parrots, by possessing the ambiens muscle, a character
to which a very high importance was attached by Garrod, and by
the deep plantar tendons being arranged as in Gallinaceous birds,
and only differing in arrangement from the Passerine plan by
being connected by a vinculum ; the flexor longus liallucis leads
to the hallux alone, the flexor perforans digitorum serves the other
three. digits. The palate is desmoguathous ; basipterygoid pro-
cesses are wanting.
Two families are included — the Cuculidce and Musophagidce ; the
latter, however, is entirely African, and the former alone requires
notice here.
By Garrod, Newton, and other recent writers, the Coccyges
have been regarded as having Galline affinities. The aberrant
type OpistJiocomus appears to be a link between Gallince and
Musophagidce.
Family CUCULIDCE.
Feet zygodactyle, the first and fourth toes directed backward ;
caeca present ; both carotids present ; contour-feathers without
any aftershaft ; dorsal feather-tract divided between the shoulders,
and enclosing a lanceolate naked space on the back ; an oil-gland
present, but nude. Young hatched naked, and not passing
through a downy stage before acquiring feathers. Tail-feathers 10
in number (except in some American genera, which have only 8).
The members of this family have almost a world- wide range, but
are most numerous in tropical countries. They vary greatly in
nidification and breeding-habits. •
The Cuculidce have been variously divided. The Indian forms
have by different writers been classed sometimes in two, sometimes
in three subfamilies. On the whole the first arrangement appears
preferable, as there is no doubt that the Phoenicophaince and
Centropodince are more closely allied to each other than either of
them is to the true Cuckoos. I therefore class them thus :
«. Tarsus feathered anteriorly (only at the base
in Coccystes) ; no accessory femoro-caudal
muscle Cuculince.
b. Tarsus naked ; accessory femoro-caudal
present Phcenicophaince.
204 CTTCULIILE.
Subfamily CUCULIN^E.
This comprises the true Cuckoos, almost all of which have
parasitic breeding-habits. The most marked external characters
are that the tarsus is more or less feathered in front (least in
Ooccystes, which, however, may be easily recognized by being
crested) and that the wing is more or less pointed. The tail
(except in Coccystes) scarcely exceeds or does not exceed the wing
in length. The plumage is firm but not spiny.
Other characters of this subfamily are the absence of an
accessory femoro-caudal muscle (Garrod, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 141),
and the simple undivided band of feathers on each side of the
naked pectoro-ventral tract (Beddard, P. Z. S. 1885, p. 174).
It is possible that Coccystes may prove, when the anatomy and
pterylosis are examined, to belong to the Phcenicophaince. It and
Eudynamis are in some respects intermediate between the typical
forms of the two subfamilies.
Key to the Genera.
a. No crest.
a'. Secondaries in closed wing- scarcely
exceeding half length of primaries .... CUCULUS, p. 204.
b' '. Secondaries two-thirds length of primaries
or more.
a". Tail rounded and graduated.
a3. Larger : plumage hawk-like ; tail
with 3*or 4 black cross-bands . . HIEROCOCCYX, p. 211.
b3. Smaller, not larger than a Thrush ;
tail without cross-bands or with
far more than 4.
«4. Plumage without metallic
colours.
a5. Young and adult differently
coloured ; bill compressed ;
tail-feathers the same length
throughout CACOMANTIS, p. 216.
ft5. Young and adult similar; bill
stout, not compressed ; tail-
feathers narrower behind .... PENTHOCERYX, p. 219,
b4. Plumage partly metallic green or
violet. CHRYSOCOCCYX, p. 220.
b". Tail square or forked ; plumage
black SURNICULUS, p. 223.
b. Head crested ; tarsi almost naked COCCYSTES, p. 224.
Genus CUCULUS, Linn., 1766.
Wing long and pointed, third quill longest and exceeding the
secondaries in the closed wing by almost half the length of the
wing. The first primary is about two-thirds the length of the
wing. Tail shorter than wing, graduated, the outer feathers
falling short of the middle pair by one-fourth to one-third the
CUCULUS. 205
length of the tail. Bill moderate. In adults the upper plumage
is almost uniform dark ashy or brown, the chin and throat ashy,
abdomen white barred with black ; the wings barred on the inner
webs. The young undergo two or three changes, one phase being
chestnut above barred with dark brown.
The true Cuckoos have a wide range, being found in Europe,
Asia, Africa, and Australia, and comprise about nine species, of
which four inhabit the Indian area.
Key to the Species.
Wing 8 to 9 in., no subterminal black band on
tail ; edge of wing mixed white and brown. C. canorus, p. 205.
Wing 6'5 to 7'8 ; edge of wing white C. saturates, p. 207.
Wing 57 to 6'1 ; edge of wing ashy C. poliocephalus, p. 208.
W'ing 7'5 to 8'o ; a subterminal black hand on
tail C. micropterus, p. 210.
Cuckoos are birds of swift flight and peculiar habits. All have
resonant call-notes, distinctive of the particular species. The true
Cuckoos are more or less migratory ; they feed chiefly on cater-
pillars and soft insects, and, as is well known, do not pair, but
indulge in promiscuous intercourse, and the females deposit their
eggs in the nests of other birds *. The female Cuckoo sometimes,
at all events, perhaps always, lays her egg on the ground and
conveys it in her mouth to the nest selected. Some of the eggs
already in the nest are often broken, whether intentionally or by
accident is not quite clear, but it is certain that the young Cuckoo
when hatched ejects from the nest the callow young of its foster-
parents, and is fed by the latter until full-grown. When two
Cuckoo's eggs are laid in the same nest, the stronger young Cuckoo
turns out the weaker.
1104. Cuculus canorus. The Cuckoo.
Cuculus canorus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 168 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 71 ;
Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 702; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 322; id. Ibis,
1872, p. 12 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ; Blanford,
J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix,
Sadly, S. F. viii, p. 253; id. Ibis, 1881, p. 430; Legge, Birds
Ceyl p. 221; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 49; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1882,
p. 103 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 103 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 124 ; St.
John, Ibis, 1889, p. 159 ; Oates, ibid. p. 355 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 379 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 245.
The European Cuckoo, Jerdon; Phuphu, H., Dehra Diin ; Kupwah,
Kumaun ; Kukku, Lepcha ; Akku, Bhot.
Coloration. Adult male. Whole upper plumage dark ashy, the
rump and upper tail-coverts rather paler ; wings browner, with a
* A remarkable instance of a Cuckoo (C. canorus) hatching her own egg and
feeding her young is related in the ' Ibis ' for 1889, p. 219.
CUCULIDjE.
gloss ; quills barred with white on the inner webs except near the
tips ; chin, throat, sides of the neck, and upper breast pale ashy ;
lower breast, abdomen, and flanks white, with narrow blackish
cross-bars ; under tail-coverts the same, but more sparingly barred;
edge of wing mixed white and black ; tail blackish brown, tipped
with white, the inner webs notched with white, and some white
spots along the shaft of each feather.
The adult female only differs in having the upper breast, and
sometimes the sides of the neck, rufous.
The young pass through two well-defined stages of plumage
before arriving at maturity. In the first or nestling stage, the
colour is dark brown above, indistinctly barred with rufous, each
feather margined with white ; a white nuchal spot is present from
the earliest age ; the lower plumage is broadly barred brownish
black and white, black preponderating on the throat and upper
breast. When the bird is fully fledged, the white edges to the
Fig. 60.— Head of C. canorus, \.
feathers wear off to some extent, and the rufous bars are lost on
all parts except the wings ; the tail is very similar to that of the
adult, but browner.
In the second stage the black bars on the lower plumage become
narrower ; the whole upper plumage, wings, and tail are barred
with pale rufous, the white margins still remaining ; the nuchal
spot is retained nearly to the end of the second stage, and
disappears only when the birds begins to acquire ashy patches on
the upper plumage. The transition from one stage of plumage to
the other is gradual, and every intermediate form occurs.
The chief distinctive character in the young of this species is
the white nuchal spot, which is seldom wanting. In the nearly
allied O. saturatus this spot very rarely if ever occurs ; and in the
small G. polio cephalus a white nape-patch is only present in one
stage, the second, and is often accompanied by a white half-collar
extending round the hind-neck.
The above changes are effected without any moult, by a change
of colour in the feathers. The adult plumage is assumed in the
spring of the year after birth, but apparently the birds do not
moult till in their second autumn. The same is the case with the
next two species.
. CUCULUS. 207
Bill dusky horn, yellowish at the base and edges ; gape orange-
yellow ; iris and legs yellow : the young have the iris brown, and
the lower mandible pale green.
Length about 13; tail 67 to 7'3 ; wing 8 to 9, and occasionally
longer ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape 1*25.
Distribution. A migratory bird found at one season or another
throughout the greater part of the Old World and even in
Australia. The Cuckoo, in the months from July to April, may be
found in almost any part of India, Ceylon, or Burma, but to the
southward is of rare occurrence. It is common throughout the
Himalayas and the hills of Afghanistan and Baluchistan in the
breeding-season, May and June, but it has been found at the same
period, April, May, and June, by several observers, by myself
amongst others, in the forest country between Chutia Nagpur and
the Grodavari, so that it probably breeds there. Col. McMaster
observed it at the same season near Saugor, Kamptee, and Chik-
alda, and Mr. Adam at Sambhar. Captain Butler believes that it
breeds on Mount Abu. Wardlaw Ramsay found this species
common in Kareimee in March, and Gates shot a very young
bird in Pegu on August 8th, so it probably breeds in the Burmese
hills.
Habits, fyc. The food of the Cuckoo consists of caterpillars,
grubs, worms, and soft-bodied insects. The flight is swift and
singularly like that of a Hawk. The bisyllabic call, from which
the bird derives its name in many languages, is only heard in the
breeding-season, and is peculiar to the male bird. At times the
first half of the call is uttered by itself, occasionally a treble note
is produced, but both are exceptional.
The breeding-season, in India, is in May and June, and eggs of
this bird have been found in the nests of Pipits (Oreocorys
sylvanus and Anthus similis), Bush-Chats (Pratincola caprata,
P. maura, Oreicola ferrea), and the Magpie-Robin (Gopsychus
saularis). The eggs vary greatly in colour, some are much pinker
than others ; the ground-colour varies from white to pink, spotted,
streaked, and mottled with brownish or yellowish red and pale
purple. The size is about -97 by '72.
1105. Cuculus saturatus. The Himalayan Cuckoo.
Cuculus saturatus, Hodgson, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 942 (1843) ;
xv, p. 18 ; Blanf. P. Z. S. 1893, p. 319.
Cuculus himalayanus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 71 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii,
p. 704 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 323 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 12 ; Biddulph, Ibis,
1881, p. 50; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; nee Vigors.
Cuculus striatus, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 359 ; Bulger, Ibis, 1869,
p. 157 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 190 ; iv, p. 288 ; xi, p. 70 ; id. Cat.
no. 200 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 79 ; Hume $ Dav. tf. F. vi, p. 156;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 254 ; Davism, S. F. x, p. 359 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 105 ; id. Ibis, 1889, p. 356 ; nee Drapiez.
Cuculus intermedius, apud Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 252 ; Oates
in Humes N. # E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 381 ; nee Vahl.
Tony-ting vyang, Lepcha.
208 CUCULID^E.
When adult similar to C. canorus, except that the upper parts
are much darker, pure blackish ashy ; the lower parts are generally
pale buff with the black bands broader and more regular, and the
edge of the wing is pure white. The size is always smaller and
the bill a little stronger. The young pass through two stages, in
neither of which is there a white nuchal spot.
In the first stage the upper plumage is blackish brown, the
feathers margined with white ; chin and throat almost entirely
black ; rest of the lower parts white, broadly banded with black.
In the second stage the whole upper plumage with the tail is
blackish barred with chestnut, the lower banded white and black,
throat and breast tinged with rufous. The transition from each
stage to the next is gradual, and every intermediate plumage may
be found.
Upper mandible and tip of lower horny green, rest- of lower
yellowish horny ; iris, feet, and gape yellow. Young birds have the
iris brown.
Length about 12 ; tail 6 ; wing 6-6 to 7'8 ; tarsus 75 ; bill
from gape 1'15.
Distribution. During the breeding -season this Cuckoo is found
in various parts of Eastern Asia, from the Himalayas to Siberia.
It has also been shot in the cold season at Lucknow and Jodhpur,
and in May in Fatehgarh, but is rare in India south of the Hima-
layas *. It is more common in Burma, the Andaman s and Nico-
bars, and throughout the Malay Peninsula, ranging to New Guinea
and Australia.
Habits, #c. The ordinary call of this bird in the breeding season,
which begins later than that of C. canorus, is of four syllables, and,
according to Jerdon, resembles that of the Hoopoe repeated, hoot-
hoot-hoot-hoot, with a higher note at the commencement, only
heard when the bird is very near. Hume (S. F. xi, p. 70) gives a
somewhat different account, but Jerdon's statement has been con-
firmed by other observers. According to Swinhoe's observations
in Formosa and Seebohm's in Siberia, C. saturatus also utters a
monosyllabic note, but this has not been noticed in India. The
breeding-season is in June, and the eggs, in the Himalaya, are
commonly laid in the nest of Trochalopterum lineatum. An egg
taken from a female shot in Kashmir is white, sparsely speckled
with olive-brown and purplish grey, and measures -89 by -6.
According to Captain Hutton, the young Cuckoo, after it leaves
the nest, is fed by the adults, he having shot one of the latter in
the act.
1106. Cuculus poliocephalus. The Small Cuckoo.
? Cuculus intermedius, Vahl, Skriv. Nat. Selsk. iv, p. 58 (1789).
Cuculus poliocephalus, Latham, Ind. Orn. i, p. 214 (1790) ;
* Davison (S. F. x, p. 359), states that it occurs in the Wynaad, but I have
elsewhere (P. Z. S. 1893, p. 318) shown that there must, I think, have been a
mistake.
CUCDLUS. 209
Cat. p. 71 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 704 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 324 ;
id. Ibis, 1872, p. 13; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 23;
Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 157 ; Godio.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2,
p. 156 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii,
p. 78 ; Hume Cat. no. 201 : id. S. F. xi, p. 71 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 231 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 54 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 299 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 124 ; Oates, Ibis, 1889, p. 357 ; id. in Humes N.SfE.
2nd ed. ii, p. 382 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 255.
Cuculus bartletti, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 452 (1854).
Dang-hlem, Lepcha ; Pichu-giapo, Bhotia.
Adults similar to 0. canorus, but much smaller, with the lower
plumage, and especially the lower tail-coverts, tinged with buff,
and with broader black bars on the breast.
The young pass through three stages before arriving at maturity.
The first resembles the corresponding plumage of C. saturatus,
and at this period the two can only be distinguished by size. The
second stage resembles the first of C. canorus in many respects.
The white margins on the upper plumage are reduced, a white
nuchal spot and sometimes a half-collar are assumed, and the chin
and throat are partially cross-barred with white and tinged with
dark rufous.
In the third stage the upper parts, wings, and tail are bright
chestnut barred with black ; the black bars in the older birds
disappear on the neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts, and nearly so
on the head; the lower plumage is very regularly barred with
black, and the throat and breast are tinged with chestnut ; there is
no nuchal patch nor collar.
From this stage the adult plumage is assumed gradually, ashy
patches appearing on the upper parts and the rufous bars
disappearing on the wing and tail. The throat and breast at the
same time turn ashy.
Bill blackish, base of lower mandible, gape, and eyelid yellow ;
iris brown ; feet yellow (Legge).
Length about 10 ; tail 4-9 to 5'4 ; wing 5'7 to 6-1 ; tarsus 0'68 ;
bill from gape *95.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from April till October,
and farther north in China and Japan. In the cold season this
Cuckoo is found in various parts of the Indian Peninsula and
Ceylon, also in the Malay Peninsula, Java, and Borneo. It occurs
in the hills south of the Assam valley, but has not been recorded
from Burma. It also inhabits Madagascar and Africa south of
6° N. lat.
Habits, $c. This species begins to breed even later than C. satu-
rate, being rarely heard at Darjiling, according to Jerdon, " before
the end of May and continuing till the middle of July. It is a
very noisy bird and has a loud peculiar unmusical call of several
syllables, which it frequently utters. The Bhotias attempt to
imitate this in their name for the species." The eggs are not known
with certainty.
VOL. III. P
210 CUCULIDjE.
1107. Cuculus micropterus. The Indian Cuckoo.
Cuculus micropterus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 137 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 326; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 13; King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2,
p. 214 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 267 ; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 430 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 304 ; Hume, S. F.
ii, p. 191 ; iii, p. 79 ; ix, p. 248 ; xi, p. 71 ; Blyth 8f Wold. Birds
Burm. p. 79 ; Hume, Cat. no. 203 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; David-
son fy Wend. S. F. vii, p. 79 ; Ball, ibid. p. 207 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 264 -r
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 55 ; Bingliam, ibid. p. 167 ; Butler, ibid. p. 388 ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 228 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 359 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 104 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 411 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 125 ;
Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 180 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xixr
p. 241.
Cuculus affinis, Hay, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 18 (1846).
Cuculus striatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 70 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii,
p. 703 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 328.
Boukotako, Beng. ; Takpo, Lepch. ; Kankatong, Bhot. ; Kyphulpakkaf
Mussooree ; Kupulpukki, Chamba.
Bill stronger than in the other Indian species.
Coloration. The head and neck above and at the sides dark ashyy
remainder o£ tipper plumage rich brown ; the quills barred
with white on their inner webs ; tail with a broad subterminal
black band and white tip ; a series of alternating white and black
marks along the shafts of the rectrices and white or rufous indenta-
tions on both edges ; chin, throat, and upper breast pale ashy ; rest
of lower parts creamy white, with black cross-bars about half as broad
as the white interspaces ; under wing- and tail-coverts and vent with
narrower and more distant cross-bars. The female only differs
in having the throat and breast browner.
The young bird has the head and neck above broadly barred with
rufescent white (in some these parts are chiefly white) and each
feather of the upper plumage tipped with rufescent ; the whole
lower plumage buff, broadly barred with dark brown, and the tail
more banded than in adults and with the spots more rufous.
Immediately after this, the nestling garb, has been assumed, the
white and rufous margins to the upper plumage commence to
disappear, the throat and upper breast turn to ashy, and the bars
on the lower plumage grow more defined. Birds that leave the
nest in May are almost in adult plumage in October, retaining
only the rufous tips to the upper wing-coverts and secondaries,
and they acquird a rufous band across the upper breast, which is
ultimately lost except by females.
Upper mandible horny black, lower mandible and a patch under
the nostrils dull green ; iris rich brown, eyelids greenish plum-
beous, the edges deep yellow ; gape and legs yellow (Oates}.
Length about 13 ; tail 6 to 6-5 ; wing 7'5 to 8-5 ; tarsus '8 ;
bill from gape 1*3.
Distribution. Common throughout the Himalayas and extending
into China, Japan, and Eastern Siberia in summer. Found also
generally distributed over the Peninsula of India and Ceylon, not
in the Punjab, Sind, or Bajputana, rarer in the south, but not
HIEBOCOCCYX. 211
uncommon in the forests of the Eastern Central Provinces and
Bengal, and extending through the hill countries south of Assam
and the Burmese territories to Malacca, Java, Borneo, and the
Moluccas.
Habits, $c. Scarcely anything appears known about the migra-
tion and breeding of this Cuckoo. It certainly breeds in the
Himalayas and Assam hills and probably in other hill-ranges,
perhaps in the plains also. Its call is a fine melodious whistle,
represented by the names Boukotako and Kyphulpakka. In flight,
habits, and food it resembles C. canorus.
Genus HIEROCOCCYX, S. Miiller, 1842.
Structurally this genus only differs from Cuculus in having
rather shorter wings, with the primaries extending from one-fifth
to one-third the length of the closed wing beyond the ends of the
secondaries ; sometimes the third primary is longest, sometimes the
fourth. The coloration is remarkable, even amongst Cuckoos, for
its close imitation of Hawks and Falcons ; not only is the adult garb
Accipitrine in character, but the plumage of the young resembles
that of several immature birds of prey. The resemblance in
plumage and flight to Hawks is quite unexplained, though, as it is
sufficient to cause great alarm to small birds in general, it is
probably connected with breeding-habits.
In all species of Hierococcyx the tail is broad with distinct dark
cross-bars ; the plumage above is uniform or nearly so in adults,
mixed with rufous bars in the young ; below it is spotted in the
young, but generally becomes nearly uniform or transversely
banded in the adult stage. Sexes alike.
This genus ranges throughout Eastern Asia from Siberia to India
and the Malay Peninsula ; it is also found in all the Malay islands.
Four species inhabit India or Burma.
Key to the Species.
a. No distinct dark cheek-band from the eye.
a'. Abdomen transversely banded in adults.
a". Back in adults brown : wing over 8'5. . H. sparverioides, p. 211.
b". Back in adults ash-grey : wing 7 to 8. . H. varius, p. 213.
b'. Abdomen never banded ; back in adults
blackish grey : wing 67 to 7'4 H. nisicolor, p. 214.
b. A distinct dark cheek-stripe H. nanus, p. 215.
1108. Hierococcyx sparverioides. The Large Hawk-Cuckoo.
Cuculus sparverioides, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 173 ; Blyth, J. A S. B.
xi, p. 898 ; xii, p. 240 ; id. Cat. p. 70.
Hierococcyx sparverioides, Bonap. Consp. Av. i. p. 104 ; Horsf. fyM.
Cat. ii, p. 699 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 331 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 362 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 23 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 14 ;
Hume, S. F. in, p. 80; ix, p. 248; xi, p. 72 ; id. Cat. no. 207 ;
Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 311 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 -r
P2
212
Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 157 ; Ball, S. F. vii,p. 207 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 256 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 359 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 108 ; Marshall,
Ibis, 1884, p. 411 ; Salvador*, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 581 ;
vii, p. 380 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 384 ; Shelley,
Cat.J3.M.xix,p.232.
Cuculus strenuus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 96.
Hierococcyx strenuus, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 71.
Bara Bharao, Nepal ; Nimbin-piyul, Lepch.
Coloration. The adult has the lores whitish ; crown, nape, and
sides of head and neck ashy, varying from rather pale to blackish,
passing into the colour of the back, which with the remainder
of the upper parts is rich brown with a purplish gloss ; quills
barred with white on the inner webs ; tail brown above, pale
brownish grey below, tipped with white or rufous white, and
crossed outside the coverts generally by 3, sometimes by 4, black
or dark brown bands, the last the broadest, and the last but one
the narrowest and separated from the last by a narrow space ;
beneath the chin is dark ashy, with a whitish moustachial stripe on
each side ; throat white, more or less streaked with ashy and rufous
and passing into the more rufous upper breast, which also has ashy
shaft-stripes ; lower breast, flanks, and abdomen white, more or
less suffused with rufous and transversely banded with brown ; vent,
lower tail-coverts, and edge of wing white.
The young is brown above, the feathers margined and faintly
banded with rufous, and the lower parts are rufescent white, with
large streaks and drops of dark brown, becoming arrowhead marks
on the flanks ; the chin is blackish and there is a slight rufous
collar. As the bird grows older the head becomes dark ashy, the
markings on the flanks and abdomen assume the appearance of
bands, and there is a gradual passage into the adult.
Upper mandible dark brown, lower greenish ; gape and orbit
yellow ; iris yellow or orange in the adults, brown in the young ;
"legs deep yellow ; claws paler yellow.
Length about 15 ; tail 8-25 to 9-25 ; wing 8-5 to 10 ; tarsus T05 ;
bill from gape 1*4. Females are smaller than males, and Burmese
specimens larger than Himalayan, which again exceed Nilgiri birds
in size.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Chamba,
ascending in summer to elevations of 9000 ft. or more ; probably
scattered here and there over the better wooded parts of the
Indian Peninsula in the cold season, but only recorded from
Raipur in the Central Provinces. Common on the Nilgiris in
Southern India, but not observed on the Palnis, the Travancore
rarges, nor the Ceylon hills. To the eastward this Cuckoo is
found throughout the hills south of Assam and Burma, ranging to
China, Japan, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and Borneo.
Habits, Sfc. Probably a resident in the Himalayas and Nilgiris
and in Burma, though it may be found at higher elevations in the
summer. It has a loud melodious call, similar to that of H. varius,
.and heard about Darjiling from April to June. Its flight is swift
HIEROCOCCTX. 213
and graceful. Its food, partly at all events, consists of caterpillars.
According to Mr. Hodgson's notes, the female lays her eggs in the
nests of Trochalopterum niyrimentum and Ixops nepalensis amongst
other birds ; but on the Nilgiris this bird is believed to have been
observed by both Miss Cockburn and Mr. E. H. Morgan to build
its own nest, of sticks, without lining, and to lay 3 or 4 nearly
white slightly speckled eggs, measuring T39 by T05.
1109. Hierococcyx varius. The Common Hawk-Cuckoo.
Cuculus varius, Vahl, Skriv. Nat. Selsk. iv, p. 61 (1797) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 70 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 452. ^
Cuculus lathami, Gray in Hardwicke's III. Ind. Zool. ii, pi. 34, fig. 2.
Hierococcyx varius, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 700 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i,
p. 329 ; Blyth, Ibis, 18(36, p. 361 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 373 ; Butler,
S. F. iii, p. 460 : Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 392 ; Fairbank, S. F. v,
p. 397 ; Vidal, S. F. vii, p. 55 ; Ball, ibid. p. 207 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 264 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 205; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 255; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 240 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 27 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 359 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 126; Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 182; Oates
in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 383 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix,
p. 234.
Hierococcyx nisoides, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 362 ; Hume, S. F. viir
p. 371.
Kupak or Upak, Pupiya, H. ; Chok-gallo, Beng. ; Bim-pi-yul, Lepcha ;
Kutti-pitta, Tel. ; Zakkhat, Deccan ; Iro!an, Mai. This is the " Brain-
fever bird '' of Anglo-Indians.
Fig. 61.— Head of H. varius, >r.
Coloration. Upper plumage ash-grey ; quills browner, their inner
webs broadly barred with white, some white on outer upper tail-
coverts ; tail grey, tipped with rufescent and usually with 4 bars
(occasionally 5) beyond the coverts, the terminal bar broadest, the
others each with a pale or rufescenfc posterior border, and the
penultimate much nearer to the last than to the antepenultimate ;
occasionally the penultimate band is faint or wanting ; sides of
head ashy, lores and cheeks whitish ; chin and throat white, more
or less tinged with ashy ; fore-neck and breast rufous mixed with
pale ashy, lower breast with bars ; abdomen white, anteriorly
tinged rufous and with transverse grey bars, posteriorly like the
under tail-coverts pure white ; edge of wing the same.
The young above dark brown with rufous cross-bars ; lower parts
214 CUCULIDJE.
white, tinged with rufous in places and spotted with brown except
on the lower abdomen and lower tail-coverts ; tail marked as in the
adults, but more rufous. The sides of the neck soon become
rufous and form a partial collar, the spots on the flanks change to
arrowhead marks and interrupted bars, then the breast grows
rufous and the cap grey. From this there is a gradual passage
into the adult plumage.
Culmen and tip of bill black, the rest greenish ; iris yellow or
orange in adults, brownish in the young ; gape, orbit, feet, and
claws yellow, pale or bright according to age.
Length about 13-5 ; tail 7 ; wing 6'75 to 8 ; tarsus -95 ; bill
from gape 1'25.
Distribution. The whole of India and Ceylon, extending to
Eastern Bengal (Dacca, Furreedpore), but not to Assam, the Garo
hills, nor Cachar, and west to Mount Abu, Eajputana, but not to
Sind nor the Punjab. This Cuckoo occurs along the base of the
Himalayas from Kumaun to Bhutan, ascending the hills in summer
to about 7000 feet. It is found to a similar elevation on the
Nilgiris and on the Ceylon hills, but on the Palnis and Travan-
core ranges it is said not to ascend beyond about 1000 feet.
Reported occurrences of this bird in Assam and Burma are
probably due to error.
Habits, fyc. A resident throughout its range, except in Ceylon,
where this Hawk-Cuckoo is described by Legge as arriving in
November. It is more common in well- wooded country, but is
generally distributed throughout the Indian Peninsula, and is well
known by its call, or, as Jerdon terms them, " its loud crescendo
notes," which, as he says, sound something like pipeeha, pipeeha,
each repetition higher in the scale. In the breeding-season from
April till June this is frequently heard by night as well as by day.
H. varius feeds partly on caterpillars, but largely, it is said, on
fruits and buds. Its eggs are chiefly laid in the nests of various
Babblers and have been taken in those of Crateropus canorus,
G. griseus, and Argya malcolmi ; they are blue and measure 1'05
by -79.
1110. Hierococcyx nisicolor. Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo.
Cuculus nisicolor, Hodgson, Blyth, J. A. S. -frxii, p. 943 (1843).
Hierococcyx nisicolor, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 330; iii, p. 871 ; id. Ibis, 1872,
p. 14; Blyth,IUs, 1866, p. 361 ; Hume, S. F. v, pp. 96, 347 ; xi, p. 72;
id. Cat. no. 206 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.v\, p. 167 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 109 ; id. in Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 383.
Hierococcyx fugax, apud Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 236, partim ;
nee Ciiculus fugax, Horsf.
Ding-pit, Lepcha.
Coloration. Whole upper plumage, except the tail, uniform dark
ashy ; quills browner, with white bars on the inner webs ; tail
with alternating bands of brownish grey and black, the last black
band broad, the last but one very narrow and close to the last one ;
extreme tip of tail rufous ; sides of head and neck and the chin
HIEEOCOCCYX. 215
dark ashy ; throat and front of neck white, sparingly streaked with
ashy ; breast, abdomen, and flanks ferruginous, streaked with pale
ashy and frequently mixed with white ; vent and under tail -co verts
white.
In the young birds the upper plumage, sides of head and neck,
chin, throat, and upper breast are very dark brown, with narrow
rufous edges to the feathers, the quills are barred on both webs
with rufous ; tail as in adults ; the breast, abdomen, and flanks
white with broad black spots. The blackish brown of the throat
and breast is soon lost, and the upper parts become barred with
rufous, as in the young of H. varius and H. sparverioides, and there
is the same gradual change to the adult plumage. At no time are
there any cross-bands on the abdomen.
Upper mandible horny black, lower mandible and around nostrils
pale green, gape greenish yellow ; iris orange-red ; eyelids, legs,
feet, and claws bright yellow.
Length about 11-5 ; tail 5-6 ; wing 67 to 7'4 ; tarsus 75 ; bill
from gape 1*2.
Distribution. The Himalayas as far west as Nepal, and through-
out Assam and Burma to the Malay Peninsula, but not apparently
in the Malay Archipelago, where this species is replaced by
H. fugax, a form with a larger bill and the bands on the tail as
in H. varius.
Habits, <$fc. Apparently a resident species. Nothing is known
of its breeding except that an egg, extracted from the oviduct of a
female by Mandelli on June 5th, was olive-brown and measured
-89 by -64.
1111. Hierococcyx nanus. The Small Hawk-Cuckoo.
Hierococcyx nanus, Hume, S. F. v, p. 490 ; id. Cat. no. 205 bis ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 157, 502; A. Mull. J.f. Orn. 1882,
p. 405 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 110; Sharpe, Ibis, 1890, p. 11 ; Shelley,
Cat. B. M. xix, p. 238.
Coloration. Head above and nape dark brown to blackish ashy.
A well-marked dark grey stripe from the anterior lower border of
the eye down the cheek, separated by the whitish lower ear-
coverts from the dark grey side of the head behind the eye ; above
this again, better marked in some specimens than in others, a line
of white or rufous feathers forms a border to the crown ; a rufes-
cent collar round the hind-neck ; rest of upper parts brown, more
or less barred with rufous ; quills with large bars of buff on inner
webs, the whole inner webs near the base rufescent buff. Tail
greyish brown, tipped white and with equidistant black bands, the
last the broadest, the others subequal. Lower surface rufescent
white, with dark brown shaft-stripes.
It is doubtful whether the adult is known, the plumage above
described resembling the immature dress of other species.
Upper mandible and tip of lower dull black ; lower mandible
and base of upper greenish yellow ; irides brown ; eyelids, legs,
feet, and claws orange-yellow (Davison).
216 CUCULIDjE.
Length about 11; tail 5*5; wing 5*7; tarsus *8 ; bill from
gape 1-1.
Distribution. Only known from South Tenasserim, the island of
Salanga (Junk Ceylon) and Northern Borneo.
Genus CACOMANTIS, S. Miiller, 1842.
This is a genus of small-sized Cuckoos resembling Cuculus in
the changes of plumage, and to some extent in the coloration of
the young and adult ; but distinguished by much shorter wings,,
with the primaries only extending about one-third the length of
the wing beyond the end of the secondaries, and by having the tail
as long as the wing or longer.
About 10 species are known, ranging from India to Australia
and the Fiji Islands ; two of these are Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. Upper parts dark ashy.
a'. Abdomen white or grey C. passerinus, adult, p. 216.
b'. Abdomen rufous C. merulinus, adult, p. 218.
b. Upper parts brown and chestnut.
c'. Crown and rump chiefly rufous, not
regularly barred C. passerinus, juv., p. 216.
d'. Upper parts barred throughout C. merulinus, juv., p. 218.
1112. Cacomantis passerinus. The Indian Plaintive Cuckoo.
Cuculus passerinus, Vahl, Skriv. Nat. Selsk. iv, p. 57 (1797) j Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 235.
Cuculus tenuirostris, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. ii, pi. 34r
fig. 1 (1833-4) ; myth, J. A. S. B. xiii, p. 391 ; xviii, p. 805 ; id.
Cat. p. 72, partim; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 453.
Polyphasia tenuirostris, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 698.
Polyphasia nigra, apud Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 333 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 14 ;
Simson, Ibis, 1882, p. 87 ; nee Cuculus niger, L.
Cacomantis passerinus, Cab. 8f Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 18 (1862) ;
Ball, S. F. vii, p. 207 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 265 ; Hume, Cat. no. 208 ;
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 55 ; Butler, ibid. p. 388 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 360;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 127 ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iif
p. 385 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 277.
Polyphasia passerina, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, pi. 1 ; Holdsivorth, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 431.
Ololygon passerinus, Butler, S. F. iii, p. 461 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv,
p. 255.
Pousya, Mahr. ; Chinna katti pitta, Tel. ; Koha, Cing.
Coloration. In the adult the upper parts are dark ashy ; the wings
throughout brown, glossed outside with greenish bronze ; inner
webs of the quills with a white patch near the base ; tail nearly
black, tipped with white, the outer feathers obliquely banded with
white on the inner webs, the white bands most developed on the-
CACOMANT1S. 1' I 7
outermost rectrices ; lower parts ashy, paling on the abdomen ;
edge of wing, vent, and lower tail-coverts white. Occasionally
there is no white and the bird is dark ashy throughout, as figured
by Jerdon in the ' Ibis.'
The young at first are dark glossy brown above, each feather
with a rufous edging ; the lower parts are white with brown bars,
and the throat and breast tinged with rufous ; the tail is black,
with broad white and rufous bars and markings.
In the second stage the whole upper plumage, with the sides of
the head and neck, is bright chestnut, the back and wings broadly
barred with black, the head, hind-neck, rump, and upper tail-
coverts with merely a few black spots, and the tail with some
irregular black shaft-marks, a larger subterminal black patch and a
white tip to each feather. The lower plumage is white, narrowly
banded with black ; the chin, throat, and upper breast more or less
suffused with chestnut.
In older birds of this stage, the head, hind-neck, back, rump,
and tail-coverts become immaculate, the bars on the wings are
resolved into spots; only the subterminal black patches remain on
the tail-feathers, and many of the bars on the throat and breast fade
away, these parts becoming bright chestnut. After this the adult
plumage is rapidly assumed by the acquisition of ashy patches.
Fig. 62. — Head of C. passerin u», }.
Bill dark brown ; mouth salmon-colour ; iris reddish brown or
sometimes yellowish ; legs dingy yellow or brownish grey.
Length about 9 ; tail 4'5 ; wing 4*5 ; tarsus *7 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. The greater part of India from the Himalayas to
Ceylon inclusive, rare in the north-west, and although found at
Mount Abu, wanting elsewhere throughout Eajputana and the
Indus plains. This Cuckoo occurs in the Himalayas from Simla
to Sikhim, ascending the hills to the westward up to about 9000
feet, according to Jerdon ; and its range extends to Eastern Bengal,
where it meets the next species. In the peninsula of India it is
chiefly found in forest-regions, and is most abundant in Bengal,
Orissa, the wooded tracts west of the latter, and on the hills in the
neighbourhood of the Malabar coast.
Habits, fyc. Jerdon describes this Cuckoo as haunting forests,
groves, gardens, and low bush-jungle, wandering much, and having
a plaintive call, which was represented by Elliot as whe-whew,
whe-wlie-e-w. In Ceylon and at Mount Abu this bird is said to be
migratory, but elsewhere it is believed to be resident. The eggs
218 CUCULID^E.
have been taken in September by Miss Cockburn on the Nilgiris,
in the nests of Prinia inornata. The young have been found in
Dehra Dun by Mr. E/. Thompson in nests of Pyctorhis sinensis and
Lanius erythronotus. C. passerinus also lays in the nest of Molpastes
bengalensis. The eggs are pale blue, blotched and spotted towards
the large end with reddish brown and purple, and measure about
•8 by -55.
1113. Cacomantis merulinus. The Rufous-bellied Cuckoo.
Cuculus merulinus, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr. ii, p. 89 (1786) ;
Strickland, J. A. S. B. xiii, p. 391 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 72.
Cuculus flavus, Gmel Syst. Nat. i. p. 421 (1788).
Cuculus sepulchralis, S. Mull. Verhand. Land- en Volk. p. 177, note
(1839-1844).
Polyphasia merulina, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 697.
Cacomantis threnodes, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hcin. iv, p. 19 (1863) ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 158 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 207 ; xi, p. 72 ;
id. Cat. no. 209 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 265 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p, 167 ;
Oates, B. S. ii, p. Ill ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v,
p. 568 ; vii, p. 428.
Cacomantis merulinus, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 21 ; Walden,
Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 54 ; ix, p. 160 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 268.
Polyphasia tenuirostris, apud Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 335 ; Godw.-Aust.
J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 98 ; Sirwan, Ibis, 1882, p. 87; nee Cuculus
tenuirostris, Gray.
Polyphasia rufiventris, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 15.
Cacomantis passerinus, Blyth fy Wold. Birds Burm. p. 80 ; nee
Cuculus passerinus, Vahl.
Cacomantis rufiventris, Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 312 ; Wardl. Rams.
Ibis, 1877, p. 458 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 587.
Chota bhrou, Beng.
Coloration. In the adult the head and neck all round are ashy,
rather darker above ; back, scapulars, and wings brown, slightly
glossed with bronze ; inner webs of quills with a white patch near
the base ; upper tail-coverts blackish and glossy, with ashy edges ;
tail black, tipped white and with oblique white bars on the inner
webs of the outer feathers, most marked on the outermost ; on the
lower surface the pale ashy generally extends to the upper breast,
but sometimes not so far ; rest of lower parts, including the wing-
h'ning, varying from rufous buff to ferruginous red, edge of wing
whitish. Some birds (C. threnodes} are much darker than others.
The young bird is brown above, at first with a few rufous bars
and tips to the feathers, but later with all the upper plumage and
tail-feathers barred chestnut and black ; lower parts white or
rufous, with narrow brown bars throughout. This changes gradu-
ally into the adult plumage. In the last stage before the adult
the whole under surface to the chin is rufous buff ; this is the form
known as C. sepulchralis. As so frequently occurs in Cuckoos,
the changes are gradual and intermediate forms common.
Upper mandible and tip of lower dark horny, remainder of lower
brownish orange ; iris pale yellow, sometimes brown and occasion-
ally crimson ; feet brownish yellow or deep yellow.
PENTHOCERYX. 219
Length about 9; tail 4-2 to 5'5 ; wing 4-3; tarsus *75; bill
from gape '95.
Distribution. Two specimens were obtained by Hume from
Raipur ; no other occurrences of this species have been recorded
from the Indian Peninsula (one is labelled Madras in the British
Museum, but evidently by mistake). This Cuckoo is found about
Calcutta, throughout Eastern Bengal, Assam, and the hills to the
southward, the Eastern Himalayas from Nepal, also in Burma,
Southern China, and the Malay Peninsula and islands, including
the Philippines.
Habits, $c. The Rufous-bellied Cuckoo is found chiefly in brush-
wood and about clearings. It has a less plaintive call than C. pas-
serinus and is a very noisy bird. The eggs have not been identified
with certainty ; Captain Feilden found what he took for them at
Thayetmyo in the nests of Tailor-birds.
Genus PENTHOCERYX, Cabanis, 1862.
This genus resembles Cacomantis in structure and size, the only
structural distinctions being that the bill is much stouter and
broader up to the tip, which is blunt when seen from above, and
that the tail-feathers become narrower behind instead of remaining
of the same breadth. The wing is shaped as in Cacomantis, the
primaries only exceeding the secondaries by one-third the length.
But the present form is distinguished from all other true Cuckoos
by undergoing no change of plumage and by retaining in the adult
stage a barred livery that in the other genera is confined to the
young. This appears to me a stronger reason for adopting Cabanis's
genus than the slight structural distinctions mentioned ; but I
think that the only species of the present group, if not classed
separately, should be referred to Cacomantis rather than to Cuculus.
1114. Penthoceryx sonnerati. The Banded Bay Cuckoo.
Cuculus sonneratii, Latham, Ind. Om. i, p. 215 (1790) ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 72; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 452; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 325; Blyth, Ibis, 18(56, p. 360; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 430 ; Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 65 ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 80 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. 156 ;
Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 587 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 207 ;
id. Cat. no. 202 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 233 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 54 ;
Butler, ibid. p. 388 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 107 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 382 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 125 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M.
xix, p. 262.
Cuculus pravata, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 179 (1821) ; Strickland,
J. A. S. B. xiii, p. 390.
Cuculus venustus, Jerdon, Madr.Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 141 (1844).
Polyphasia sonnerati, Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 699.
Penthoceryx sonnerati, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 16 ; Walden,
Ibis, 1872, p. 367.
Ololygon tenuirostris, apud Hume, S. F. ii, p. 472 ; iii, p. 80 ; nee
Cuculus tenuirostris, Gray.
Basha katti pitta, Tel. ; Punchikoha, Cinghalese.
CUCULIDJE.
Coloration. Upper plumage throughout alternately barred with
rufous and blackish brown, the latter glossed with green ; on the
forehead the rufous is partly replaced by white ; wing-feathers
dark brown, the outer webs narrowly, the inner broadly indented
with rufous ; tail-feathers dark brown, tipped with white, margins
indented with rufous, the rufous edges increasing on the outer
feathers till the outermost are rufous with imperfect black bars
and a subtermiual brown band ; lower plumage throughout buffy
white, with numerous narrow dark brown cross-bars ; sides of head
and neck the same, the ear-coverts rufous and brown. In very
old birds the rufous on the upper parts is reduced and the colour
becomes darker. The young differ in no important particular from
adults.
Upper mandible and tip of lower black, rest of lower greenish
yellow ; iris brown of different shades ; legs and feet brownish slaty
or greenish.
Length about 9'5 ; tail 4'75 to 5'2 : wing 4-6 to 5 ; tarsus -7 ;
bill from gape I'l. Malay specimens (P. pravatus) are smaller, the
wing measuring 4 to 4-6 inches.
Fig. 63.— Head of P. sonnerati, }-.
Distribution. A resident species, common in Ceylon and in the
forests near the Malabar coast, rare in the Bombay Konkan, and
very rare elsewhere in the Indian Peninsula and in the Western
Himalayas, though recorded from Mussooree, Kumaun, Manbhoom,
and Eaipur ; less rare in the Eastern Himalayas, but still far from
common, and ranging throughout Burma and the Malay Peninsula
to Sumatra, Borneo, and Java.
Habits, <$fc. A shy bird with, according to Legge, a curious far-
sounding whistle, syllabized as whi, ivhip-ivhiwhip, and a peculiar
call-note, commencing in a low key, then suddenly changing to a
higher, and then dying away. This Cuckoo feeds chiefly on cater-
pillars. Eggs supposed to belong to it have been found in the nest
of Otocompsa fuscicaudata, measuring -82 by '62.
Genus CHRYSOCOCCYX, Boie, 1827.
This is a genus of small Cuckoos distinguished by the sexes
differing in plumage, and by the male exhibiting brilliant colours
with a metallic lustre. The structure presents few peculiarities ;
CHRYSOCOCCYX. 221
the tail is short and slightly rounded, the wings long and pointed,
the primaries exceeding the secondaries by more than one- third
the length of the closed wing. The tarsus is feathered almost
throughout.
In the British Museum Catalogue the African forms are placed
in a separate genus, but I do not think them entitled to distinction.
The genus in the sense here accepted inhabits the Ethiopian,
Oriental, and Australian regions and extends to New Zealand.
Key to the Species.
Upper parts green C. maculatus, $ ad., p. 222.
Upper parts violet C. xanthorhynchus, tf ad., p. 221.
Upper parts coppery bronze C. maculatus, $ & juv., p. 222.
Head above light rufous, mantle green. C. xanthorhynchus, £ &juv.,
(p. 221
1115. Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus. The Violet Cuckoo.
Cuculus xanthorhynchus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 179
(1821) ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 346.
Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 919; id.
Cat. p. 73; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 706; Walden, Ibis, 1874,
p. 137 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155; Blyth, Birds
Burm. p. 80; Wardl Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 458; Hume, Cat.
no. 211 bis ; id. S. F. ix, p. 248 ; xi, p. 75 ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 193 ;
id. B. B. ii, p. 114; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. do. Gen. (2) vii
p. 432.
Chalcococcyx xanthorhynchus, Cab. $ Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 15 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 191 ; iii, p. 81 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,
pp. 161, 506 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 289.
Chrysococcyx limborgi, Tweeddale, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 366 ; id. S. F.
vii, p. 319 ; Hume, Cat. no. 211 quat. ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 168 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 116.
Lamprococcyx malayanus, Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 503.
Chrysococcyx malayanus, Hume, Cat. no. 211 ter ; id. S. F. xi,
p. 76.
Coloration. Male. Head and neck all round and upper breast
with all the upper parts glossy violet ; quills blackish brown ; outer
tail-feathers tipped white and the outermost pair with about three
interrupted white bars ; lower breast, abdomen, wing-liniijg, and
under tail-coverts marked with alternating broad cross-bars of
white and violet or green.
Female. Above greenish bronze with a coppery tinge, a little
white on the forehead; tips of wing and tail-feathers greener;
quills brown, their inner edges chestnut except near the tips ; all
tail-feathers except the middle pair banded green and chestnut
and tipped white, on the outer pair the chestnut on the outer
web is replaced by white ; lower parts with sides of the head and
neck alternately banded white and bronze-green, the bands wider
behind.
The nestling is rufous except on the breast and abdomen ; the
head and neck with broad dusky longitudinal streaks ; body above
222 CUCULIDjE.
and below and the tail barred with dark brown, but not the quills.
This passes into a phase of plumage that is barred throughout
rufous and glossy green above, white and green below ; in some
male specimens the upper parts are chiefly green, but usually some
violet feathers appear. The plumage of the young is never the
the same as that of the adult female, but at one stage the two
sexes only differ in the barring on the lower parts being broader
in males.
In males the bill is orange-yellow ; iris red ; eyelids green, the
edges red ; mouth orange ; legs brownish green ; claws black. In
females and young birds only the base of the bill is orange,
terminal portion dark brown (Oates).
Length about 6'5 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from gape *75.
The type of C. limborgi, now in the British Museum, has
a broad pure white nuchal collar. It is probably an accidental
variety, but may possibly belong to a distinct form. It was
obtained at the base of Muleyit, Tenasserim.
Distribution. From Dibrugarh in Assam, Cachar and Tipperah,
throughout Burma and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo,
and Java, but nowhere common. Found also in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
Habits, fyc. According to Oates this Cuckoo is found in dense
groves, and lives mainly on caterpillars ; it is a silent bird and
quiet in its movements. Its egg is unknown.
1116. Chrysococcyx maculatus. The Emerald Cuckoo.
Trogon maculatus, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 404 (1788).
Chrysococcyx lucidus, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi; p. 917 ; xiiit
p. 390 ; nee Cuculus lucidus, Gfm.
Chrysococcyx smaragdinus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 53 (1846).
Chrysococcyx chalcites, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 73; nee Cuculus
chalcites, Illiger.
Chrysococcyx hodgsoni, Moore, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 705 (1856-8) ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 338; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2,
p. 142 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 299.
Lamprococcyx maculatus, Walden, Ibis, 1869, p. 334 ; Hume fy Dav.
S. F. vi, pp. 161, 502 ; Salvadori, Ami. Mm. Civ. Gen. (2) iv; p. 581.
Chrysococcyx maculatus, Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 80 ;
Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 345 ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 458 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 211 ; id. S. F. ix, p. 248; xi, p. 74 ; Bingham, S. F.
ix, p. 167 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 113.
Cuculus maculatus, Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 345 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 238.
Chalcococcyx maculatus, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 291 ; Oates in
Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 387.
Ang-pha, Lepcha.
Coloration. Male. Head and neck all round and upper breast
with all the upper parts glossy green, tinged in parts with bronze ;
tips of primaries bluish ; quills brown, inner webs with an elongate
white patch, forming on all but the first three the basal part of
the inner margin ; outer tail-feathers tipped white, outermost pair
with three white bars; lower breast, abdomen, and wing-lining
SURNICULUS.
broadly banded alternately with white and metallic green or
bronze ; under tail-coverts green, with a few white bars.
Female and immature male. Crown and back of neck pale
rufous, generally with white and dark brown bars ; back, wings,
and tail metallic green, much tinged with yellow or coppery
bronze ; quills brown, each with a rufous patch on the inner web ;
median tail-feathers broadly tipped with coppery brown ; outer
tail-feathers barred chestnut and black and tipped white, on the
outermost pair the chestnut is partly replaced by white ; lower
parts barred white and copper, more broadly on the abdomen.
The young has the head and neck rufous all round, but barred
below.
Bill bright orange-yellow, tipped black ; irides red-brown ; legs
and feet dark brownish green.
Length 7 ; tail 2*9 ; wing 4-4 ; tarsus *6 ; bill from gape '85.
Distribution. The Himalayas, below about 4000 feet, as far
west as Kumaun, also Assam and the hills to the southward,
Manipur, throughout Burma, Siam, and the Malay Peninsula to
Sumatra and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ; almost every-
where rare. Although the species is said to have been originally
brought from Ceylon, and is stated by Blyth and Jerdon to have
been procured in Central India (probably Chutia Nagpur), its
occurrence in the Indian Peninsula and Ceylon must be regarded
as very doubtful.
Habits, $~c. According to Davison this Cuckoo has a fine clear
whistling call of three notes, rapidly uttered. It feeds entirely on
insects (in Assam, according to Mr. Cripps, on ants), it keeps to
high branches of trees in forests, and calls on moonlight nights as
well as in the day. Hume attributes to the present species
a nearly uniform pale pinkish chocolate egg, found in the nest of
Stachyrhidopsis ruficeps, and measuring *S by "62.
Genus SURNICULUS, Lesson, 1831.
The present genus is remarkable for its extraordinary resem-
blance in structure and coloration to a Drongo or King-Crow
(Dicrurus). The plumage is almost entirely black, and the tail
forked, owing to the lateral rectrices being turned outwards ; the
extent to which they diverge is variable, and the median rectrices
are straight. All the tail-feathers are nearly equal in length, except
the outermost pair, which are much shorter. In other respects
there is no important difference from Cacomantis, except that the
young only differ from the adults in having a few white spots and
less glossy plumage.
The genus ranges throughout the greater part of the Oriental
region, a single species occurring in India.
1117. Surniculus lugubris. The Dronyo Cuckoo.
Cuculus lugubris, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 179 (1821).
Pseudonris dicruroides, Hodgs. J. A. 8. B. viii, p. 136 (1839).
Cuculus dicruroides, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 221 (1840) ;
224 CUCULID.E.
Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 915; xii, p. 244 ; Layard, A. M. N. H.
(2) xiii, p. 453.
Surniculus dicruroides, Blyth, Cat. p. 72; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii,
p. 696 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 336; Holdsivorth, P. Z. 8. 1872, p.. 431 ';
Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14.
Surniculus lugubris, Blyth, Cat. p. 72 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 695 ;
Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 80; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi,
pp. 159, 502; Anders. Yunnan Exped. Aves, p. 587; Ball, S. F.
vii, p. 207 ; Hume, Cat. no. 210; id. S. F. ix, p. 248 : xi, p. 74;
Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 243 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 128 ; Gates,
B. B. ii, p. 112 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 380 ;
Shettey, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 227.
Kar-rio-vyem, Lepcha.
Coloration. Black throughout, with a changeable green and
purple gloss, brightest above ; usually, but not always, there are
two or three white feathers on the nape, not unfrequently a few
white spots remain on the upper tail-coverts ; there is always
a white spot on the inner web of the first primary and an oblique
band formed by patches on the inner webs of the other quills ;
part of the thigh-coverts and markings on the lower tail-coverts
are white, and there are white bars, generally imperfect, on the
outermost tail-feathers and a few spots on the next pair.
In the young there is less gloss on the feathers, and small
terminal white spots are irregularly dispersed over the plumage ;
the white markings are more developed on the tail-feathers, and
the under wing-coverts are partly white.
Bill black ; iris brown ; legs plumbeous ; claws blackish (Gates).
Length about 10 ; tail 5-25 ; wing 5'5 ; tarsus '65 ; bill from
gape 1-1.
Distribution. Apparently very rare in the Peninsula of India,
having been observed only near Eaipur, on the Godavari below
Sironcha, and perhaps at another locality in the Southern Central
Provinces (Jerdon's locality in "Central India"), also in the
Wynaad and Malabar coast-land. This bird is more common in
Ceylon, but is locally distributed. It is found at low elevations in
the Himalayas as far west as Nipal, and from the Eastern
Himalayas throughout Assam, Burma, and other countries east of
the Bay of Bengal to Borneo and Java. Probably it is more
widely distributed in India, but its extraordinary resemblance to a
King-Crow causes it to be overlooked.
Habits, fyc. According to Legge, this is a tame, quiet bird, with
a straight flight, and a remarkably human whistle of six ascending
notes, as if some one were practising a musical scale. Its food
consists of caterpillars and beetles with various seeds. It is
supposed to deposit its eggs in the nests of Dicruri ; and Davison
has seen two King-Crows feeding a young Surniculus.
Genus COCCYSTES, Gloger, 1834.
Unlike any of the preceding genera of Cuckoos, the present is
distinguished by possessing a pointed occipital crest of some
length ; the tail is much longer than the wing, and the tail-feathers
COCCYSTES. 225
graduated; the wing is short and rounded, the primaries only
extend one-fourth to one-fifth the length of the closed wing
beyond the secondaries ; the tarsus is bare except at the base.
Bill compressed, culmen much curved towards the tip. Sexes
alike. No distinct plumage in the young.
The six species belonging to this genus range throughout
Africa, Southern Europe, and Southern Asia. Two are Indian.
Key to the Species.
Upper parts entirely black <?. jacobinus, p. 225.
A white collar ; wings mostly chestnut C. coromandus, p. 226.
1118. Coccystes jacobinus. The Pied Crested Cuckoo.
Cuculus jacobinus, Bodd. Tabl PI Enl p. 53 (1783).
Cuculus melanoleucus, Gm. Syst. Nat. \, p. 416 (1788).
Oxylophus melanoleucus, Blyth, Cat. p. 74.
Coccystes melanoleucus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 694 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 339 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 15 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii,
pt. 2, p. 23 ; King, ibid. p. 214 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii,
pt. 2, p. 155 ; Cordeaux, Ibis, 1888, p. 224.
Coccystes jacobinus, Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 432 ; Hume, S. F.
i, p. 173 ; xi, p. 76 ; id. Cat. no. 212 ; Morgan, Ibis, 1875, p. 315 ;
Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 81 ; Butler, S. F. v, p. 327 ; vii,
p. 181 ; Davidson $ Wenden, ibid. p. 79 ; Ball,ibid. p. 207 ; Cripps,
ibid. p. 265 ; Legge, Birds CeyL p. 246 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881,
p. 50 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 360 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 118 ; id. in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 388 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 129 ;
Norman, Ibis, 1888, p. 402 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 217.
Pupiya, Chatak, H. : Kola bulbttl, Beng. ; Gola kokila, Tangada
yorankah, Tel.
Fig. 64. — Head of C. jacobinus, \.
Coloration. Upper plumage throughout and the sides of the
head black glossed with green ; quills dark brown, with a broad
white band near the base across the inner webs of all except the
three innermost, and across the outer w^ebs of all primaries except
the first ; tail-feathers with white tips, very broad on the outer,
narrow on the middle pair ; lower parts white, sometimes grey-
brown, the basal part of the feathers showing. Toung birds are
VOL. III. Q
226 CUCULIDJE.
brown above, buff below, the chin and tbroat grey at first, wing-
bar and spots at end of tail-feathers buff.
Bill black, irides red-brown ; legs leaden blue (Jerdon).
Length 13 ; tail 6*8 ; wing 6 ; tarsus 1*1 ; bill from gape 1*2.
Distribution. Throughout India from the lower Himalayas, and
in Ceylon, ranging from Sind, the Punjab, and Kashmir, to Assam,
Cachar, Manipur, and Upper Burma, but not yet observed in
Lower Pegu, nor east of the Irrawaddy valley. To the westward
this Cuckoo is found almost throughout Africa south of the
Sahara.
Habits, 6fc. Although there is no reason to suppose that this
bird migrates at any time of the year out of India, it moves about
a good deal at different seasons, and in some parts, as in Sind,
Indore, parts of the Deccan, around Calcutta, at Faridpur in
Eastern Bengal, and at Shillong in the Khasi hills, it is either
met with only during the rains or more abundantly at that period.
It feeds on insects, which it not unfrequently takes on the
ground. The breeding-season is in July, August, and September,
and at this time G. jacobinus is very noisy, frequently uttering its
peculiar call, which Jerdon terms a " high-pitched wild metallic
note." The female lays in the nest of various species of Crateropus
and Argya ; the eggs resemble those of the Babblers, being blue
in colour and measuring about -94 by '73.
1119. Coccystes coromandus. The Eed-ivinged Crested Cuckoo.
Cuculus coromandus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 171 (1766).
Oxylophus coromandus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 222 ; Blyth,
J. A. S. S. xi, p. 920; id. Cat. p. 74; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 451.
Coccystes coromandus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 693 ; Jerdon, S. I. i,
p. 341 ; Holdsioorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 432 ; Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B.
xliii, pt. 2, p. 156 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 81 ; Hume,
S. F. iii, p. 82 ; xi, p. 76 : id. Cat. no. 213 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 162; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 249; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 257 ;
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 55 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 117 ; id. in Hume's N.
fy JE. 2nd ed. ii, p. 391 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 130; Norman,
Ibis, 1888, p. 400 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 214.
Yerra gola kokila, Tel. ; Tseben, Lepcha.
Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head black, the crest-
feathers brightly glossed with bluish green; a white half-collar
round the back of the neck ; back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts
near the forearm, innermost greater coverts, and tertiaries black,
richly glossed with green ; remainder of wings, both coverts and
quills, chestnut, tips of quills dusky ; rump and upper tail-coverts
black, with a bluish gloss ; tail more purple, the outer feathers
slightly tipped white ; chin, throat, and fore-neck pale ferruginous ;
breast white, abdomen and flanks ashy brown, under tail-coverts
black, with violet gloss like the tail.
The young has most of the feathers in the upper plumage
PHCENICOPHAINJE. 227
tipped with pale rufous, the chin and throat white, under tail-
coverts and edges of tail-feathers buff.
Bill black ; mouth inside salmon-colour ; iris pale reddish
brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs plumbeous, claws horny.
Length about 18'5 ; tail 9'5 ; wing 6*4 ; tarsus 1*1 ; bill from'
gape 1'4.
Distribution. This is a very rare bird in India. Jerdon states
that he saw it in Malabar and the Carnatic, and that it has been
found in Central India (? Chutia Nagpur). There are skins in
the Hume collection from Madras, Trichinopoly, and the Nilgiris.
The only other recorded occurrence I can find is at Sawant Wari,
where Mr. Vidal obtained a specimen. The species appears to be
rather more common in Ceylon. It is found at the base of the
Himalayas in Nepal and farther east, in Assam, Eastern Bengal,
Tipperah, the Graro hills, and throughout Burma, being common
in Pegu, and its range extends to the Malay Peninsula, Southern
China, the Philippines, Borneo, and Celebes.
Habits, $c. In Ceylon this Cuckoo is migratory, according to
Legge, arriving on the western coast (probably from India) about
October, and leaving in April. Elsewhere it is believed to be
resident. In Pegu, as observed by Gates, it is seen singly or in
pairs in thick jungle, and is entirely arboreal, feeding on cater-
pillars. An egg obtained from the oviduct of a female in Tip-
perah was uniform greenish blue, and measured 1*05 by *92.
The eggs are probably deposited in nests of Grateropus or Garrulcur,
or their allies.
Subfamily PHOENICOPHAIN^E.
The present subfamily contains a group of Cuckoos of very
inferior powers of flight, and for the most part inhabitants of
thick bush. Many of them feed on the ground, a few are fru-
givorous. Only one genus, Eudynamis, which is in other respects
aberrant, has parasitic nesting-habits and lays coloured eggs ; all
the others make nests and hatch their eggs like other birds, and
have white eggs.
The tarsus in this subfamily is always naked, the wing short
and rounded, the tail generally long, well graduated, and broad.
In many of the genera the plumage of the head and neck is spiny.
The accessory femoro-caudal muscle is present, and the pectoral
tract of feathers on each side divides, opposite the articulation of
the humerus, into two branches, which terminate separately.
Key to the Genera.
a. Tail and wing- subequal in length; head-
feathers not spiny EUDYNAMIS, p. 228.
b. Tail much longer than wing ; head-feathers
spiny.
a'. Claws of all toes similar.
a". Feathers of back and breast not spiny.
228 CUCULID^E.
a3. Bill red throughout ; general colour
above grey ZANCLOSTOMUS, p. 230.
b3. Bill partly or wholly green.
a*. Culmen much curved throughout :
sexes alike in plumage.
a5. Tail-feathers with white tips.
a6. Naked sides of face not united
across forehead RHOPODYTES, p. 230.
b6. Naked sides efface united . . PHCENicopHAEs,p.234.
b5. No white on tail-feathers KHAMPHOCOCCYX,
b*. Culmen almost straight except at [p. 235.
tip : sexes dissimilar RHINORTHA, p. 236.
b". Breast and back-feathers spiny, colour
brownish TACCOCUA, p. 237.
b'. Claw of hallux much lengthened and
nearly straight CENTROPUS, p. 239.
Genus EUDYNAMIS, Vig. & Horsf., 1826.
Sexes dissimilar ; the adult male being black, the adult female
spotted or barred. The changes in the young are peculiar, the
nestling, in the only species in which the various phases have been
studied, having the coloration of the adult male, then changing
into a garb resembling that of the female.
The bill is stout, the culmen rounded and much curved ; the
wing and tail subequal in length, the latter moderately graduated,
the rectrices broad. No crest. Legs stout ; tarsus strongly
scutellate in front, only plumed at the extreme base.
The genus ranges throughout the Oriental region to New
Guinea and Australia. About six species are known, only one of
which inhabits India.
1120. Eudynamis honorata. The Indian Koel.
Cuculus honoratus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 169 (1766).
Cuculus orientalis, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 913, nee Linn.
Eudynamis orientalis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 222 ; Pearson,
J.A.S. B. x, p. 657 ; Blyih, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 245 ; xvi, p. 468 ;
id. Cat. p. 73 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 707 ; Jerdon, B. L i, p. 342 ;
Blyih, Ibis, 1866, p. 363 ; A. Anderson, Ibis, 1873, p. 74.
Eudynamis honorata, Walden, Ibis, 1869, p. 338 ; Hume, N. $ E.
p. 139; id. S. F. i, p. 173 ; Adam, ibid. p. 373; A. Anderson,
Ibis, 1875, p. 142; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 463; Butler, S. F. vii,
p. 182 ; Ball, ibid. p. 207 ; Hume, Cat. no. 214; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 257 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 251 ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 27 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 130 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 392 ;
Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 316.
Eudynamis malayana, Cab. 8f Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 52 (1862) ;
Walden, Ibis, 1869, p. 339 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 192 ; xi, p. 77 ; id.
Cat. no. 214 bis ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 162 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 119 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 581 ; v, p. 569.
Eudvnamis chinensis, Cab. fy Hein, 1. c. note ; Blyth, Birds Burm.
p/81.
Koel, H. ; Kokil, Beng. ; Kokila, Nallak rf, Podak $, Tel.; Kusil,
Koel, Tamul (Ceylon) ; Kaputa Koha 3 , Gomera Koha £ , Cing. ; Ou-au,
Burmese.
EUDYNAMIS. 229
Coloration. Male black throughout with a bluish-green gloss.
Female. Above brown with an olive gloss ; head and neck
spotted with white all round, more closely below ; back and wing-
coverts also spotted ; quills and tail-feathers barred with white ;
the spots of the fore-neck pass gradually into equal bars of white
and glossy brown, which cover the breast and abdomen.
The nestling is black throughout at first, but it soon assumes a
livery much like that of the adult female, but with the spots and
bars rufous, the head with broad rufous shaft-stripes, the throat-
Fig. 65.— Head of E. honorata, ' <£, j.
with broad whitish streaks, the breast with large white spots, and
the abdomen with dark arrowhead marks. From this both sexes
appear to pass into the adult plumage without moulting. Some
young males are found almost without rufous spots or bars.
Probably the changes that take place vary.
Bill dull green, dusky at the gape ; iris bright crimson ; legs
plumbeous, claws dark horny.
Length about 17 ; tail 7 to 8'5 ; wing 7 to 8-25 ; tarsus 1/3 ;
bill from gape 1*6.
Distribution. Throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, except on
the Himalayas above the tropical zone. This bird is rare in Sind
and the Punjab, and not known to occur farther west ; to the
eastward its range extends to China, and to the south-east
throughout the Malay Archipelago to Flores. Mr. Hume found
it in the Laccadive Islands, and it is common on the Andamans
and Nicobars. The race from the countries east of the Bay of
Bengal has been distinguished as E. malayana on account of
rather larger size and a little stronger bill, the female, too, is said
to be more rufous, but the differences are neither well marked nor
constant.
Habits, $c. The Koel is one of the familiar Indian birds, well
known to every resident in the country. In the breeding-season,
from March or April till July, its cry of ku-il, Jcu-il, repeated
several times, increasing in intensity and ascending in the scale,
is to be heard in almost every grove. It has another call, like
7w-i/-o, uttered by the male alone. This Cuckoo keeps much to
groves of trees in cultivated tracts, and is rare in large forests.
In Pegu and Tenasserim, according to Gates and Davison, it
makes its appearance in February and disappears about July,
230 CUCULID^E.
but it probably does not migrate to any great distance, and in
India generally it is a resident. It feeds entirely on fruit. It
lays in May and June in the nests of Crows, generally Corvus
splendens, less frequently in those of C. macrorliynchus, and not
unfrequently two or more Keel's eggs may be found in the same
nest. The eggs much resemble those of Crows, but are smaller ;
they are dark green, blotched and spotted with reddish brown, and
measure about 1-19 by -92. The Crows bring up the Koel, which
.at times, at all events, ejects the young Crows, after they are
hatched. Koels are often kept caged by natives of India, who
admire the bird's rich melodious call-notes.
Genus ZANCLOSTOMUS, Swainson, 1837.
Bill compressed, moderately deep ; culrnen much curved, red in
colour ; nostril elongate, longitudinal, a small naked space round
the orbit. Feathers of forehead and throat spiny. Wing short,
rounded, primaries scarcely longer than secondaries ; tail very
long, greatly graduated, the outer tail-feathers half or less than
half the length of the median pair. Tarsus naked.
Only one species is included in this genus.
1121. Zanclostomus javanicus. The Lesser Red-billed Malkoha.
Phcenicophaus javanicus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 178 (1821).
Zanclostomus javanicus, Swains. Class. Birds, ii, p. 323 ; Blyth,
J. A. S. B. xi, p. 1097 ; id. Cat. p. 76 j Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 688 ;
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 81 ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 167, 506 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 216 quint. ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 125 ; Shelley, Cat.
B. M. xix, p. 380.
Coloration. Upper parts, except the tail, ashy grey, strongly
glossed with green on the wings, rump, and upper tail-coverts ;
quills brownish grey ; tail blackish, glossed with purple, varying
to green, the rectrices tipped white ; chin, lores, cheeks, throat,
and fore-neck pale ochraceous ; breast grey washed with rufous ;
abdomen rusty red.
Bill in adults coral-red ; irides brown, naked space round eye
blue ; legs and feet dark plumbeous.
Length about 17 ; tail 10-75 ; wing 5-5 ; tarsus 1*4 ; bill from
gape 1'6.
Distribution. Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malayan Penin-
sula, extending into Tenasserim as far north as Tavoy, but very
rare.
Genus EHOPODYTES, Cab. & Heine, 1862.
Bill deeper than in Zanclostomus and of a pale green colour ;
nostril small, rounded or oval and oblique ; a large naked space
round the orbit, separated from the bill by a narrow band of
feathers. No eyelashes. Otherwise as in Zanclostomus , from
which Rhopodytes is doubtfully separable.
RHOPODYTES. 231
This genus ranges almost throughout the Oriental region, and
four species occur within our area.
Key to the Species.
a. Abdomen grey or blackish.
a'. Orbital skin blue : length about 15*5 . . R. viridirostris, p. 231.
b'. Orbital skin red.
a". Length about 23 R. tristis, p. 232.
b". Length about 15 to 16 R. diardi, p. 233.
b. Abdomen ferruginous red R. sumatranus, p. 233.
1122. B/hopodytes viridirostris. The Small Green-billed Malkoiha.
Zanclostomus viridirostris, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 223
(1840) ; id. III. 2nd. Orn. pi. 3; id. B. I. i, p. 346 ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 76'; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 690: Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 453; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 432; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 258.
Phcenicophseus jerdoni, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 1095 (1842).
Rhopodytes viridirostris, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 63 ; Dav.
8f Wend. S. F. vii, p. 79 ; Ball, ibid. p. 207 ; Hume, Cat. no. 216 ;
Tidal, S. F. ix, p. 55 ; Butler, ibid. p. 389 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 360 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 131 ; Gates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 399 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 385.
Kappra Popya, H. ; Wamana Kaki, Tel. ; Kusil, Tana. (Ceylon) ;
Mal-kcendetta, Cing.
Feathers of throat and fore-neck bifurcate, there being no web
to the terminal portion of the shaft, and the plumage of those parts
looking as if wet or partially stuck together.
Coloration. Upper parts dark ashy with a green gloss, which
becomes much stronger and metallic on the wings and tail ; the
remiges and rectrices glossy above and below, and the latter
broadly tipped with white ; underparts pale ashy, throat and
fore-neck streaked, owing to the structure of the feathers ; breast
whitish, more or less tinged with rufous.
Bill bright apple-green ; naked skin around eyes cobalt-blue ;
irides blood-red ; legs blackish green (Jerdon).
Length about 15-5 ; tail 875 to 10 ; wing 5-1 to 5-4 ; tarsus 1'35 ;
bill from gape 1*4.
Distribution. The Peninsula of India as far north as Ratnagiri
and Belgaum to the westward, Sironcha on the Godavari, Cuttack,
and, according to Ball, Midnapore to the eastward; also Ceylon
in the low country. This Cuckoo does not ascend the hills.
Habits, <$fc. A haunter of bamboo- and bush-jungle, often found
in hedges and other thickets about cultivation. This bird lives,
according to Jerdon, on various large insects — grasshoppers, man-
tides, caterpillars, &c. In Ceylon, according to more than one
observer, it feeds chiefly on fruit. Like its allies, it has a very
weak flight. The nest has been taken on the 10th March by
Mr. Cardew in North Arcot, and by Mr. H. Wenden in July at
232 CUCULID^E.
Nulwar Station (G. I. P. By.), and is cup-shaped, roughly con-
structed of twigs and lined with green leaves. It contained in
each case two chalky white eggs, measuring about 1-12 by -87.
1123. Rhopodytes tristis. The Large Green-billed Malkolia.
Meliastristis, Less. TraiU d'Ornith. p. 132 (1831) ; id. Voy. Belanger,
Zool. p. 231, Ois. pi. i.
Phcenicophaeus longicaudatus, Btyth, J.A.S. B. x, p. 923 (1841) ; xi,
p. 1095; xii, p.246.
Zanclostomus tristis, Blyth, Cat. p. 76; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii,
p. 691 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 345 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxixr
pt. 2, p. 98; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 81.
Rhopodytes tristis, Cab. «§• Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 64 ; Oates 8f
Hume, S. F. v, p. 144 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 162 ; Ball, S. F.
vii, p. 207 ; Hume, Cat. no. 215 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 77 ; Scully, S. F.
viii, p. 258 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 168; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 121 ;
Salvad&ri, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 582 ; v, p. 569 ; viir
p. 381 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 397 ; Shelley, Cat,
B. M. xix, p. 386.
Ban-kokil, Beng. ; Sanku, Lepcha ; Bamura, Assam ; Wapalai,
Burmese.
Coloration. Some black bristles scattered over the forehead and
chin and around the gape ; lores black, a band above the lores and
naked orbital area black and white mixed ; head and neck above
ashy grey, with a greenish wash, which passes on the back into
glossy green ; wings and tail black, richly glossed with green both
above and below ; some blue gloss on the quills ; tail-feathers
broadly tipped with white ; chin and cheeks whitish, feathers black-
shafted, passing into colour of throat, which is pale brownish ashy,
becoming darker on the breast and passing into dark ashy on the
abdomen.
Bill pale green, tinged at gape and about base with red ; irides
brown or reddish brown ; orbital skin dull dark to bright crimson ;
legs and feet dark greenish plumbeous (Davisori).
Length about 23 ; tail about 15 ; wing 6-5 ; tarsus 1*6 ; bill from
gape 1'6.
Distribution. The outer Himalayas below about 8000 ft.
elevation as far west as Kumaun ; also Bengal and, according to
Jerdon, Chutia Nagpur and the Northern Circars (this needs
confirmation) ; common in Assam, the hill-tracts to the south-
ward, throughout Burma, except to the extreme south of Tenas-
serim, and in Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China.
Habits, fyc. This bird, like others of the genus, keeps singly or in
pairs to thick scrub, and is but rarely seen on the wing ; its flight is
slow and heavy, and when flushed it escapes into bush or forest as
quickly as it can, and makes its way with great rapidity through
dense cover. It feeds on the ground upon insects of all kinds.
It has a low clucking note, called by Davison a cat-like chuckle.
It breeds in Sikhim about May, in Burma from March till
BHOPODYTES. 233
July; the nest is a loose platform of twigs, with two or three
white chalky eggs, measuring about 1'46 to 1*05.
1124. Rhopodytes diardi. Diard's Green-billed Malkoha.
Melias diardi, Lesson, Traite cCOrnith. p. 132 (1831).
Phcenicophaeus tristis, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 928 ; xii, p. 246.
Zanclostomus diardi, Blyth, Cat. p. 76 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 690 ;
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 81.
Rhopodytes diardi, Cab. $ Heine, Mus. Hem. iv, p. 61 ; Sharpe,
P. Z. S. 1873, p. 604, fig. 9 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 163 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 215 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 122 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M.
xix, p. 390.
Coloration. Almost the same as that of R. tristis. The narrow
line of feathers on the lores black ; head and neck dark ashy
grey ; lower hind-neck, back, rump, wings, and tail, the latter two
both above and below, rich glossy metallic green, passing into
blue ; all the tail-feathers tipped with white, less broadly than
in R. tristis. Lower parts ashy, chin whitish, the rest dark,
becoming blackish on the abdomen.
Bill pale green ; irides dark brown ; bare orbital space crimson ;
edges of eyelids black ; legs and feet dark plumbeous green
(Davison).
Length about 15; tail 9; wing 5; tarsus 1-25; bill from
gape 1-4.
Distribution. From the neighbourhood of Mergui throughout
Southern Tenasserim and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra.
Habits, <$fc. Similar to those of R. tristis., which this species
replaces south of Mergui.
1125. Rhopodytes sumatranus. The Sumatran
Green-billed Malkoha.
Cuculus sumatranus, Raffi. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 287 (1822).
Zanclostomus sumatranus, Blyth, Cat. p. 76 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii,
p. 689.
Rhopodytes sumatranus, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 62 ; Hume
8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 164; Hume, Cat. no. 215 ter; Shelley, Cat.
B. M. xix, p. 391.
Poliococcyx sumatranus, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 606, fig. 14 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 123.
Nostrils long, oblique.
Coloration. Narrow band of feathers on lores black, a few white
feathers sometimes, not always, present above the bare orbital
area; head above dark ashy grey, passing on the neck into
metallic green, which covers the remainder of the upper surface ;
quills and outer tail-feathers steel-blue above and below ; all the
tail-feathers with moderate white tips. Chin and throat ashy;
breast darker, with a wash of glossy green ; abdomen and lower
tail-coverts deep bay. Shafts of head- and neck-feathers black,
but not conspicuous.
234 CUCULID^E.
Bill pale green ; irides pale blue ; bare orbital space orange,
palest round the eye, shading to blood-red at the posterior angle ;
legs and feet plumbeous green (Davison).
Length about 16; tail 9-5; wing 5-5; tarsus 1-4; biH from
gape 1-5.
Distribution. Tenasserim, south of Mergui (common on the
island of Mergui), the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and
Borneo.
Genus PHCENICOPHAES, Vieillot, 1816.
Bill stout, wide at the base, compressed in front ; culmen
curved throughout, upper mandible very high ; nostril a narrow-
longitudinal slit, parallel to the commissure and close to it. Sides
of the head naked and papillose, the bare skin extending across
the forehead all round the base of the upper mandible ; no eye-
lashes. Tail long, broad, and graduated ; wing rounded. Feathers
of crown and throat with stiff projecting shafts. Sexes only
differing in the colour of the iris.
A single species.
Fig. 66. — Head of P. pyrrhocephalus, \.
1126. Phcenicophaes pyrrhocephalus. The Red-faced Mdlkoha.
Cuculus pyrrhocephalus, Forster, Ind. Zool p. 16, pi. yi (1781).
Phcenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xi, p. 927 ; id.
Cat. p. 75 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 453 ; Holdsworth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 433 ; Legge, 8. F. i, p. 346.
Phcenicophaes pyrrhocephalus, Walden, Tr. Z. 8. tiii, p. 52, fig. 8 ;
Sharpe. P. Z. S. 1873, p. 605, fig. 11 ; Hume, Cat. no. 216 bis ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 255, pi. xii ; Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 184 j
Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 395.
Mal-kcendetta, Warreliya, Cingalese. (The first-named appears to
have been the origin of the term Malkoha, quoted by Forster, and
applied to several Ground-Cuckoos by European ornithologists.)
Coloration. Crown, hind neck, and sides of neck black, with
RHAMPHOCOCCYX. 235
a greenish gloss, narrowly streaked with white; rest of upper
parts metallic bluish green; quills more blue; tail-feathers with
long white tips, longest on the outer rectrices ; chin and cheeks
white with black shaft-marks ; throat and fore-neck glossy black ;
rest of lower parts white.
Bill apple-green ; irides brown in males, white in females ;
whole sides of face crimson ; legs and feet bluish slate (Legge).
Length about 18; tail 11; wing 6'25; tarsus 1-4; bill from
gape 1-6.
Distribution. Peculiar to Ceylon, found in the forests of the
lower tracts almost throughout the island.
Habits, fyc. According to Legge this is a shy bird, generally
keeping to forests with much undergrowth. It is often seen in
small flocks. As a rule it is silent, but at times utters a low
monosyllabic call when flying about. It lives chiefly on fruit, but
occasionally eats small insects, and its flesh is said to be well-
flavoured.
Genus RHAMPHOCOCCYX, Cabanis, 1862.
Bill similar to that of Phwnicophaes, the nostrils at the base
varying in form. A large naked area round the eye, extending to
the base of the bill, but not across the forehead ; small eyelashes
present. No white on the plumage. Otherwise this genus closely
resembles PTicenicopliaes.
I do not regard Ithinococcycc, Dryococcyx, and Urococcyx as
generically distinct] from Rliamphococcycc, the differences in the
shape of the nostrils, on which these genera were founded, not
being by themselves of sufficient importance. The genus Rhampho-
coccyx, as here understood, comprises five known species, and
ranges from Tenasserim to Celebes. One species only occurs in
Burma.
1127. Rhamphococcyx erythrognathus.
Phcenicophaes erythrognathus, Hartlaub, Syst. Verz. Mus. Brem.
p. 95 (1844) ; Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 53, fig. 7 ; Blyth, Birds
Burm. p. 81 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 165, 506.
Phcenicopnaus curvirostris, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 75 ; id. J. A. S. B.
xxiv, p. 278 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 687 ; nee Cuculus curvirostris,
Shaw.
Khamphococcyx erythrognathus, Cab. fy Heine, Mus. Hein. iv,
p. 67 ; Hume, Cat. no. 216 ter ; Oates, B. B. ii. p. 124.
Urococcyx erythrognathus, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 398.
Coloration. Upper parts metallic green ; head greyer and less
glossy; quills bluish green above, purple beneath ; terminal 3 or 4
inches of each tail-feather almost always dark chestnut (very
rarely green) ; in some specimens there is a narrow white super-
ciliary line above the naked orbital area ; chin and cheeks ashy
grey (whitish in some individuals); throat, breast, and lower
236
tail-coverts dull chestnut ; abdomen darker and duller ; flanks and
thigh-coverts blackish with a green gloss.
Bill pale green ; both mandibles maroon-red near the base ;
irides blue in the male, yellow in the female ; legs and feet dark
plumbeous.
Length about 18'5; tail 11; wing 6-75; tarsus 1-6; bill from
gape 1-9.
Distribution. The Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
ranging into Southern Tenasserim as far north as Yay.
Habits, fyc. According to Tickell and Davison, very similar to
those of its allies. Tickell observed that this species fed on
" Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and very large caterpillars."
Genus RHINORTHA, Vigors, 1830.
Bill longer than in the preceding genera and compressed, the
culmen almost straight till near the tip ; nostril oval, longitudinal ;
naked area around the eye not separated from the bill by feathers
on the lores. Wings and tail as in Zandostomus. Feathers of
head spiny. Sexes different.
A single species.
1128. Rhinortha chlorophaea. Raffles' s Green-billed Matkoha.
Cuculus chlorophaeus, Raffl. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 288 (1822).
Rhinortha chlorophsea, Vig. App. Mem. Raffl. p. 671 ; Blyth, J. A.
S. B. xi, p. 924 ; xii, p. 246 ; xiv, p. 199 ; xvi, p. 468 ; id. Cat.
p. 76 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 692 ; Sharps, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 603,
fig. 8 ; Walden, in Blyttis Birds Burm. p. 82 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 166 ; Hume,Cat. no. 216 quat. ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 120 ; Shelley,
Cat. B. M. xix, p. 393.
Fig. 67.— Head of R. chloropkaa,
Coloration. Male. Head and neck above chestnut, back and
wings rather darker, quills broadly tipped dusky ; rump and upper
tail-coverts and tail dull black, with narrow grey cross-bars, not quite
so close together on the tail ; ail tail-feathers broadly tipped white,
the pale bars wanting near the white tip ; chin, throat, and sides of
head and neck pale chestnut, growing paler on the breast and then
passing into dull brown with close faint cross-bars on the abdomen,
flanks, and lower tail-coverts.
Female. Head and neck above and on the sides ashy grey ; back,
rump, wings, and tail deep chestnut, the quills with dusky tips, the
TACCOCUA. 237
tail-feathers tipped with white and with a subterminal black band ;
lower parts to the breast pale grey, sometimes washed with buff,
becoming more rufous on the breast and abdomen ; flanks and lower
tail-coverts chestnut.
Bill apple-green ; orbital skin pale green, inclining to bluish ;
irides dark brown ; legs and feet dark plumbeous (Davison).
Length about 13; tail 7 ; wing 4-5; tarsus 1-05 ; bill from gape
1-4.
Distribution. In Tenasserim as far north as Lemyne, a little
north of Yay, also throughout the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and
Borneo.
Habits, #c. According to Davison, this Ground- Cuckoo fre-
quents the densest parts of evergreen forests and cane-brakes. In
all its habits it resembles Rhopodytes, but has a different note, a
peculiar cat-like mew, not a chuckle. It is almost invariably
found in pairs and feeds on insects.
Genus TACCOCUA, Lesson, 1831.
Bill shorter and deeper than in Zanclostomus and Rhopodytes •
upper mandible distinctly festooned near the base. Wings short
and rounded ; tail long, broad, and graduated, upper tail-coverts
more than half as long as the tail. The plumage of the head, neck,
upper back, and breast spinous, shafts of the frontal feathers pro-
jecting. A row of coarse bristles nearly surrounds the eye except
behind. Tarsus strong. Claws short and curved. Plumage above
grey.
A single species, peculiar to India and Ceylon.
1129. Taccocua leschenaulti. The Sirkeer Cuckoo.
Hume, Cat. no. 219 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 266; Vidal, S. F. ix,
p^ 56 ; Butler, ibid. p. 389 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 361 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 134 ; Oates in Hume's N. 8f JS. 2nd ed. ii, p. 408.
Centropus sirkee, Gray in Hardw. III. 2nd. Zool. i, pi. 28 (1830-32).
Taccocua infuscata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 201 (1845) ; id. Cat
p. 77 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 687 ; Jerdon. B. I. i, p. 353 : Hume
Cat, no. 221 ; Scully S. F. viii, p. 258.
Taccocua sirkee, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 201 ; id. Cat. p. 77 ; Horsf.
Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 687 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 353 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 16 •
McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli
pt. 2, p. 234 ; Hume, Cat. no. 220 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p 411 •
Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 408 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M
xix, p. 381.
Taccocua affinis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 19 (1846) ; id. Cat. p. 77 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 354 ; King, J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2. p. 214 '
Blanford, J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168 ; id. S. F. v, p. 246 '
Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 208 ; Hume Cat
no. 222.
The Southern, Bengal, Northern, and Central Indian Sirkeers, Jerdon ;
Jangli tola, II. ; Adavi chilluka, Potu chilluka, Tel.
238
Coloration. Upper parts light earthy brown, varying in tint
from olive-grey to pale sandy or yellowish brown, always with
more or less of a green satiny gloss on the wings and middle tail-
feathers, and generally with some on the upper surface throughout ;
quills hair-brown ; all tail-feathers except the middle pair black with
broad white tips, middle tail-feathers narrowly and subobsoletely
banded ; chin and throat pale buff, fore-neck and upper breast
varying from greyish brown more or less tinged with rufous to
buff like the throat ; lower breast and abdomen, with the wing-
lining, rufous, varying in depth of tint ; shafts of head, neck, back,
and upper breast-feathers shining black.
Bill cherry-red, yellowish at the tip ; irides reddish brown ; feet
plumbeous (Jerdon).
Length 16-5 to 17*5 ; tail 8-5 to 10 ; wing 5 to 6'5 ; tarsus 1/7 ;
bill from gape 1/4.
Fig. 68.— Head of T. leschenaulti, \.
Distribution. The Peninsula of India and Ceylon. This species
inhabits the lower Himalayas from the Bhutan Duars to Chamba,
and is found, though very rarely, in Sind and the Punjab on the
west, and throughout Bengal on the east, but not beyond ; it is
generally distributed in the peninsula, but is not common ; and in
Ceylon it is rare and local ; it ascends the hills in Southern India
to 5000 or 6000 feet and those of Ceylon to about 4000.
As with many other Indian birds there are three fairly marked
races : (1) a large dark-coloured form (T. infuscata) inhabits the
base of the Himalayas ; (2) a paler race, not quite so large (T. sirki),
is found in Upper India, the NVW. Provinces, Punjab, &c. ; whilst
(3) the birds of Southern India and Ceylon are smaller and darker
(T. leschenaulti). Skins from Bengal and the Central Provinces
(T. affinis) are intermediate in character. Hume has shown that of
the four supposed species of Blyth and Jerdon only two can be
distinguished at all, and these pass into each other, and Shelley has,
I think, rightly united the whole. The English name "Sirkeer"
was used by Latham, Hist. Birds, iii, p. 267. The origin of the
term, a supposed Indian name " Surkool " or " Sircea," has not
been traced. As it is impossible to say which of the specific
CENTROPUS. 239
names sirkee and leschenaulti was first published, I give the prefer-
ence to the less barbarous of the two.
Habits, Afc. This, like its allies, is a Ground-Cuckoo, found chiefly
in thickets or long grass, very shy and rarely seen. It feeds on the
ground, chiefly on grasshoppers and other insects, such as beetles
and termites, occasionally on lizards. Its flight is very feeble. It
breeds in Northern India from May to August, but on the Mlgiris
and Malabar coast in March and April, and makes a loose cup-
shaped nest of twigs lined with green leaves, in which are laid
usually three chalky white eggs, measuring about T39 by 1'07.
Genus CENTROPUS, Illiger, 1811.
This genus is distinguished from all other members of the
family by having on the hallux a long nearly straight hind claw,
very much like a Lark's. The other claws are but little curved.
The tarsus is strong and naked. The bill is deep, moderately large,
with the culmen much curved ; the nostrils are partly covered by
a membrane. There is a row of bristles above the eye. The wing
is short and rounded, the primaries scarcely exceeding the second-
aries in length ; the tail is graduated, long and broad. The feathers
of the head, neck, and breast are harsh and spinous. Sexes alike.
About 30 species, of which 4 occur within our area, are comprised
in Centropus, which ranges almost throughout the Ethiopian and
Oriental regions, Papua and Australia.
Key to the Species.
a. Under wing-coverts black or grey or
mottled.
a. Head and body black.
a". Bill black C. sinensis, p. 239.
b". Bill green or vellow C. chlororhynchus, p. 242.
b'. Head and body brown or buff C. andamanensis, p. 242.
b. Under wing-coverts chestnut C. bengalensis, p. 243.
1130. Centropus sinensis. TJie Common Coucalor Q row-Pheasant.
Pelophilua sinensis, Steph. Gen. Zool. ix, p. 51 (1815).
p. 246 ; xiv, p. 202 ; id. Cat. p. 78 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii,
p. 450, nee Cuvier.
Centropus sinensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 247 ; xiv, p. 202 ; id. Cat.
Add. p. xix ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 343.
Centropus rufipennis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 321 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii,
p. 681 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 348 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 15 ; Hume,S. X\
i, p. 173 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 81 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 260; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 411 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 132 ;
Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 400 ; nee llliyer.
240 CUCULIDjE.
Centrococcyx rufipennis, Cab. 8f Heine, Mus. Hein. iv, p. 116 ; Hall,
S. F. vii, p. 207 ; Hume, Cat. no. 217 ; Gates in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. ii, p. 400.
Centropus eurycercus, apud Hume, S. F. ii, p. 196 ; nee Hay.
Centrococcyx eurycercus, apud Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 83.
Centrococcyx intermedius, Hume, S. F. i, p. 454 ; xi, p. 77 ; id. Cat.
no. 217 quat. ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 168 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 126 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 404.
Centrococcyx maximus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 454 ; id. Cat. no. 217 quint. ;
Oates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 405.
Mahoka, H. ; Kuka, Beng. ; Jemudu-kaki, Tel. ; Katti-kaka, Tain. ;
Chembigum, Tarn. Ceylon ; .sEtti-kukkula, Cing. ; Bote, Burmese ; Crow-
Pheasant of Europeans in India.
Fig. 69.— Foot of C. sinensis, |.
Coloration. Whole plumage, except the wings, black with a
green gloss, varying to s±eel-blue .and purple, especially on the
upper back ; the tail generally dull green ; shafts of the feathers
on the head, neck, and breast shining black ; wings with their
coverts and scapulars chestnut, tips of quills dusky ; wing-lining
black.
In the young there is much variation ; the upper parts are
black with rufous or white bars and spots ; the wings and coverts
are barred chestnut and black ; tail dark brown, with narrow wavy
whitish bars; lower parts dull black, with greyish-white bars.
The change to the adult plumage is gradual.
Bill black ; iris crimson ; legs black (Jerdori).
Length about 19; tail 9 to 11 ; wing 7 to 9-4; tarsus 2; bill
from gape 1-8. Females are larger than males.
Distribution. Throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, with the
exception of the Himalayas, in which tjris species is rare and
CENTEOPUS. 241
confined to low elevations ; also China, Siam, and the Malay
Peninsula and islands.
Hume, who has been followed by several writers, has divided
the Indian Coucals into three species thus distinguished : —
Interscapulars black ; wing 7 to 8. 1. C. rufipennis : Indian Peninsula
and Ceylon.
Interscapulars chestnut.
Wing 7*3 to 8-25 2. C. intermedius : Eastern Bengal
Assam, Burma, <fcc.
Wing 9 to 9-5 3. C. maximus : Sind and Northern
India.
And unquestionably these are three well-marked races. The differ-
ences between C. intermedius and C. maximus are, however, not so
clear as was at first supposed. I find Delhi and Sikhim male speci-
mens, referred to the latter by Hume, with wings of 8-3, whilst wings
of Tenasserim males measure 7'75; and as Manipur birds are inter-
mediate in size, I regard this as one of the numerous instances in
which there is a diminution of size to the southward. The dis-
tinction of the Peninsular and Ceylonese form I should accept,
but that several South Indian and Ceylonese specimens in the
British Museum have the interscapulary area chestnut as in
Burmese birds. I therefore agree with Shelley in uniting all
these races. I should add that the form called G. intermedium by
Hume is identical with the Chinese bird C. sinensis, and that the
name C. rufipennis, Illiger, does not belong to this species, but to
the Philippine C. viridis : those who require a distinct term for
the Indian Peninsular bird should call it C. castanopterus. C. eury-
cercus, with a broad blue tail, 12-13 inches long, from the Malay
Peninsula and Sumatra, appears to me distinct from C. sinensis,
though Shelley has united them.
Habits, fyc. This is one of the common birds of India. It is
found in cultivated ground, waste land, or bush-jungle, less com-
monly in forest ; it is frequently seen in bushes on the banks of
stream-beds and in hedge-rows. Its flight is slow and laboured.
It feeds on the ground on insects, and occasionally on lizards and
small snakes. It may often be seen walking on the ground, and
both on the ground and on trees it has a trick of raising its large
tail over its back. It has a peculiar sonorous call like hoop, hoop,
hoop, repeated slowly several times. It breeds chiefly in June,
July, and August, earlier in Southern India, and makes a huge
globular nest of twigs, green and dry leaves, and coarse grass,
generally, but not invariably, with a lateral entrance, and placed
in a thick and often thorny bush or tree. The eggs are broad
regular ovals, white and covered with a chalky layer; they are
usually three in number, and measure about 1-44 by 1*16.
Coucals are regarded as a great delicacy by Indian Mahomedans
and by some Hindoo castes.
VOL. III.
242 CUCULID-E.
1131. Centropus chlororhynchus. The Ceylonese Coucal.
Centropus chlororhynchus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 805 (1849)
id. Cat. p. 78; id. Ibis, 1867, p. 298 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 450 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 433 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl p. 263, ul. xiii ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 342.
Centrococcyx cnlororhynchus, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 372; id. Cat.
no. 217 ter.
JEtti-kukkula, Cingalese.
Coloration. Head, body, and tail black, glossed with purple,
passing on the neck, upper back, and breast into coppery bronze ;
wings, coverts, scapulars, and interscapulars deep bay, tips of
quills dusky ; wing-lining blackish. The young does not differ in
colour.
Bill pale apple-green ; inside of mouth black ; iris deep red or
dull crimson ; legs and feet black ; claws dusky (Legge).
Length about 17; tail 9-5; wing 6-4; tarsus 1-9; bill from
gape 1-7.
Distribution. Throughout the forests of the South-west hill
region of Ceylon.
Habits, <$fc. Very similar to those of C. sinensis, but this species
appears, from Captain Legge's account, to frequent thicker and
damper forest and to have a rather different note. The call of
the male is a sonorous long-drawn hoo-whoop, whoop, which can
be heard with distinctness for many miles around, and by which
the presence of the bird is easily detected. There is also a peculiar
monosyllabic sound made by both sexes. The breeding-season is
from about April or May till July.
1132. Centropus andamanensis. The Andaman Coucal.
Centropus andamanensis, Tytler, ffleavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 321 ; Ball,
S. F. i, p. 64 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 194.
Centrococcyx andamanensis, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 305, pi. xi ;
Hume, Cat. no. 217 bis ; Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 404.
Coloration. When freshly moulted, the head and neck, upper
back, rump and lower parts throughout, including the under wing-
coverts, are greyish brown ; wings, scapulars, and a narrow band
across the back between them deep bay ; tips of quills inf uscated ;
tail dark greyish brown glossed with purple. The colours fade,
the head and neck become light brown, almost buff, and the edges
of the tail-feathers, especially towards the base, isabelline, whilst
all gloss is lost. In some specimens, apparently young, traces of
barring remain on the lower parts.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs and feet black.
Length about 19 ; tail 10 : wing 6*5 ; tarsus 2-1 ; bill from
gape 1'7.
Distribution. Only found in the Andaman Islands and Cocos.
Habits, <$fc. A forest bird fond of coming into gardens, and
CENTEOPUS. 243
much resembling C. sinensis in its ways. It breeds about May
and June ; a nest was found by Captain Wimberley in a high
tree, and contained two white eggs measuring about 1'32 by 1*12.
1133. Centropus bengalensis. The Lesser Coucal.
Cuculus bengalensis, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 412 (1788).
Centropus bengalensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 1104 ; Blyth $
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 82 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2,
p. 70 ; Gammie, S. F. v, p. 385 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 171 ;
Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 169; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 133; Shelley,
Cat. B. M. xix, p. 352.
Centropus viridis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 78 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii,
p. 685; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 350; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix,
pt. 2, p. 98 ; nee Cuculus viridis, Scop.
Centrococcyx bengalensis, Hume Sf Oates, S. F. iii, p. 84 ; Hume,
S. F. v, p. 28 ; xi, p. 78 ; id. Cat. no. 218 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 208 ;
Cripps, ibid. p. 266 ; Damson, S. F. x, p. 361 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 127 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 406.
Centropus javanicus, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 354, partim.
Nyong, Lepcha ; Kyok-Kyok, Bhot. ; Ulu Kukuha, Assam.
Coloration. Head and neck all round, upper back, rump, and
lower parts black with purplish gloss ; tail black with green gloss ;
wings and their coverts both upper and under, scapulars, and
interscapulary region deep chestnut ; tips of quills more or less
infu seated.
The nestling is dark brown, with large rufous spots on the head
and neck, and rufous bars on the fcack, wings, and tail ; lower
parts rufescent white, with dark spots on the throat and dusky
bars on the lower abdomen and flanks. The bird then passes
without a moult into a second plumage : the head and neck above
and at the sides, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts are brown,
with pale shaft-stripes and white shafts ; the rump and upper tail-
coverts, two of which extend nearly to the end of the tail, are
narrowly barred black, glossed with green and rufous ; the wings
and tail as in adults, but the wings more infuscated and the tail-
feathers with rufous tips ; lower parts rufescent-white, throat
speckled with dark brown ; flanks, lower abdomen, and lower tail-
coverts with narrow dark bars. This plumage is assumed gradually,
and the change to the adult plumage, partly at all events by a
moult, generally takes place in March or April ; the white shafts
to the scapulars and coverts being longer retained.
The second garb is called the winter or seasonal plumage by
most authors, but I can find no evidence that it is ever assumed
by birds that have once attained adult coloration, and there are
several winter birds in the British Museum collection with the
adult dress. The long upper tail-coverts appear peculiar to the
immature plumage.
Bill and legs black, iris crimson in adults ; in the young the
bill is yellowish, dark on the culmen, iris brown to yellow ; legs
plumbeous.
B2
244 CUCULID^E.
Length of males about 13 ; tail 7 ; wing 5-4 ; tarsus 1*6 ; bill
from gape 1-1 : in females, length about 14-5 ; tail 8 ; wing 6-7 ;
tarsus 1'75 ; bill from gape 1-25.
Some specimens from Assam and Burma are referred by Shelley
in the British Museum Catalogue to a distinct species C. javani-
cus, but I am unable to separate them from C. benyalensis.
Distribution. The Lesser Coucal has been found very sparingly
in the Peninsula of India in Travancore, the Wynaad, Mysore,
Orissa, and Singhbhoom ; not, so far as I can ascertain, in the
Central Provinces, Bombay Presidency, North-west Provinces, nor
Punjab, nor in Ceylon. Jerdon (Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 1,
p. 172) states that Elliot found it in the Southern Mahratta
country ; but this was probably a mistake, as the locality was not
mentioned in the * Birds of India.' It is more common in Bengal,
and is found about Calcutta and up to about 5000 feet in Sikhim,
and ranges from Assam through Burma to the Malay Peninsula
and Southern China.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of 0. sinensis, but this bird is
chiefly found in high grass, not in forest nor scrub. The call of
the female is said by Gamrnie to be double — first a series of
sounds like ivhoot, wJioot, whoot, &c., ventriloquistic, appearing to
come from a distance; then, after an interval, kurook, Tcuroolc, <fcc.,
no longer ventriloquistic. Grammie did not observe the male
calling. This species feeds on grasshoppers. It breeds from May
to August, in different localities, making a domed nest of coarse
grass, the living blades being bent over and incorporated. The
eggs are two or three in number, white, chalky, and about 1-17 by
1«01 inches.
Order IX. PSITTACI.
Whilst several of the groups here classed as orders, because
ornithologists have not yet agreed how they are to be arranged in
larger divisions, are really of subordinal rank, the Parrots by
general consent stand apart from all other birds, and undoubtedly
form an Order by themselves : distinguished by opisthocoelous
dorsal vertebrae, combined with aygodactyle feet, and by the upper
mandible being loosely articulated to the skull, so as to be move-
able. The bill is short, stout, and strongly hooked. The palate
is desmognathous. There is a distinct fleshy cere at the base of
the bill, as in Birds of Prey. The tongue is thick and fleshy.
The deep plantar tendons are galline, as in Coccyges. The ambiens
muscle is variable, and so are the carotids. The f urcula is weak and
sometimes incomplete. There are no caeca, and the gall-bladder is
generally wanting.
The feathers are furnished with an aftershaft ; the spinal
feather-tract is well defined on the neck and forked on the upper
back. The oil-gland is usually present and tufted, but is wanting
in a few genera. There are twelve tail-feathers except in the
Papuan Oreopsittacus, which has 14. Primaries 10.
All Parrots lay white eggs in a hole, generally excavated by the
parent birds, in the trunk or a branch of a tree. There is no nest,
the eggs being laid on the wood. Some species, occasionally at
all events, make use of hollows not excavated by themselves. The
young are hatched naked, and the feathers. remain in the sheaths
until the birds are nearly full-grown.
The Parrots have been very variously divided by different
ornithologists, and Garrod (P. Z. S. 1874, p. 594) made the
common Indian genus Palceornis the type of a family. But
generally Palceornis has been classed in the same family with
Psittacus, and this is the arrangement adopted by Salvadori in the
British Museum Catalogue. Only three genera are found within
Indian limits, and these all belong to one family and subfamily.
Family PSITTACID^E.
Key to the Genera.
Key to the Genera.
a. Tail long and graduated, longer than wing .... PAL^ORNIS, p. 246.
b. Tail much shorter than wing.
a'. Bill swollen at sides, deeper than long .... PSITTINUS, p. 259.
b'. Bill compressed, longer than deep LORICULUS, p. 260.
246 PSITTACIDJE,
Genus PAUEORtfIS, Vigors, 1825.
Tail very long and graduated, the median feathers narrow, much
exceeding the others in length : bill thick, deeper than long ; upper
mandible swollen at the sides, culmen convex, much curved ; lower
mandible short.
Birds of this genus are common throughout India, Ceylon, and
Burma. Their prevailing colour is green, except in a few species.
They are usually seen in flocks, which feed sometimes on the
fruit of trees, sometimes on seeds, which they not unfrequently
pick up from the ground. All have a rather swift arrowy flight,
and a more or less harsh screaming note. All are favourite cage-
birds. Species of Palceornis are found throughout the Oriental
region, in the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Rodriguez, and in parts
of Tropical Africa.
Key to the Species*.
a. Head (except chin and mandibular stripe
in males) and body green ; bill deep red ; a
rose collar in males, wanting in females.
a'. Large red patch on wing-coverts ; wing
exceeding 7'5.
a". Smaller: length 17-19'5 ; tarsus
greenish grey P. eupatria, p. 247.
V. Larger: length 20-22; tarsus dull
orange.
a3. Nape and sides of head suffused
with glaucous grey P. nepalensis, p. 248.
b3. Nape and sides of head without
grey tinge. [p. 248.
a\ Bill 0-85 high at base P. mdoburmanicus,
b4-. Bill an inch high at base P. magnirostris, p. 249.
b'. No red patch on wing-coverts ; wing less
than 7 P. torquatus, p. 250.
b. Head partly or wholly not green.
c'. Head red in male, slaty in female ; back
green : wing about 5'5.
c". Under wing-coverts bluish green P. cyanocepkalus, p. 251,
d". Under wing-coverts green, not bluish. P. rosa, p. 252.
d'. Head dark slaty in both sexes; back
green : wing 6-6'5.
<?". Terminal portion of tail bright yellow. P. schisticeps, p. 253.
/'. Terminal portion of tail dull pinkish. P.finschi, p. 254.
c. Crown and upper back grey ; breast green.
e'. An emerald-green collar p. calthropee, p. 256.
/.No collar ... p. caniceps, p. 258.
a. urown and upper back grey ; brest grey or
greyish green p. cotomboute, p. 255.
e. Crown and nape pinkish or bluish grey;
breast red P.fasciatus, p. 256.
L ?^1&Q™& ofL8eyf al 'Secies, like P. torquatus £ , are green throughout,
but the bill 18 black or brown or pale red, not deep red. These young birds
are difficult to distinguish at first, but they soon acquire the distinctive
coloration of adults.
247
/. Crown and nape green ; sides of head
including ear-coverts brick-red.
y'. Upper mandible red.
g". Breast yellowish green P. erythrogenys <$ , p. 268.
h". Breast green with a bluish tinge .... P. tytleri tf , p. 259.
h'. Upper mandible black.
«". Mandibular band chiefly black P. erytkrogenys $ ,p. 258.
k". Mandibular band dark green P. tytleri $ , p. 259.
1134. Palaeornis eupatria. The Large Ceylonese P&roquet.
Psittacus eupatria, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 140 (1766).
Palseornis alexandri, apud Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 262; nee
Psittacus alexandri, Linn.
Palaeornis eupatria, Hume, S. F. \, p. 433 ; ii, p. 9 ; id. Cat. no. 147 -r
Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 168 ; Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 183 ; Oates in
Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 82 (partim) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M.
xx, p. 435.
Labu girawa, Cing.
Coloration. Male. Above grass-green, much brighter on the
forehead and lores, and rather darker on the wings ; a dark line
from nostril to eye ; a rose-pink collar round the back and sides of
neck, nape just in front of collar more or less tinged bluish grey f
chin (thinly feathered) and a stripe from the lower mandible to-
the rose collar black ; a large deep red patch on the secondary
wing-coverts ; rump rather brighter green than the back ; median
tail-feathers passing from green at the base into verditer-blue, and
then into yellowish at the tips ; throat and breast dull pale green ;
abdomen brighter ; lower surface of quills and larger under wing-
coverts greyish brown, lesser under wing-coverts bright green; tail-
feathers below dull yellow.
Female and young without either rose collar or black mandibular
stripe.
Bill deep red ; iris pale yellow, with a bluish-grey inner circle ;
feet plumbeous.
Length about 19 ; tail 11*5 ; wing 8 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from cere at
gape to point 1 ; depth of upper mandible (culmen to gape) *75.
Females a little less.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of Ceylon. Whether
the Paroquets observed in the Carnatic by Jerdon, and in Mysore
by Taylor, and the individual taken from a Shahin falcon by
Jerdon in Malabar, belonged to this or the next species is
uncertain. There is no specimen from Southern India in the
British Museum (including the Hume) collection. The measure-
ments given by Jerdon agree with P. nepalensis, the cinereous feet
with P. eupatria.
This and the following three species are merely races or sub-
species of one well-marked form. P. eupatria is smaller than the
others and has a smaller bill.
Habits, $c. The habits of all four races are precisely similar.
They keep to well-wooded tracts, and are social birds living in
colonies and generally flying in flocks, often uttering a shrill call
-248 PSITTACID^E.
when flying. They feed on grain and fruit. They lay from 2 to 4
white eggs in a hole made by themselves in the trunk of a tree or
in a large branch. Average size of fifty eggs 1-2 by -95. These
Parrots are less commonly kept tame than P. torquatus, and are
less frequently taught to talk.
1135. Palaeornis nepalensis. The Large Indian Paroquet.
Palseornis nepalensis, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 177 (1836) ; Rainey,
S. F. iii, p. 382 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 458 ; id. Cat. no. 147 ter ;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 239 ; Salvador*, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 437.
Palasornis alexandri, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 208;
Blyth, Cat. p. 4. partim ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 610, pt.;
Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 173 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 256, pt. ; Blyth,
Ibis, 1863, p. 1, pt. ; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 208;
nee Psittacus alexandri, L.
Paleeornis sivalensis, sacer, punjabi, and vindhiana, Hutton, S. F. i>
pp. 335-338 (1873).
Paleeornis sivalensis, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 9 ; vi, p. 117.
Pateornis eupatrius, apud Ball, S. F. ii, p. 389 ; vii, p. 205 ; David-
son, S. F. x, p. 296 ; Taylor, S. F. x, p. 457 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 108 : Oates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 82, partim ; nee Linn.
The Alexandrine Parrakeet, Jerdon; Chandana, B.: Clianda-ban-i,
H. (Mussooree) ; Karan-suga, Kararia, Nepal ; Ne-tso, Lepcha ; Rai Tota,
H. ; Pedda ckilluka, Tel. ; Peria killi, Tarn.
Coloration of both sexes the same as that of P. eupatria except
that the black mandibular band is very broad, and that the occiput,
nape, and cheeks are more or less washed with bluish grey. The
size is considerably larger and the bill conspicuously more massive.
Length about 21 ; tail 12*5 ; wing 8*5 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from
cere 1 ; depth of upper mandible '8. Females rather smaller.
The tarsus in Himalayan birds is dirty flesh-coloured or yellowish.
Distribution. Northern and Central India, from the Lower
Himalayas to the Central Provinces (Kamptee, Eaipur, Sambalpur)
and the Northern Circars, and from Kangra, the Jhelum district
of the Punjab, and Mount Abu to Bengal (Eajmehal hills and,
according to some, Calcutta). Bare or wanting in the Bombay
Presidency south of the Satpura range in Khandesh. It is
uncertain whether the Sundarban rose-band Paroquets should be
referred to this or the next form.
Habits, $c. Those of P. eupatria. The breeding-season varies
somewhat in different parts of the country, being usually from
December, qr even earlier, till March ; but in Hume's ' Nests and
Eggs/ 2nd ed., either this species or the next is said to breed in
the Eastern Sundarbans from March to May. In the Kangra
valley P. nepalensis breeds in April. An egg taken there by
Major Cock measured 1-52 by -95.
1136. Palseornis indoburmanicus. The Large Burmese Paroquet.
Palseornis alexandri, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 4, partim ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 256, pt. ; Blyth, Birds Bnrm. p. 54 ; nee Linn.
Palaeornis eupatrius, apud Wald. in BlytVs Birds Burm. p. 55;
Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 567 ; nee Linn.
PALjEOENIS. "2V.}
Palaeornis magnirostris, apud Hume $ Gates, S. F. iii, p. 55 ; Hume
Sf Armstr. S. F. iv, p. 307 ; Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis. 1877, p. 463 :
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 117 ; nee Jin II.
Palaeornis indoburmanicus, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 459 (1878); xi,
p. 54 ; id. Cat. no. 147 quat. ; Binyham, S. F. ix, p. 159 ; Oate*,
B. B. ii, p. 139; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. B78
v, p. 559 ; id. Cat. B. M. xx, p. 438.
Kyetrtau, Kyet-tu-yuay, Kyay-hpounkah, Burru.
Coloration. Both sexes similar to those of P. euimtria, but
considerably larger in size and more brightly coloured through-
out. The throat is much yellower, sometimes pure yellow ; and
the tarsi are yellow, not grey. From P. nepalensis the present
species is distinguished by brighter coloration ; by having the
occiput and sides of the head green like the forehead, not washed
with bluish (there is sometimes a narrow bluish-grey band above
the rose collar); and by the much narrower black mandibular
stripe.
Iris bright yellow ; cere yellow ; bill bright red, the tip yellow ;
eyelids pale pink, the edges orange ; legs yellow-orange (dates).
Length 22 ; tail 13 ; wing 8*5 ; tarsus '85 ; bill from cere 1*1 ;
depth of upper mandible *85. Female rather smaller.
Distribution. From the base of the Eastern Himalayas to the
Salween valley, but not in Tenasserim south of the neighbour-
hood of Moulmein and Kaukarit. This species is found also in
Cambodia. Specimens from the Sikhim Terai and Bhutan Duars
have the broad mandibular band of P. nepalensis, and are coloured
like that species on the breast; they are clearly intermediate
between P. nepalensis and P. indoburmanicus.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of P. eupatria and P. nepalensis.
P. indoburmanicus keeps chiefly to the plains and the neighbour-
hood of cultivation, it does not ascend the hills to any height, and
never frequents dense forests. It breeds in December, January,
and February, and the eggs measure about 1*35 by 1*02.
1137. Palaeornis magnirostris. The Large Andaman Paroquet.
Palaeornis alexandri, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 413 ; id.
Ibis, 1863, p. 369 ; Ball, S. F. i, p. CO ; nee Linn.
Palseornis magnirostris, Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 278 (1872) ;
Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 9, 176; id. Cat. no. 147 bis; Salvador*, Cat.
B. M. xx, p. 440.
Palaeornis eupatrius, apud Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 297 ; nee Linn.
This race is distinguished from P. indoburmanicus by its enor-
mous bill, and generally by having the red patch on the wing-
coverts brighter red ; the narrow blue collar above the rose collar
in males is very distinct as a rule.
Length about 23; tail 14; wing 8-5; tarsus -85; bill from
cere 1/2 ; height of upper mandible 1.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands ; Cocos Islands.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of the allied races.
250 . PSITTACID JK.
1138. Pafceornis tor^uatus. The Eose-ringed Paroquet.
Psittacus torquatus, Bodd. Tab. PL Enl. p. 32 (1783).
Palseornis torquatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 4; Layard, A.M.N.U..W
xiii, p. 262 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 611 ; Jerd. B. L i, p. 257 j
Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 232; Hume, S. F. i, p. 170 ;
ii, p. 13; xi, p. 54 ; id. Cat. no. 148 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 55 ;
H£ne 8>'Dav.S. JF.'vi, p. 118 ; Z^«, Birds Ceyl. p. 171 ; Oat*,
B. B. ii, p. 141 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. in, p. 85 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 108 ; Newnham, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 54 ;
Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 433.
Tata, Lybar Tota, H. ; Gallar, in N. W. P. ; Tiya, Tiyatota, Beng. ;
Ragu, Mahr. ; Chilluka, Telegu ; Killi, Tarn. ; liana girawa, Cmg. ; Kyay-
gyot, Burm.
Pig. 70. — Head of P. torquatus, \.
Coloration. Male. Very similar to P. eupatria, except that there
is no red wing-spot. General colour bright green ; a fine blackish
line from nostril to eye ; occiput, nape, and cheeks tinged with
pale greyish blue ; a rose collar round the neck except in front ;
chin and a band from the mandible to each side of the rose collar
black ; smaller and middle upper wing-coverts considerably paler
green than the greater coverts and quills ; median tail-feathers
green at the base, then bluish grey ; other tail-feathers green on
the outer webs, yellow on the inner, all tipped with yellow and
dull yellow beneath ; lower parts paler and yellower than upper
surface ; wing-lining greenish yellow.
Female. No black band nor rose collar, but an indistinct emerald-
green ring round the neck. Young birds resembles females.
Bill cherry-red ; irides pale yellow ; feet cinereous (Jerdori).
Upper mandible red, lower varying from red to black in different
localities (Hume).
Length about 16-5 ; tail 10 ; wing 6-75 ; tarsus *65 ; bill from
cere *85.
Distribution. Throughout India and Ceylon, and from Assam to
Pegu, but not in Tenasserim. This Paroquet is found to the east-
ward in Cochin China, but statements of its occurrence in the
Malay Peninsula and China are probably due to caged individuals
PAL^ORNIS. 251
having been taken thither. In India, P. torquatus extends to the
wooded parts of the Punjab, Sind, and Cutch, and to the base of
the Himalayas, where the country is open ; but it is not found
as a rule on hills nor in large forests. It has been seenatQuetta.
A closely allied form, a geographical race in fact, P. dodlis,
inhabits tropical Africa.
Habits, <$fc. This is by far the commonest and most familiar of
Indian Parrots, abounding about towns and villages in most parts
of the country, and keeping to open and cultivated land. It is
often seen perched on houses and buildings of various kinds, such
as temples or machans about fields, and it does much damage
by pilfering grain and fruit. It occurs in large flocks at times,
and these often collect in great numbers towards sunset and perch
for the night on trees near towns and villages, with Crows and
Mynas. Sometimes bamboos are selected for perching on. The
cry of this Parrot, often uttered during the bird's swift arrowy
flight, is shrill and rather harsh.
The breeding-season extends from January to May ; the majority
of the eggs, usually four in number, being laid in February to tlu>
southward, and in March in Northern India. In Upper Assam this
bird is said by Mr. Cripps to breed in June. The eggs are white
and glossless, and measure about 1*2 by '95.
This is the Parrot most commonly kept tame in India; it is
a docile bird and imitates the human voice well.
1139. Palaeornis cyanocephalus. The Western
Blossom-headed Paroquet.
Psittacus cyanocephalus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 141 (1766).
Psittacus purpureus, Miill. Natursyst. Suppl. p. 74 (1776) ; Walden
in Blyth's Birds Burm. p. 56.
Paleeornis bengalensis, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 208.
Palseornis cyanocephalus, Wagl Mon. Psitt. (Abh. k. bayer. Ak.
Wiss. i,) p. 517; Blyth, Cat. p. 5 (part.) ; Hor*f. $ M. Cat. ii,
p. 61G (part.) ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 174 ; Salvador*, Cat. B. M.
xx, p. 448.
Palseornis rosa, apud Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 259 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1865,
p. 409 : Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 162 ; Gould, Birds of Asia, vi, pi. 2
PalEeornis purpureus, Hume, N. % E. p. 116; id. Cat. no. 149;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 241 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 51 ; Butler, ibid.
p. 384 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 109 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf •&
2nd ed. iii, p. 87.
The Hose-headed Parrakeet, Jerdon; Tuia lota, II. (in S. India);
Faraida, Beng. ; Tui-suga, Nepal ; Kir, Mahr. ; Pama chiUuka, Tel. ;
Batu girawa, Malitcht'a, Cing. ; Killi, Tarn. Ceylon.
Coloration. Male. Head above and at the sides red, tinged with
blue (like the bloom on a plum) on the lower cheeks, occiput, and
nape, most strongly near the narrow black collar that includes the
chin and extends from the lower mandible round the neck ; hind-
neck and sides of neck, behind the collar, vrrdi-ris-green; rump
the same ; back and scapulars yellowish green ; wings green ;
252 .PSITTACIDJE.
quills pale-edged ; coverts edged with verdigris ; a deep red patch
on the middle secondary-coverts; median tail-feathers ^ blue,
greener towards the base, broadly tipped white, the next pair with
the outer webs blue, the others green on the outer, yellow on
the inner webs, all except the median pair tipped with yellow,
all yellowish below ; lower parts light yellowish green ; axillaries
and under wing-coverts bluish green. Occasionally the wing-
spot is orange, not red.
Female. Head dull bluish grey (plum-blue), cheeks and chin
greyer and paler ; no black nor verdigris collar, but a yellow ring
roung the neck, broader on the side and covering the throat.
Young birds are green throughout, and assume the cap
gradually.
Upper mandible orange -yellow, lower black or blackish; iris
white or yellowish white ; feet dusky sap-green.
Length about 14; tail 8-5; wing 5-25; tarsus '6; bill from
cere to tip *6. Females rather less.
Distribution. Throughout the Peninsula of India and Ceylon in
suitable tracts, extending west to Mount Abu, Sambhar, and the
Eastern Punjab, and throughout the lower Himalayas (according
to Hume) to near Murree. This bird is found on the Western
Himalayas up to about 5000 feet. This species and the next
both occur in the Terai of Eastern Nepal, Sikhini, and the Bhutan
Duars, and perhaps in parts of Bengal. The statement (S. F. vii,
p. 261) that this species occurs in Dibrugarh, Assam, appears due
to some mistake. Mr. Cripps's specimens in the Hume collection
are all P. rosa.
Habits, fyc. This is far more a forest-bird than P. torquatus, though
it is found in well-wooded cultivated districts as well as in forest.
It is somewhat migratory, retiring to the denser woods and often
to hill-forests to breed, and visiting more open country in the
rains. Its flight is even swifter than that of P. torquatus, and its
cry is softer and more musical ; otherwise its habits are the same.
The breeding-season is from February to May; and the eggs,
which are usually four in number, are white when fresh, broader
in proportion than those of P. torquatus, and much smaller, the
average measurements being 1 by *81. This Paroquet is less
frequently kept tame than P. nepalensis and P. torquatus.
There can be no question that the Indian, not the Burmese,
species was the Psittacus cyanocephalus of Linnaeus. There was
a mistake, as Legge pointed out, in G-ould's ' Birds of Asia,' and
the names of the two were exchanged. This was also noticed in
Gould's letterpress under P. rosa. " Blossom-headed Parrakeet"
is Latham's name, and more than 100 years old.
1140. Palaeornis rosa. The Eastern Blossom-headed
Paroquet.
Psittacus rosa, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl p. 53 (1783).
Psittacus bengalensis, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 325 (1788).
PAL/EOHNI8.
Palaeorais cyanocephalus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 5 (part.);
Birds of Asia, i, pi. 3 ; Blyth $ Wald. />'//•//.%• /;/////,. ,
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 118; Anders. Yunnan Exp., Aves,
p. 568 ; Hume, Cat. no. 149 bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 55 ; Ilingham,
S. F. ix, p. 160 ; Oates,B. B. ii, p. 145 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 88 ; nee Psittacus cyanocephalus, L.
Palaeornis rosa, Jerd. B. I. i, p. 259 (part.) ; Salvador*, Cat. B. M.
xx, p. 453.
Palseornis bengalensis, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 6 ; Hume, S. F. ii,
pp. 9, 16 ; iii, p. 56 ; v, p. 21 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 308
Kyay-ta-ma, Burmese.
Coloration very similar to that of P. cyanocephalus. In the
male the forehead and cheeks are rosy pink, not red, passing on the
occiput into greyish lilac ; the rump and hind-neck like the back ;
the red spot on the wing-coverts darker ; the tail paler blue ; the
tips of the middle tail-feathers yellowish. In the female the head
is greyer and paler, the yellow collar less distinct, and the red
spot on the wing-coverts is present as in the male, though smaller.
In both sexes the plumage above and below is a purer green and
less yellow, and the axillaries and under wing-coverts are green
and not bluish green.
Length about 13-5 ; tail 7 ; wing 5-5 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from
cere to tip '65. In the female the tail is generally rather
shorter.
Distribution. From the base of the Himalayas in Eastern Nepal,
Sikhim, and Assam to Tavoy, but not apparently further south.
To the eastward this species ranges into Cochin China, Siam, and
Southern China.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of P. cyanocephalus. The eggs white,
four in number, and measuring about -96 by -82, are laid in
February and March.
Psittacus rosa of Boddaert was founded on the " Perruche de
Mahe" of the 'Planches Enluminees,' and this figure, like the
•• Kose-headed King Parrakeet " of Edwards, the type of Gmelin's
P. bengalensis, was clearly taken from the present species, not
from the Western bird.
1141. Palseomis schisticeps. TJie Slaty-headed Paroquet.
Palseornis schisticeps, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 178 (1836); Blyth*
F. viii, p. 242;
Sharpe, York.
p. 456.
Palseornis hodgsoni, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 50 (1868).
Pahdri tuiya, H. (Mussooree) ; Madana Suga, Nepal ; Gagi of
Calcutta bird-dealers.
Coloration. Male. Head dark lavender (bluish slaty) ; chin and
254 PSITTAOIDjE.
narrow ring round neck black ; hind-neck and sides of neck behind
the black ring bright verdigris-green, passing into the green with
a slight yellowish tinge of the back, scapulars, and coverts ; rump
a little brighter; a dark red patch on median secondary-coverts;
greater coverts and quills darker, the latter yellow at the edges ;
bend of wing yellow; median tail-feathers blue in the middle,
green at the base and along their edges, and clear yellow for the
terminal quarter to half, the other rectrices green on outer webs,
yellow on inner and at the tips, all deep yellow beneath ; lower
parts from throat light green, lesser and median under wing-
coverts bluish green.
The female wants the red wing-patch. The young is green at
first and assumes the cap gradually.
Upper mandible yellow, tinged with coral-red ; tip and lower
mandible yellow ; irides straw-yellow ; orbital skin slaty ; legs
dusky green (Jerdon).
Length about 16; tail 9-5; wing 6*5; tarsus -6 ; bill from cere
to tip 75. Females a little less.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas, below about 8000 feet,
from Murree to Bhutan ; more common to the westward. Young
specimens from the Khasi hills were referred to this species by
Godwin-Austen, but after examining them I do not think they
belong either to P. schisticeps or P. finschi.
Habits, fyc. This is a mountain bird, ascending in summer as
high as 10,000 feet, but descending to a low elevation in winter,
and breeding in the last half of March, in April, and early in May.
The nest is often in natural hollows in trees, but sometimes in
holes cut by the bird. The eggs are white, four or five in number,
and measure about 1-21 by *92.
1142. Palaeornis finschi. The Burmese Slaty-headed Paroquet.
Palseornis finschi, Hume,. 8. F. ii, p. 509; id. Cat. no. 150 bis:
Wald. in Blyth's Birds Burnt, p. 55 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,
p. 119; Bingham, 8. F. ix, p. 160; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 142;
Hartert, J. f. Orn. 1889, p. 431 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 458.
Coloration of both sexes similar to that of P. schisticeps, except
that the head is paler, the mantle a much yellower green, and
the terminal portion of the median tail-feathers dirty pinkish
white instead of clear yellow. The middle tail-feathers are, much
narrower, and duller in colour throughout.
Length about 17, tail 11, wing 6 in males'; in females, tail 8,
wing 5-8.
Distribution. Eastern Pegu and Tenasserim ; Oates found what
was doubtless this Paroquet abundant in the Pegu hills, it was
also found in large numbers by Hartert near Sadiya in Assam.
It is probably this species, and not the last, that occurs, according
to Blyth (Birds Burm. p. 55), in the Arrakan hills.
Habits, fyc. Nothing particular recorded. The eggs have not
been observed.
PALvEORNIS. 255
1143. Palaeornis columboides. The Blue-winged Paroquet.
Palaeornis columboides, Vigor*, Zool. Journ. v,p. 274 (1835) ; Jerdon
Madr. Jour. L.^S. xi, p. 209, pi. iii ; id. III. Ind. Orn. pi. xviii !
8. F. iv, p. 388; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52; Butler, ibid.
Layard, Ibis, 1880, p. 284 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. &53 ; ^u,
Birds Bom. p. 110; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p.
Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. \\, p. 334.
Palaeornis inelanorhynchus, apud Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 96, 9
(nee Wagl).
Palaeornis peristerodes, Fimch, Papaa. ii, p. 74 (1868); Salvador?,
Cat. B. M. xx, p. 460.
Madangour tot a, H.
Coloration. Male. Head, neck, upper back, and breast dove-
grey (grey with a lilac tinge) ; forehead, lores, and sides of head
around eyes bright bluish green; the frontal band passing upwards
into blue ; chin and complete narrow collar black, with a bright
bluish-green ring, broadest on the throat, behind the black one ;
coverts and secondary-quills dark green, the former with pale
edges; first primary black, the others blue with green e"dges;
lower back and rump bluish green; middle tail-feathers blue,
green at the base, tipped pale yellow, the next pair blue on the
outer web, green near the base, the others green on the outer,
yellow on the inner webs, all tipped with yellow, and all yellow
beneath, dusky yellow on the median pair and on the outer webs
of the others ; abdomen green or bluish green. Birds from
Khandala are bluer throughout the green parts of the plumage
than more Southern specimens.
Females want the green collar and forehead, they have a bluish
tinge on the lores and a little green round the eye, the back and
breast are tinged with green. Young birds are green throughout.
In adult males the upper mandible is red, whitish at the tip ;
in females black ; lower mandible dusky in both sexes ; in young
birds the bill is generally orange-brown (Hume} ; irides in adults
creamy yellow ; legs and feet glaucous green (Davison).
Length of males about 14-5 ; tail 8*5 ; wing 6 ; tarsus -63 ; bill
from cere to point -8. Females are rather less.
Distribution. Forests along the Malabar coast, from the extreme
south to Khandala near Bombay, chiefly on the hills up to 5000
feet elevation, sometimes higher on the Nilgiris. A supposed
occurrence of this bird in Ceylon is on record, but must be regarded
as doubtful.
Habits, <Sfc. A forest bird, generally found on high trfcee. Its
cry, according to Jerdon, is mellow, subdued, and agreeable. 1 1
feeds chiefly on fruit. It breeds in January and February, and the
eggs, two to four in number, are white, roundish, and slightly
polished, and measure about 1-12 by -92.
250 PSITTACIDJE.
1144. Palaeornis calthropae. Layard's Paroquet.
Palseornis calthrapae, Layard, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 800
(1849) ; id. Cat. p. 340; id. Ibis, 1867, p. 294.
Palseornis calthropte, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 263 (1854) ;
HoldsiVorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 426 ; Hume, Cat. no. 151 bis ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 177, pi. vi ; Layard, Ibis, 1880, p. 282 ; Oates in
Humes N. $• E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 90 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxr
p. 461.
Allu-girawa, Cingalese.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, lores, and area around each eye
bright green ; crown, nape, and sides of head greyish blue ; back
and scapulars the same, but paler, sometimes with a greenish wash ;
a broad collar round the neck and the lower parts from the throat
bright green ; vent and lower tail-coverts yellowish ; chin and a
band to the side of the neck, not extending to the back of the neck,
black ; the rump is much bluer than the back, and this colour
passes gradually into the deep French-blue of the tail-feathers,
which are all yellow at the tips and dusky yellow beneath ; outer
tail-feathers with a narrow green exterior border; wings green
outside, the smaller coverts to the secondaries paler and yellower.
Female. The green on the face duller and less extended, other-
wise like the male. The young is green throughout at first,
except that the tail is blue above, then the rump takes a bluish
tinge.
Upper mandible in males coral-red, yellowish at tip, black in
females, lower mandible dusky red ; irides yellow or greenish
white or white ; legs and feet dusky greenish or plumbeous green
or plumbeous (Legge).
Length about 12 ; tail 6 ; wing 5-5 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from cere
to point *7.
Distribution. Peculiar to Southern and Central Ceylon up to
5000 or 6000^ feet above the sea, keeping to the hills and to the
forests adjoining them.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of the last species, but the
cry is said by Legge to be harsh. The breeding-season commences
in January ; the eggs do not appear to have been described.
1145. Palaeornis fasciatus. The Red-breasted Paroquet.
Psittacus fasciatus, Mull. Natursyst. Suppl. p. 74 (1776).
Psittacus vibrissa, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 30 (1783).
Psittacus pondicerianus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 325 (1788).
Psittacus mystaceus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, 2, p. 436 (1811).
Palseornis melanorhynchus, Wagler, Abh. k. bayer. Ak. Wiss. i,
p. 511 (1832); Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 70; Walden, Ibis, 1873,
p. 297; 1874, p. 290; 1875, p. 270; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 57 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 308 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 21 ; Wardl.
Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 453 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 120; Anders.
Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 568.
Psittacus nigrirostris, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844), descr.
nulla ; Calc. Jour. N. H. vii, p. 560.
PALJEORNIS. 257
Palaeornis barbatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 6 (partiin) ; id. J. A. S. B.
xix, p. 233 (partiin) ; nee Psittacus barbatus, Gm.
Pakeornis osbecki, apud Horxf. .V M. Cut. ii, p. 022 (partim) ; me
Psittacus osbecki, Lath.
Palseornis vibrisca, Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 163 ; id. Birds Burm. p. 56.
Palaeovms javanicus, apudJerdon, B. I. i, p. 262 ; Blyth, Ibis, 186:3.
p. 5; 1866, p. 353 (part); Godw.-Awt. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 97 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 279 ; id. S. F. i, p. 60 ;
Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 343; nee Psittacus javanicus, Osbeck.
Palaeornis fasciatua, G. R. Gray, Hand-list, ii, p. 143; Hume. N. & E.
T. 1 1 Q . .V7 V V ;; , ~ OA ion ru>r« ::: . , c\04 . •: .
2nd ed. Hi, p. 90 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. ' Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 574;
v. p. 559 ; vii, p. 376 ; id. Cat'. B. M. xx, p. 464.
Madna, Kdjla, Gour Tota, II. ; Imrit Bhela, Nepal.
Coloration. Male. A narrow frontal band extending to each eye
and a broad stripe from the base of the lower mandible to each
side of the neck black, the latter not prolonged to form a collar ;
chin sullied white; rest of head purplish grey, washed with
greenish on the lores above the frontal band and round the eyes ;
hind-neck and sides of neck bright green ; back, scapulars, and
rump duller ; wings green ontside, with a large yellow patch on the
median and greater secondary-coverts ; first primary black, the
others green, all with narrow yellow borders on both sides ;
middle tail-feathers blue, with broad green edges towards the base
and yellowish-green extreme tips ; outer tail-feathers bluish green ;
throat and breast vinaceous red, more or less tinged with blue
anteriorly ; abdomen bluish green ; vent and lower tail-coverts
yellowish green, tail dusky yellow beneath.
The female has the head duller and more tinged with green
and the breast is without any bluish wash. Young birds are green
throughout.
Upper mandible in males coral-red, the tip yellow ; in females
and young birds black, lower mandible always brownish black,
except, according to Hume, in very young (nestling) males, which
have sometimes, at all events, both mandibles orange-red (perhaps
a few very young females also have reddish bills). Irides light
yellow ; legs dusky greenish yellow.
Length about 15; tail 8-5; wing 6'5; tarsus *7; bill from
cere "85.
Distribution. Throughout the lower Himalayas up to about
5000 feet, as far west as Kumaun, also in Assam and the ranges
to the southward, Tipperah, Cachar, Manipur, the whole of Burma,
the Andaman Islands (not the Nicobars), Cambodia, Cochin China,
and parts of Southern China. This species is represented in Java by
an allied form, the true P. alexandri, distinguish.-il chiefly by having
the whole bill red in both sexes, and by smaller size.
Habits, ^c. An inhabitant of well- wooded tracts of count r\.
visiting clearings, rice-fields, &c. in quest of food. Its cry is
much less harsh than that of P. i<>,'<jtmti'js or /'. eupatrius. Ii
VOL. III. 8
•258 PSITTACIDJE.
breeds in the sal-forests of the Sub-Himalayan ranges about
March and April, and lays four white glossless eggs, measuring
about 1'15 by *97. Major Bingham found this Paroquet breeding
in Tenasserim in February.
1146. PalsBornis caniceps. Blyitis Nicobar Paroquet.
Palaeornis
id. Cat.
Hume,
Cat.B. M. xx,p. 470.
Coloration. Male. Forehead and a broad stripe to each eye,
also chin and a wide mandibular band to each side of the neck,
black ; remainder of head, with back and sides of neck, brownish
grey (isabelline), slightly washed with bluish behind and passing
gradually into the green of the upper parts, which is yellower on
the coverts and darker on the quills ; primaries and their coverts
black, only bordered with green on the outer webs, bluish towards
tfye base ; middle tail-feathers greyish towards the tips, sometimes
bluish near the base; lower plumage green like the back; tail-
feathers dark dingy yellow below.
The female has the grey of the cap tinged with bluish.
Upper mandible red in the male, black in the female, lower
mandible black in both ; iris orange-red ; feet plumbeous green.
Length about 24 ; tail 14 ; wing 8-5 ; tarsus '8 : bill from
cere I'l.
Distribution. Nicobar Islands. A skin brought by Cantor from
Penang was probably, like some other specimens of Cantor's, both
of birds and mammals, derived from a caged individual.
Habits, Sfc. Davison, the only naturalist who has had good oppor-
tunities of observing this bird wild, says it is usually found singly
or in very small parties, that keep much to high trees, and fre-
quently utter a peculiar wild screeching note. The flight is very
rapid.
1147. Palaeornis erythrogenys. The Red-cheeked Nicobar Paroquet.
Palaeornis erythrogenys, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, pp. 23, 51, 368
(1846) ; id. Cat. p. 6 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 620 ; Blyth, Ibis,
1863, pp. 5, 465 (partim) ; Ball, S. F. i, p. 60 (partim) ; Hume.
N. $ E. p. 119 ; id. S. F. ii, pp. 23, 181.
Palseornis'nicobaricus, Gould, B. of Asia, vi, pi. 6 (1857) ; Ball,
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 30 (partim) ; Hume, Cat. no. 152 bis ;
Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 91 : Salvadori, Cat. B. M.
xx, p. 472.
Coloration. Male. Crown green; a black band, the feathers
tipped with dark green, from nostril to eye ; lores and sides of
head, including ear-coverts, light brick-red ; chin and broad man-
dibular stripe to each side of neck black ; nape yellowish green,
below the occiput slightly washed with lilac, sometimes so as to
form an indistinct collar ; upper back pale greenish yellow, suffused
with grey, becoming bluish on the interscapulary region ; wing-
coverts yellow-green, except the greater primary-coverts, which,
with the quills, are blue with green outer edges ; the inner webs
PSITTINUS. 250
of the quills black except at the tips, which are dark green ; rump
and upper tail-coverts bright green ; middle tail-feathers blue,
edged and tipped green, outer feathers green with some blue along
the shafts, all dull yellow below ; lower parts green, the breast and
throat yellower.
Female. Head and body above nearly uniform green, the red
cheeks duller than in the male, and the mandibular stripes in part
tinged with green ; otherwise as in the male.
Young birds resemble the female.
In males the upper mandible vermilion, yellow at tip, lower
horny black, yellowish horny, or dingy red; in females both mandibles
are blackish, in very young birds of both sexes dull red. Irides
yellow, creamy white, or pale brown ; orbital skin greenish brown;
legs dull earthy or brownish green (Hume).
Length about 19 ; tail 11 ; wing 7*5 ; tarsus *75 ; bill from
gape -9.
Distribution. The Nicobar Islands.
Habits, $c. This Paroquet abounds throughout the Nicobar
group, chiefly in small flocks. Young birds were found in the
nest-holes by Davison in February and early in March.
1148. PalaBOrnis tytleri. The Red-cheeJced Andaman Paroquet.
Palseornis erythrogenys, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1860, p. 99 ; 1868, p. 132
1873, p. 79, note ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli,
pt. 2, p. 279 ; id. S. F. i, p. 60 (part.) ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 298.
Palseornis nicobaricus, apud Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 555 ; Ball,
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 241 ; nee Gould.
Palseornis affinis, Tytler, Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 320; Blyth, 7&w,
1868, p. 132 ; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 9, 24, 184 ; nee Gould, 1858.
Palaeorms tytleri, Hume, Proc. A. S. B. 1874, p. 108 ; id. S. F. ii,
p. 454 ; id. Cat. no. 152 ter ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 474.
The male only differs from that of P. erythrogenys in being of a
less yellowish green ; the upper back and interscapulary tract are
much bluer, and there is a bluish tinge on the breast. In females
the mandibular stripe is green throughout. The size of P. tytleri
is rather less. Length of males 15-5 to 18'5, tail 9 to 10-5,
wing 7 ; of females, length 15, tail 7, wing 675.
Distribution. The whole Andaman group, including Barren Island,
Narcondam, the Cocos, and Preparis ; common everywhere.
This and the last species are only just separable, but the
distinctions, small as they are, appear to be quite constant.
P. longicauda, from the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
is an allied species ; and a still more nearly related form is
P. modesta, from Engano, off the S.W. coast of Sumatra.
Genus PSITTINUS, Blyth, 1842.
Size small. Tail less than half as long as wing, and rounded
at the end ; bill as in Palceornis.
This genus consists of a single species found in the Malay
Peninsula and islands, and ranging into Tenasserim.
s 2
260 PSITTACIDJE.
1149. Psittinus incertus. The Little Malayan Parrot.
Psittacus incertus, Shaw, Nat. Misc. xviii, pi. 769 (c. 1807^.
Psittacus malaccensis, apud Lath. 2nd. Orn. i, p. 130 (1790) ; nee
Psittinus malaccensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 789 (1842) ; Horsf.
Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 608; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 6; id. $ Wold. {Birds
Burm. p. 58.
Tanygnathus malaccensis. Blyth, Cat. p. 3.
Psittinus incertus, Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 121, 500: Hume,
Cat. no. 153 ter ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 147 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M.
xx, p. 501.
Coloration. Male. Head and neck bluish grey, becoming bright
cobalt-blue on the forehead and vertex ; upper back and scapulars
blackish brown with an olive tinge ; wings outside green, a large
deep red patch on the smaller secondary-coverts, most of the other
coverts and the quills conspicuously edged with greenish yellow :
outer greater primary-coverts blue, edge of wing yellow, winglet-
feathers with bluish edges ; first primary and inner webs of the
others blackish brown ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
cobalt-blue; median tail-feathers dark green, the other feathers
yellowish green above, yellow beneath ; chin whitish ; breast olive-
grey, passing into blue on the middle of the abdomen and green
round the vent ; wing-lining and axillaries crimson.
Female. Head and neck ruddy brown, yellowish at the sides
and below ; remainder of upper plumage green, washed with blue
on the rump ; lower parts yellowish green ; wings, including wing-
lining and axillaries, and tail as in males, but the red patch on the
wing-coverts is smaller.
Young birds are deep green above and below, with the exception
of the crimson wing-lining and a blue patch on the lower back.
In adult males the upper mandible is orange-vermilion, lower
dusky or dull reddish brown, in females both are usually whitish ;
irides creamy white, eyelids and cere greenish brown or dusky
green ; legs and feet pale dirty green (Davisori).
Length about 7*5 ; tail 1-9 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from
cere -7.
Distribution. Throughout the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and
Borneo, ranging into Southern Tenasserirn as far north as Tavoy
and Nwalabo.
Habits, fyc. To parts of Tenasserini this Paroquet is a seasonal
visitant, arriving about April. It probably, however, only moves
from one part of the country to another at" no great distance. It
goes about in small flocks, and has a sharp whistling note. The
nidification has not been observed.
Oenua LORICULUS, Blyth, 1849.
Bill much smaller and longer comparatively than in Palceornis,
and much more compressed, the culmen less curved ; the depth of
the two mandibles together less than the length from cere to
point ; tail short, slightly rounded.
LORICULUS. 261
This genus ranges throughout the greater part of the Oriental
region and into part of the Papuan. Two species out of about
twenty that are known occur within our limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Crown green L. vernalis, p. 261.
b. Crown red L. indicus, p. 262.
1150. Loriculis vernalis. The Indian Loriquet.
Psittacus vernalis, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, no. 29 (1787).
Loriculus vernalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 10; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 627;
Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 265 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 6 ; Walden, P. Z. 8.
1866, p. 538; 1873, p. 298; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 320; 1869,
p. 412; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 185, 471 ; iii, p. 57 ; iv, p. 388; v, p. 25 ;
xi, p. 56 ; id. Cat. no. 153 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 58 ;
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 120, 500; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52;
Bingham, ibid. p. 161 ; Butler, ibid. j>. 384 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 146 ;
id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. in, p. 92 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. Ill ; Salvation, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 517.
Coryllis vernalis, Finsch, Papag. ii, p. 721 (1868).
Bhora, Bho-ara, H. in S. India; Latkan, H. in Bengal; Kyay-thatah,
Kyun-hto, Burm.
Coloration. Male. Upper parts green, except the rump and
upper tail-coverts, which are rich crimson ; crown rather lighter
green, outer webs of quills above and upper
surface of tail-feathers darker, back tinged
with yellow ; lower parts also green, but paler
and yellower, especially on the breast ; a patch
of blue on the throat; inner webs of quills
inside and larger under wing-coverts, also
lower surface of tail-feathers, verditer-blue.
The female is a little darker in colour, and
Fig. 71. wants the blue on the throat partially or
He&d of L. vernalis, j. wholly. In young birds the crimson of the
rump is mixed with green.
Bill dull coral-red, yellow at tip, cere red ; iris pale yellowish
white; legs pale orange (Oates, Pegu): bill dark yellow; feet
leaden (Jerdon, Malabar).
Length about 5-5 ; tail 1'7 ; wing 3*7 ; tarsus -45 ; bill from
cere *5.
Distribution. The neighbourhood of the Malabar coast from
Cape Comorin to the latitude of Bombay, also east of the Bay of
Bengal. This bird is found on the Nilgiris up to about 6000 feet,
also in Western Mysore, and in Dharwar, Belgaum, &c., but only
near the Sahyadri ; it is unknown throughout the rest of India
south of the Himalayas, and in the Himalayas it has not been
recorded west of Sikhim and the Bhutan Duars, where it is found,
also in Assam, Sylhet, Cachar, Khtisi hills, Manipur, and through-
out Burma, extending to the Malay Peninsula, in the southern
portion of which it is replaced by L. yaljulus. It is common in the
262 PSITTACDXffi.
Andaman Islands, but has not been observed in the Nicobars. It
is replaced by the next species in Ceylon.
Habits, fyc. In some parts of the Western Grhats this is said to
be a cold-weather visitant, above the Ghats it is only found in
the rains ; it probably, like other Parrots, shifts its quarters with
the seasons, but to no great distance. It is swift of night, and
utters a screaming call when flying. It is found chiefly in
clearings amongst forest, in gardens, and especially in groves of
fruit-trees. It feeds on fruit of various kinds and on flower-buds,
and is said to be particularly fond of cocoanut-palm juice — so-
much so as often to be captured in a stupified state after indulging
in the intoxicating liquid. In the case of the allied L. indicus the
juice of the wild palm Caryota urens is said by Legge to intoxicate
the birds.
This Loriquet is often caged, and, like other species of the genus,
becomes very tame, and has the habit of sleeping with its head
downwards, hanging from its perch. It breeds from March to
May, in Tenasserim in February, and lays 3 to 5 eggs in a hole
or hollow in a tree without any nest. The eggs are white and
measure about -74 by -6.
1151. Loriculus indicus. The Ceylonese Loriquet.
Psittacus indicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 349 (1788).
Psittacus asiaticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 130 (1790).
Psittacula coulaci, pt., Less. Traite. p. 202 (1831).
Loriculus phillipensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 10 ; nee Psittacus phillipensis,.
Mull.
Loriculus asiaticus, Blyth, Cat. p. 312 ; id. J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 801 ;
xix, p. 236 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii. p. 261 ; Horsf. & M.
Cat. ii, p. 628 ; Walden, Ibis, 1867, p. 468.
Loriculus coulaci, Ittyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 7 ; 1866, p. 226.
Loriculus edwardsi, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 295.
Loriculus indicus, Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 426 ; Hume, S. F.
vii, p. 368 j id. Cat. no. 153 bis ; Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 180, pi. vi ;
Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xx, p. 526.
Gira-malitchia, Pol-girawa, Cing.
Coloration. Precisely similar to that of L. vernalis, except that
the crown is deep red like the uropygium ; this red passes into-
orange on the nape, and the hind-neck and interscapulary region
are tinged with orange-yellow. Sexes alike. In the young the
colours are duller and the head is green above.
Bill light orange-red; cere yellow; iris white; legs and feet
dusky yellow (Legge}.
Length about 5-5 ; tail 1-75 ; wing 3'7 ; tarsus -45 • bill from
cere -5.
^ Distribution. Ceylon, generally distributed, up to about 3500
feet, but much less common in the north part of the island.
Habits, $c. Precisely similar to those of the last species. Nidi-
fication not recorded.
Order X. STRIGES.
The Owls form almost as natural an order as the Parrots, and
occupy, both in external characters and in their anatomy, a posi-
tion between the Psittaci and the Accipitres. Although long
regarded as a suborder of the Accipitrine or Eaptorial birds, they
have of late years been generally placed in a distinct ordinal
group.
Amongst the more conspicuous characters are the reversible
outer toe, the position of the eyes, which are always directed for-
ward and are generally very large, and the short curved and
hooked bill, the basal portion covered with a cere in which the
nostrils are pierced, the cere being almost entirely concealed by
the mass of bristly feathers on the lores and forehead. In most of
the genera the head is large and the facial portion covered with
feathers radiating from the eyes and forming the facial disk, the
outer margin of which is surrounded by a ruff of close-textured
feathers forming a conspicuous border. From the margin of the
ruff above the eyes there arise in many Owls aigrettes of
lengthened feathers, known also as horns or ear-tufts, the last
term being incorrect. The plumage is soft, and the coloration
generally brown or rufous, the feathers in some genera being deli-
cately vermiculated or stippled as in the Caprimulgi.
The feet are strong and furnished with short claws ; a hallux is
always present. The oil-gland is nude. The spinal feather-tract
is well defined on the neck. There is no aftershaft. There are
always 11 primaries. The flexor longus Jialluds leads to the
hallux, and the flexor perforans diyitorum to the remaining three
digits, but the two tendons are united by a broad vinculunu
There is no ambiens muscle ; the femoro-caudal is present, but the
accessory femoro-caudal and the semitendinosus and accessory
semitendinosus are wanting. Basipterygoid processes are present
and the palate is desmognathous, or, according to Gadow, schizo-
gnathous with a desmognathous tendency. Both carotids are
present and the caeca are large. Cervical vertebra 14.
All Owls lay white and very round eggs, and the majority, like
Parrots and most Picarian birds, take possession of a hole or
hollow in the trunk or a branch of a tree for the purpose of nidi-
fication, and use little or no lining. A few lay their eggs in holes
amongst rocks, or on the ground, or in abandoned nests of other
birds, and some are said to build their own nests of sticks. The
young are hatched helpless and covered with down. The female,
in some Owls, exceeds the male in size, but not to the degree that
prevails amongst Accipitrine birds, whilst in many cases there is-
no difference in size between the sexes.
Owls are nocturnal or crepuscular and carnivorous and live for
264 STRIGIDJE.
the most part on mammals, on other birds, or on reptiles ; a few
subsist on fish, and many of the smaller kinds on insects. The
indigestible portions of the food— bones, hair, scales, &c. — are
disgorged as pellets. It is not an uncommon thing to find masses
of small bones in a hollow tree, thus accumulated.
The Owls comprise two families, both Indian. These families
.are well distinguished by osteological characters, but present no
external differences of any importance.
Skull long and narrow, breadth much less than
% of length ; furcula united to keel of ster-
num . . T. . . ............................ Strigidae, p. 264.
iSkull broad, generally about § of length ; furcula
not in contact with keel of sternum ........ Asionidae, p. 267.
Family
Hinder margin of sternum with a single shallow notch on each
side ; furcula anchylosed to keel of sternum ; no manubrium sterni.
Skull long and narrow. Second joint of third toe considerably
longer than the basal joint. (Beddard, Ibis, 1888, p. 340.)
Only two genera are known — Btrix, which is almost cosmo-
politan, and Heliodilus, peculiar to Madagascar.
Genus STRIX, Linn., 1766 *.
No aigrettes (ear-tufts). Facial disk well developed and large,
and entirely surrounded by a ruff of stiff feathers. Bill straight
at the base, compressed and weak ; nostrils oval. Legs long, the
upper part of the tarsus clad with feathers, which pass into bristles
on the lower tarsus and upper surface of the toes ; middle toe
scarcely longer than the inner, middle claw expanded and pectinate
on the inner side. Wings very long and pointed, exceeding the
tail, 2nd quill longest, 1st subequal ; tail moderate.
Key to the Species.
a. Upper surface speckled ; tarsus less than 3 inches S.flaminea, p. 264.
b. Upper surface with small spots but not speckled ;
tarsus over 3 inches ...................... S. Candida, p. 266.
1152. Strix flammea. The Barn-Owl or Screecli-Owl.
Strix flammea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 133 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 41 ;
Sharps, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 291 j Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 164 ; Gates,
B. B. ii, p. 167.
* Newton has shown (Yarrell, ed. 4, i. p. 150, and Ibis, 1876, p. 94) that
he type of the Linnaean genus Strix is clearly the Tawny Owl (S. stridula v.
alueo), and that Fleming's generic name Aluco should be used for S. flammea and
its allies ; but Sharpe (Ibis, 1875, p. 324) has given reasons, which, though nor,
so strong as Prof. Newton's, serve as a sufficient excuse for adhering to the usual
nomenclature.
STRIX. 265
Strix javanica, Gm. Syst. Nat, i, p. 295 (1788); Blyth, J. A. & /;.
xix. p. 613 ; Horsf. $ M. i, Cat. p. 81 ; Jerdon, B. /. i, p. 1 17 ; Myth
id. Jaunt. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 220; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 18 ;
Gates, in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 93.
Strix indica, JM/th, ll,i*, 1866, p. 250 ; 1870, p. 160; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 342 ; id. S. F. i, p. 163 ; iii, p. 37 ; Rainey, S. F. iii.
p. 332 ; nee Omel.
Strix dercepstorffi, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 390 ; iv, p. 283 ; id. Cat. no. 60
bis.
The Indian Screech-Owl, Jerdon ; Kuraya, Karail, Biiri churi, II. ;
Bhutumpecha, B.; Ghubdd, Mahr. ; Chaao pitta, Tel. ; Chaaokuravi, Tarn.
Fig. 72. — Hend of S. flummea, .4.
Coloration. Facial disk white (occasionally, but rarely, tinged
with ferruginous), orbital feathers and a broader spot in front of
the eye dark ferruginous ; ruff milky white, the ends of the outer
feathers generally buff and the tips dark brown ; back and upper
parts pale grey, tinted or mixed with ochreous, the feathers
yellowish buff except at the ends, which are finely verraiculated
with black and white, each feather tipped with a small elongate
black and white spot or ocellus ; quills mottled buff and dark
brown, with irregular dark cross-bands ; inner webs mostly white;
tail buff, mottled, especially at the end, with dark brown and
crossed by dark bands, the feathers white beneath ; lower parts
white or buff, with scattered small dark spots on the breast, abdo-
men, and wing-lining.
Bill fleshy white, cere flesh-colour ; iris black ; bare portions of
tarsi and feet fleshy brown, claws brown (Legge).
Length about 14 inches ; tail 5 ; wing 11-5 ; tarsus 2' 5-2-8 ; bill
from gape 1/5.
I think Sharpe right in uniting tin- various races of Barn-
Owls under one specific heading. At the same time the Indian
form, S. javanica, is distinguished from that of Western Europe
by having much more robust legs and ffi«t, and by beini; always
spotted beneath. But specimens from intermediate localities tend
to unite the two forms.
S. dercepstorffii is founded on a very small tawny ^M-rimen from
266 STBIGIDJE.
the Andaman Islands with the wing only 9'8, the face suffused
with ferruginous, and even the spots on the back dark tawny
instead of white. No other skin of this race has been obtained,
but all the points of difference are repeated in other insular races
of S.flammea.
Distribution. Almost all tropical and temperate regions. The
Barn-Owl is found throughout the greater part of India and
Burma, though it is rare in forest-regions, on the higher hills, and
in desert tracts. It has not been observed in Tenasserim, and in
Ceylon has been obtained only in the north of the island.
Habits, $c. From its habit of haunting roofs of buildings, out-
houses, wells, and ruins, the Barn-Owl, though thoroughly noc-
turnal, is one of the most familiar species of the order. It lives
almost entirely on rats and mice. Its cry, a peculiarly weird
shriek or screech, chiefly uttered at the pairing-season, sometimes
on the wing, has caused the Barn-Owl to be looked upon as a bird
of evil omen in many countries. Several of the Indian names
mean " bad bird " or " death-bird." The eggs are more oval and less
spherical than those of other Owls, white with a creamy tinge, and
measure about 1-69 by 1-28. The number varies from 3 to 6 ; and
they are generally deposited in holes in buildings or trees, or
occasionally in the ground, and are frequently laid and hatched
at intervals of several days. The breeding-season in the Indian
Peninsula and Burma is from November to January, in Northern
India from February to June.
1153. Strix Candida. The Grass-Owl.
Strix Candida, TicMl, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 572 (1833) ; Jerdon, III. Ind.
Orn. pi. 30; id. B. I. i, p. 118; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix,
pt. 2, p. 93 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii. p. 308 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 68 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 253 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi,
p. 27 ; Ball $ Hume, S. F. vii, p. 200; Hume, Cat. no. 61 ; Reid,
S. F. x, p. 14 ; Davison, ibid. p. 341 ; Terry, ibid. p. 469; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 168 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 95 ; Hume, S. F.
xi, p. 18.
Strix longimembris, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 86 (1839).
Glaux javanica, Blyth, Cat. p. 42 (1849) ; nee Strix javanica, Gmel.
Glaux Candida, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xix, p. 513 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 60.
Scelostrix Candida, Kaup, Tr. Z. S. iv, p. 248 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 251 ; 1870, p. 160; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 345 ; A. Anderson,
S. F. iii, p. 388.
Coloration. Disk either white or suffused with pale pinkish
ferruginous, a blackish-brown spot in front of each eye ; ruff dark
brown above, white or buff at the sides of the head and below,
some of the feathers often tipped with brown ; upper plumage
dark brown, each feather with a minute white spot ; basal portion
of feathers orange-buff, — this colour is conspicuous in places, es-
pecially on the neck ; smallest wing-coverts orange-buff, with small
brown spots ; quills buff, tipped with brown, mottled above the tip
and with some imperfect dark bars farther up, inner webs mostly
ASIONIDJB. 267
white ; tail-feathers white, the middle pair generally and the outer
webs of the others often buff above, all, except sometimes the
outermost, with brown cross-bars ; lower parts from chin white or
buff, with several scattered brown spots that are seldom or never
entirely wanting.
The buff lower parts and the pink disk may be signs of youth
(they are not so in S. Jlammea) ; they are certainly not sexual.
Bill and cere pinky white ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet
blackish brown; claws horny, tinged bluish (Davison).
Length about 14 ; tail 5 ; wing 13 ; tarsus 3'2-3'S ; bill from
gape 1-6.
Distribution. The grassy plains near the base of the Himalayas
as far west as Dehra Dun, also parts of Bengal, the Eastern Cen-
tral Provinces (Balaghat, Raipur), and Southern India (Nellore,
Carnatic, Nilgiris), but not Ceylon. Fairbank thought he saw
this Owl in the Bombay Deccan, but I agree with Butler that pro-
bably some other species may have been taken for it. To the east-
ward it has been found in Assam, the Khasi hills, Manipur, and
at Toungngoo in Burma, and as far as Formosa in one direction,
and Queensland in another, but it appears to be rare as a rule and
very locally distributed.
Habits, <Sfc. This species has generally been found in long grass,
but Davison says that on the Nilgiris he has flushed it from grass
scarcely a foot high. Very little is known of its habits. The
nest, a very slight one, if any, is made on the ground ; the eggs,
4 or 5 in number, are white, and measure about 1-63 by 1*27.
They have been taken from October to December.
Family ASIONUXE.
Hinder margin of sternum with two deep incisions on each
side ; f urcula free, not attached to the keel of the sternum, imper-
fect in some genera ; a small unforked manubrium (spina externa)
is present. Skull broad. Basal and second joints of third (middle)
toe subequal in length.
The Asionidce may be divided into 3 subfamilies, thus distin-
guished : —
a. Facial disk and ruff well-marked.
a'. Ear-orifice smaller than eye ; no oper-
culum ; middle claw pectinate Photodilina;, p. 268.
I'. Ear-orifice larger than eye and fur-
nished with an operculum ; middle
claw simple Asionince, p. 270.
b. Facial disk and ruff ill-marked or obsolete ;
ear-orifice smaller than eye ; middle
claw simple Bubonina, p. 280.
268 ASIONID.E.
Subfamily PHOTODILIN^E.
The characters are given under the only genus.
Genus PHOTODILUS, Geoffr., 1830.
Size small. Disk very distinct, but ruff not complete above
the eyes. Bill weak, compressed. Ear-orifice of moderate size,
smaller than the eye ; no operculum. Wings rounded, 4th and
5th quills longest ; tail short. Tarsus feathered throughout ; inner
toe longer than middle toe ; middle claw pectinate on the inside
as in Striae.
Owing to its well-developed disk and pectinate middle claw,
this genus was long placed with Strix. Schlegel first, then Blyth,
and subsequently, from an examination of the skeleton, Milne-
Edwards, showed that the present form should be assigned to the
Asionidce, and this has been confirmed by Beddard's additional
observations on the anatomy (Ibis, 1890, p. 293). He, however,
shows that Photodilus is, in several respects, intermediate in
structure between the Strigidce and the typical Asionidce *.
There are two species of Photodilus, both found within our
area.
Key to the Species.
a. Feathers of upper parts chestnut, spotted, but
not speckled, with black; inner webs of
primaries chestnut barred with black P. badius, p. 268.
b. Feathers of upper parts speckled or mottled
with black ; inner webs of primaries brown . . P. assimilis, p. 269.
1154. Photodilus badius. The Bay Owl.
Strix badia, Horsf. Res. Java, pi. 37 (1824).
Phodilus badius, Is. Geoff. St.-Hil. Ann. Sci. xxi, p. 201 (1830) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 41 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 80 : Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 119 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 251 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 346 ;
Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 344 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 37 ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. ii, p. 309 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 67 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 62 ; Hume fy Inglis, 8. F. ix, p. 245 ; Gates, B. B. ii,
p. 166 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 18 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2)
vii, pp. 376, 437.
Phodilus nipalensis, Gray, apud Hume, S. F. i, p. 429 ; iii, p. 37 ;
nee Gray.
The Bay Screech-Owl, Jerdon.
Coloration. Broad frontal tract and the facial disk vinous pink ;
* Beddard (1. c. p. 294) and Sharpe (P. Z. S, 1879, p. 175) were under the
impression that the middle claw in Photodilus was not pectinate. The absence
of pectination in the single specimen examined by each was probably due to
wear ; the serration or pectination in good specimens, of which there are now
between 30 and 40 in the British Museum, is precisely similar to that of Strix.
PHOTODILUS. 269
feathers round eye chestnut ; ruff white, the feathers tipped
chestnut and black ; crown and nape chestnut with, in the middle,
a few (usually 3 to 5) buff feathers, each with a small black spot,
remainder usually spotless, but sometimes with a small black spot
on each feather ; sides of neck ochreous buff with black spots ;
upper plumage slightly paler chestnut than the crown, and with a
few black spots, the feathers yellowish buff except at the ends,
and the buff showing especially on the neck, the scapulars, and
some of the wing-coverts ; the black spots on the scapulars and
some of the larger wing-coverts double, and with a white spot
between, or bordered with white ; quills, winglet, and tail-feathers
chestnut, with imperfect black bars, the first two or three quills,
the outermost feather of each series of primary-coverts, and the
terminal feather of the winglet with large white spots on the
outer webs ; lower parts pale vinous pink, more or less tinged \\ ith
buff from the base of the feathers showing ; some small brown spots,
sometimes with white borders, on the breast and abdomen ; wing-
lining whitish, with a chestnut patch at base of the primaries.
Bill yellowish ; iris black ; toes brown, claws yellowish.
Length 11*5 ; tail 3-8 ; wing 8'75 ; tarsus 2 ; bill from gape 1*5.
Distribution. The Eastern Himalayas as far west as Nepal at
low elevations (perhaps farther west, for Mr. E. Thompson told
Mr. Hume he had shot this species in Dehra Dun), also Assam,
Cachar, Manipur, Burma (where it is rare), and the Malay
countries, including Java and Borneo.
Habits, 6fc. A very nocturnal bird, living in forest, and conse-
quently very rarely seen. Nothing is known of the nidification.
1155. Photodilus assimilis. The Ceylon Bay Owl.
Phodilus badius, Hume, S. F. i, p. 429 ; Whyte, S. F. v, p. 201 ;
nee Strix badia, Horsf.
Phodilus assimilis, Hume, S. F. v, p. 138; id. Cat. no. 62 bis ;
Whyte, S. F. v, p. 353 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 101, pi. v.
This is very similar to the last, but darker above, the chestnut
colour not being uniform on the crown, but marked with black
shaft-lines, enclosing pale rufous spots, and on the upper parts
generally the chestnut is much mottled with black, the buff on the
back and scapulars is more marked, and there is a large buff patch
formed by the median wing-coverts ; the black bars on the quills
and tail-feathers are more numerous and extend quite across the
feathers, and are nearly or quite as broad as the chestnut bar-
intervening ; the inner webs of the primaries are brown instead
of chestnut; the patch on the wing-lining at the base of the
primaries is dark brown, and the spots on the lower surface are
double, one behind the other on the shaft of each I'l-uth.-r.
Bill greenish white ; iris dark brown ; feet pale whitish green,
claws pale ash (Whyte) ; cere probably divan-mis (Ltgge).
Dimensions about the same as those of P. badius.
270 ASIONIDJE.
Distribution. Only found as yet in the Ceylon hills, near Kandy,
where this bird appears rare, as very few specimens have hitherto
been obtained.
Habits, Sfc. Like P. badius this is a thoroughly nocturnal species,
living in dense forest. It appears to breed about the end of the
year ; makes a nest of dry twigs, moss, and feathers in a hollow
tree, and lays, in the only instance yet recorded, 3 eggs.
Subfamily ASIONIN^E.
Ear-orifice large, exceeding the eye in size, lunate or ovoid in
shape, and furnished with an operculum. Facial disk well-marked
and nearly as high above the eyes as below them ; ruff distinct.
The Owls of this subfamily are of moderate or large size, with
feathered tarsi. Two genera are Indian.
Key to the Genera.
a. Aigrettes present : 2nd quill longest ; iris yellow. Asio, p. 270.
b. No aigrettes : 3rd, 4th, or 5th quill longest ; iris
dark SYBNIUM, p. 273.
Genus ASIO, Brisson, 1760.
Aigrettes or ear-tufts present, but varying in size ; ear-orifice
very large, furnished with an operculum. Bill short and strong,
the part covered by the cere is longer than that beyond the cere
measured in a straight line from base to front. Tarsus and upper
surface of toes thickly covered with feathers. Euff complete or
nearly so ; facial disk well-marked, and extending nearly as far
above the eye as beneath it. Wings long and pointed, 2nd quill
longest, 3rd subequal ; tail moderate, rounded. Iris yellow.
Key to the Species.
a. Transverse dark markings as well as longitu-
dinal stripes on abdomen A. otus, p. 270.
b. Only longitudinal shaft-stripes on abdomen . A. accipitrinus, p. 271.
1156. Asio otus. The Long-eared Owl.
Strix otus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 132 (1766).
Otus vulgaris, Fleming, Brit. An. p. 56 (1828) ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
p. 79 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 125 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2,
p. 17 ; xli, p. 231 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 361 ; Jerdon, Ibis,
1871, p. 345 ; 2)oiff 8f Butler, S. F. vii, p. 503.
Asio otus, Lesson, Man. oVOrn. i,
Cat. B. M. ii
p. 45 ; Scully,
Ibis, 1889, p. 154.
A8IO. 271
Coloration. Lores and anterior portion of disk whitish, bristly
ends of feathers black ; round eye and streak from front of eye to
gape blackish brown ; posterior portion of disk tawny, tinged with
brown ; ruff dark brown inside, speckled brown, white, and buff
outside ; aigrettes blackish brown, with the basal outer border
buff, the inner border white ; upper parts dark brown, mottled
with white on the crown, back, rump, scapulars, wing-coverts, and
tertiaries, the buff bases of the feathers showing here and there
throughout ; the neck is buff, broadly streaked with dark brown,
the dark streaks slightly mottled at their edges ; quills tawny buff,
the terminal half greyish, mottled with brown, and barred with
mottled dark brown ; tail-feathers buff, mottled with dark brown
near the ends and with dark bars throughout ; lower parts buffy
white, with broad brown shaft-stripes, and with imperfect, narrow,
wavy and broken cross-bars on the abdomen only, some buff
from the bases of the feathers showing ; tibial and tarsal feathers
and under tail-coverts unstriped buff; wing-lining buffy white,
with a brown patch at the base of the primaries.
Bill blackish brown ; cere fleshy ; irides bright yellow to orange ;
claws horny black, paler at base (Hume).
Length 14'5 ; tail 6-5 ; wing 11*5 ; tarsus 1'6 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. The Palaearctic region, visiting N. Africa, the
Himalayas, and North-western India in winter. This Owl probably
breeds in the higher Himalayan forests, and has been obtained
from Kashmir to Sikhim. It is not rare in winter in the Punjab,
and has been collected in Sind by Butler and Doig, in Cutch by
Stoliczka.
Habits, fyc. The Long-eared Owl is migratory in Northern India,
but not throughout its range ; it is found in woods and feeds on
mice, insects, and small birds. It breeds usually in the deserted
nest of another bird, often a Buzzard's or Crow's, and lays about
4 white eggs in March or April.
1157. Asio accipitrinus. TJie Short-eared Owl.
Strix accipitrina, Pall. Rets. Russ. Reich*, i, p. 455 (1771).
Strix brachyotos, Forster, Phil. Trans. Ixii, p. 384 (1772).
Asio brachyotus, Blyth, Cat. p. 35 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 425.
Otus brachyotus, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 79 ; Jerdon, B. I. i. p. 126 ;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 364; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, jx 81 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 449; v, p. 226; Hume $ Bourd. S. fc iv,
p. 372.
jfigolius brachyotus, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 66.
Asio accipitrinus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 234; Wardl. Ramsay,
Ibis, 1877, p. 454 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 30 ; Davidson $
Wend. S. F. vii, p. 75 ; Hume, ibid. p. 162; Butler, ibid. p. 180 ;
ix,p. 376; Ball, S. F. vii,_p. 200; Crij>ps, ibid. p. 263 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 68; Davison, S. F. x, p. 343; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881,
p. 45 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 163 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 64 ; Hume,
S. F. xi, p. 20.
Coloration. Facial disk white, more or less tinged with tawny
272
buff, especially behind the eye ; orbital feathers and tips of loral
shafts black; ruff rich buff, streaked and speckled with dark
brown; upper plumage throughout buff, broadly streaked with
dark brown, the colours somewhat intermixed and mottled on the
scapulars, tertiaries, and wing-coverts ; some large buff or white
spots on the scapulars, greater and median coverts; primaries
buff, with the tips and two or three irregular cross-bands near the
end dark brown, the brown bands occurring higher on the outer
than on the inner webs; secondaries banded buff and brown,
basal portion of inner webs of all quills white ; tail banded tawny
buff and dark brown ; the buff in the middle feathers mixed with
Fig. 73. — Head ot A. accipitrinus, ^.
brown ; lower parts buff, longitudinally streaked with brown shaft-
stripes, broadest on the breast, growing narrow behind and dis-
appearing on the legs, lower abdomen, under tail-coverts, and
under wing-coverts ; a brown patch on the latter at the base of
the primaries.
In some skins from North-western Indian and the desert,
the parts usually buff are nearly white, especially the lower
surface.
Bill and claws blackish ; irides deep yellow.
Length 15 ; tail 5'75 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 1*6 ; bill from, gape 1*2.
Distribution. Almost world-wide except in high latitudes. A
migratory bird, that may be found during the cold season in all
parts of the empire in suitable localities ; common in the grass-
plains of Northern India, less common to the southward and,
so far as is known, in Burma, and not hitherto recorded from
Ceylon or Tenasserim.
Habits, fyc. This Owl is usually in India found in long grass,
and is often seen when grass-plains are beaten for game. Occa-
sionally it haunts low bush or cultivation. It lives mainly on
small mammals, which it hunts, chiefly by night, but sometimes by
day. It flies well and strongly, and was formerly a favourite
quarry for trained Falcons. It does not breed in India, but
farther north lays about 4 eggs on the ground.
STRNIUM. 273
Genus SYRNIUM, Savigny, 1810.
No aigrettes (ear-tufts) ; ear furnished with an operculum. Bill
stout. Tarsus thickly feathered throughout ; toes feathered above
in all Indian species to base of last phalanx ; claws strong. Buff
narrow, incomplete above ; facial disk well developed, extending
almost as far above the eyes as below. Wings rounded, 3rd, 4th,
or 5th quill longest ; tail of moderate length, rounded. Irides
always dark.
The Owls of this genus are of moderate size, and are generally
found in trees during the day : all are thoroughly nocturnal. In
Sharpe's ' Catalogue ' 27 species were enumerated, scattered over
the greater part of the world, and two or three have since been
described ; six are Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. Lower surface with longitudinal as well as
transverse markings.
a'. All tail-feathers with pale cross-bands :
wing 12 S. nivicola, p. 273.
b'. Middle tail-feathers not banded : wing
13-5 S. biddulphi, p. 274,
b. Lower surface with transverse bars alone.
c'. Bars on abdomen £ inch or more apart.
a". Upper parts mottled with black and
white S. ocdlatum, p. 277
It TT 'j_l 1 *J_ 1 A
ipp
phi
6". Upper parts with white spots, but not
mottled S. seloputo, p. 278.
d'. Bars on abdomen much less than £ inch
apart S. indrani, p. 275.
c. Lower surface with longitudinal shaft-stripes
alone S. butleri, p. 279.
1158. Syrnium nivicola. The Himalayan Wood-Owl.
Mesomorpha nivicola, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82 (descr.
nulla).
Syrnium nivicolum, Hodgs., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, pp. 185, 550
(1845) ; xv, p. 9 ; xvi, p. 464 ; id. Cat. p. 41 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 84 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 124 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2,
p. 16 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 359 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 345 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 250 ; Hume, Cat. no. 66 ; id. S. F. ix,
p. 37 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 407.
Kashi-op tak-pum, Lepcha ; Uko, Bhot.
Coloration. Loral feathers white or fulvous, with black bristly
ends; facial disk greyish or fulvous, white-shafted, indistinctly
barred with brown; a white or fulvous superi'ilimn ; ruff indis-
tinct, dark brown, more or less banded and spotted \vith white or
fulvous ; middle of crown dark brown, uniform in old birds ; upper
parts dark brown, vermiculated and speckled with whitish or
VOL. in. T
274 ASIONTDJE.
fulvous, with larger whitish or buff markings on the hind-neck,
and large white or buff spots on the outer webs of the scapulars
and of the median primary wing-coverts; quills brown, with
mottled tips and broad whitish bars, more or less mottled, inter-
rupted at the shafts, and closer together on the secondaries ; tail-
feathers brown, mottled at the tips and sometimes on the outer
edges, and all with pale mottled or clouded cross-bands ; lower
parts 'white or yellowish fulvous, pure in the middle of the throat,
elsewhere broken up by dark brown shaft-stripes and cross-bands,
closer together on the chin and breast ; feathers on legs and toes
with brown markings forming irregular bars.
Young birds are somewhat indistinctly barred with brown and
fulvous almost throughout.
Bill pale fleshy yellow; cere brown, ill-marked; irides dark
brown ; ends of toes dull plumbeous, claws brown (Hume}.
Length about 17 ; tail 7 ; wing 12; tarsus 2; bill from gape
1-35.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas fromMurree to Sikhim,
and probably farther east at considerable elevations, 6000-14,000
feet. This Owl is also found in China. Birds from Sikhim and
Nepal are always fulvous and rufescent, those from the N.W.
Himalayas greyish, the difference far exceeding that between
S. newarense and S. indrani, and very like that between Capri-
mulgus europceus and G. unwini.
Habits, fyc. Very little known. The cry, according to Davison,
is a double hoot. The nest and eggs have not been observed, but
probably resemble those of the allied European species S. aluco,
the Tawny Owl, which lays 3 or 4 eggs in the hollow of a tree,
or sometimes amongst rocks or in an old rook's nest. Another
allied form is S. davidi from Moupin (Sharpe, Ibis, 1875, p. 256).
1159. Syrnium biddulphi. Scully's Wood-Owl.
Syrnium biddulphi, Scully, Ibis, 1881. p. 423, pi. xiv: id. S. F. x,
p. 95.
Similar to the last, but rather larger, still greyer than the
north-western variety of S. nivicola, and intermediate in markings
between that species and S. aluco, there being a tendency to dark
median bars on the hind-neck, back, and scapulars, though less
than in the European form. The vermiculation or mottling of
the upper parts is finer than in S. nivicola, and the present
species may be immediately distinguished by having the middle
tail-feathers and the outer webs of the next pair mottled through-
out and almost or entirely destitute of cross-bands.
Bill green, yellow at tip ; cere olive ; iris dark brown ; toe-scales
pale green ; claws black, slaty at base (Scully}.
Length about 18*5 : tail 8-5 ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2-5 ; bill from
gape 1'45.
Distribution. Two specimens were obtained by Scully at Gilgit
SYBNIUM. 275
in forest. I find two more in the Hume collection — one from
Peshawar, the other from Murdan, close to Peshawar. It was
probably this bird that was seen in Afghanistan by Wardlaw
Kamsay (Ibis, 1880, p. 48) and taken for S. nivicola. Nothing
is known of the habits.
1160. Symium indrani. The Brown Wood-Owl.
Strix indranee, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 82.
Ulula newarenis, Hodgson, As. Res. xix, p. 168 (1836).
Bulaca newarensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. 372 ; Blyth, Ibis.
1866, p. 252; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 348 ; id. N. Of E. p. 60 :
Stanford, S. F. v, p. 483.
Bulaca monticola, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, p. 167 (1844).
Syrniuin newarense, Gray, Gen. JS. i, p. 39, pi. 14 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 122 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 16 ; Jerdon, Ibis,
1871, p. 344 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 281 ; Hume, Cat. no. 04 ;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 229 ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1887, pp. 434, 471 ;
Hume, S. F. xi, p. 19; Gates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 116.
Bulaca indranee, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 463; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 347.
Syrnium indrani, Blyth, Cat. i, p. 40 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 83 ; Jerdon,
$ Uav. IS. IT. vi, p. VI ; Jlume, L'at. no. 63 ; Yulal, S. Jb. ix,p. 35 ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 155, pi. v ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 342 ; Taylor,
ibid. p. 455 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 407 ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1887,
p. 477 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 62.
Syrnium ochrogenys, Hume, S. F. i, p. 431 (1873).
Syrnium hodgsoni, Scutty, S. F. viii, p. 231 (1879).
The Brown Wood-Owl, The Nepal Brown Wood-Oivl, Jerdon ; Bulaka,
Nepal ; Mik-dab-bru, Lepcha ; Ulama, Cing.
Coloration. Bristly loral feathers mixed black and white;
feathers around orbits black or blackish brown, passing into
whitish, whity brown, brownish buff, or even orange-buff, more or
less barred with dusky, on the facial disk, a white or whitish super-
ciliary band continuous across the forehead ; ruff proper and chin
chocolate-brown, upper parts the same ; crown and nape often
much darker than the back. Scapulars and wing-coverts more or
less barred paler, some of the outer scapulars white with narrow
brown bars ; rump and upper tail-coverts also barred with white
or whitish in , some birds, and the back barred paler in young
individuals ; quills with pale cross-bars, not always corresponding
on the two webs, much closer together on the secondaries; tail-
feathers brown, with narrow pale brown or white bars and white
tips; throat pure white; remainder of lower parts, except chin,
white or fulvous, closely barred with dark brown, most closely on
the legs and toes ; the breast in some old birds (chiefly Hima-
layan) nearly or quite uniformly brown.
Young birds have broad whitish edges to the feathers, especially
T2
276 ASIONLDJE.
on the crown and nape ; all the upper parts are barred ; the lower
parts are white at first, and gradually assume the barring.
Bill greenish horny, bluish near base ; cere plumbeous ; hides
deep brown (yellow irides have twice been recorded) ; ends of toes
pale leaden ; claws dusky plumbeous, paler at their bases. Toes-
feathered above, except close to the claws.
Length of Himalayan birds about 21 inches, tail 8-9-5, wing
13-3 to 16-6, tarsus 2-3 to 2-75, bill from gape 1-45-1-6 ; length
of South-Indian and Ceylon birds about 18-5, tail 6-5-8, wing
11-75-13*5. Males average less than females.
I do not think the Peninsular and Ceylon form, S. indrani, can
be separated from the Himalayan S. neivarense, except as a race or
subspecies. The Southern race is considerably smaller, as usual,
and the facial disk is as a rule distinctly ochreous, whilst in the
Himalayan bird it is whitish ; but the difference is not absolutely
constant, as Hume has shown, and ochreous or rufous coloration
is a common form of variation in Owls. Very often, too, the
superciliary band is less pure white, and the crown and nape are
darker and paler in the Southern than in the Northern variety.
Birds from the Assam hills and Burma resemble those from
Southern India in colour. The Malaccan $. maingayi (Hume,
S. I\ vi, p. 27) is rather more distinct, but only entitled, I think,
to subspecific separation.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from near the base to
a considerable elevation (13,000 feet in Sikhim), also on the
Western Ghats from Mahableshwar southward and throughout
Ceylon. Blyth received a specimen from Goomsur, and there is
one from the Shevroy hills in the Madras Museum. To the
eastward this bird has been found in the hills south of Assam, in
Manipur, and, very rarely, in Burma, a specimen from the Thoung-
gyen valley, east of Moulmein, having recently been sent to me
by Mr. Hauxwell, and I find another from the same neighbourhood,
collected by Mr. Limborg, in the Tweeddale collection. Swinhoe
obtained this species in Formosa.
Habits, fyc. A forest bird, keeping much to the higher hill-
ranges, except in Ceylon. The ordinary call is, according to
Davison, a quadruple hoot; according to Legge a sound like
to-whood: the diabolical shrieks attributed to this species by
Layard and others are probably produced by another Owl. Legge
has given an excellent account of the bird in captivity. His
captives devoured small birds, lizards, and fish with equal zest.
The Owl grasped its food, just as a parrot does, in one foot, with,
the inner toe turned backwards, and after nibbling at various
parts, as if to taste, jerked the whole headforemost into its
mouth and swallowed it. Hume found a nest of sticks belonging
to this species on June 6th, in a precipitous valley near Simla,
placed on a rocky shelf, and containing three very young birds ;
and Mandelli obtained a white subspherical egg, measuring 2-07
by 1-76, from a female on March 6th. No more is known of the
breeding.
SYENIUM. 277
1161. Syrnmm ocellatum. The Mottled Wood-Owl.
Syrnium ocellatum, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 289; Stanford,
J. A S. B. xxxvin, pt. 2, p. 167 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i. p. 263 ;
Butler, 8. F. v, p. 208 ; vii, p. 179 ; ix, p. 376 ; Davidson $ Wend.
S. F. vii, p. /5; Ball, ib. p. 200; Hume, Cat. no. 65; Vital
S F ix, p. 35 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 14 ; Hume, ibid. p. 343 ; Barnes,
birds Bom. p. 02; id. Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 220;
Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 195; Gates in Hume'*
N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 115.
Bulaca sinensis, apud Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. x, p. 88 ; nee Lath.
feyrnmm smense, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi,p. 162 ; id. Cat. p. 40 ;
Horsf. £ M. Cat. i, p. 82; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 123; iii, p. 870;
McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 207.
Bulaca ocellata, Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 29; 1866, p. 253; King,
J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 213 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 353 ; id.
N. 8fE. p. 61 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 80; Adam, S. F.
i, p. 369 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 253.
Fig. 74.— Head of 8. ocellatum, $.
Coloration. Loral feathers mixed black and white, a vertical
ferruginous stripe behind the eye, remainder of facial disk greyish
white, barred with dusky and white-shafted ; forehead and super-
cilia white with black bars ; ruff chocolate-brown, narrow and
inconspicuous ; feathers of upper parts ferruginous tawny except
at the ends, those of the crown, nape, and sides of neck tipped
black, spotted or barred with white, those of the rest of the upper
surface finely mottled black and white, with broader wavy black
bars and shaft-stripes ; terminal portion of quills dark brown,
with numerous broad pale clouded and mottled cross-bands and
mottled tips, basal portion buff, sometimes with dark cross-bars;
upper surface of outer web much mottled ; middle tail-feathers
mottled and with irregular cross-bands, buff towards the base,
becoming dark near the end ; outer tail-feathers the same near the
tip and on the outer web, but buff with dark bands inside
towards the base ; point of chin greyish white, the feathers very
bristly, followed by dark brown buff feathers with whitf edges and
chestnut at the base ; middle of throat white ; lower parts from
278 ASIONID^B.
throat white, tinged with ochreous buff, and with narrow blackish
cross-bars, which are much closer together on the legs and toes.
Bill black ; eyelids orange ; irides dark brown ; claws dusky ;
soles of the feet yellowish (Jerdon).
Length about 18'5 ; tail 8 ; wing 14 ; tarsus 2-25 ; bill from
gape 1'6.
Distribution. Throughout the Peninsula of India as far south as
the Carnatic and the base of the Nilgiris, at all events, but not in
Ceylon. To the northward the range extends in places to the
Sutlej, and perhaps to the Indus on the west, to the base of the
Himalayas on the north, and to Lower Bengal on the east, but not
beyond.
Habits, $c. The Mottled Wood-Owl is chiefly found in well-
wooded districts, but not in forests, and is especially partial to
mango-topes and large trees about villages. It lives chiefly on
small mammals, such as rats, mice, and squirrels, and its call is a
loud harsh hoot. It breeds in the N.W. Provinces and Punjab in
February and March, but in the Central Provinces from November
till January, and lays usually 2 eggs, occasionally 3, in a cavity or
hollow of some large tree, very often a mango, banyan, or peepul,
there being little or no lining. According to Anderson it fre-
quently builds a nest, but this is not confirmed by other observers.
The eggs are very round ovals, white or slightly creamy, measuring
about 1-99 by 1-67.
1162. Syrnium seloputo. The Malayan Wood-Owl.
? Strix sinensis, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. ii, p. 368 ; id. Ind. Orn. Suppl,
p. xvi (1801).
Strix seloputo, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 140 (1821).
Strix pagodarum, Temm. PL Col. pi. 230 (1823).
Syrnium seloputo, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 84 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 150 ;
iii, p. 37 ; id. Cat. no. 65 bis ; Blyth £ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 67 f
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 28.
Bulaca sinensis, Blyth, Ibis, 3865, p. 29; 1866, p. 253; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 357.
Syrnium sinense, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 261 ; Oates, B. B. iir
p. 164 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 114.
Coloration. Facial disk, including lores and forehead, dull ochreous
buff ; ruff narrow, dark brown ; upper parts chocolate-brown,
darker on the head and nape and spotted throughout with white
spots and imperfect bars of irregular size and shape, more or less
surrounded by black rims ; outer scapulars white, with brown cross-
bars ; quills and tail-feathers brown, with pale cross-bands and
tips, the cross-bands growing broader and becoming buff on the
inner webs of the quills towards the base ; chin buff, middle of
throat white ; lower surface from throat, with sides of neck and
under wing-coverts, white, with dark brown cross-bars, narrow on
the abdomen and close together on the legs.
Young with the upper plumage mostly banded white and dark
brown.
SYRNIUM. 279
Bill and cere greenish black ; irides dark brown ; claws and
visible portion of toes horny (Davison).
Length about 18-5 ; tail 7*5 ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2-25 ; bill from
gape 1-5.
Distribution. Pegu, Tenasserim, Siam, Cochin China, the Malay
Peninsula, Java, and probably Sumatra and Borneo. The reported
occurrence of this Owl in Assam and the Nicobar Islands is
probably due to error.
Habits, &fc. This is more of a forest bird than S. ocellatum, but
keeps similarly to large trees, and the young birds were found on
bare wood in the fork of a peepul tree by Gates in March and
April. The hoot is said by Davison to be very peculiar, com-
mencing with a sort of rolling 7ioo-hoo-hoo and ending with a pro-
longed and deep-drawn hoo. A bird killed by this naturalist had
fed upon beetles.
This bird does not agree well with Latham's description of
Strix sinensis, and as it is not known to occur in China the name
is objectionable.
1163. Syrnium butleri. Hume's Wood-Oivl.
Asio butleri, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 316 ; id. Cat. no. 67 bis.
Syrnium butleri, Tristram, S. F. viii, p. 417.
Coloration. Facial disk white, tinged with tawny behind, some
of the loral feathers black-tipped ; ruff greyish brown, the feathers
tipped with cream-colour or buff ; upper plumage brown, banded
irregularly, clouded, and intermixed with dull brownish buff, a few
large white spots on the secondary, median, and greater coverts ;
quills and tail-feathers banded brown and brownish buff above,
brown and whity brown beneath, tips of the quills mottled greyish
brown ; tips of tail-feathers white, the buff bars on the median
tail-feathers replaced by irregularly-shaped spots; lower parts
creamy white, the feathers edged with rufous brown, and with
narrow brown shaft-stripes on the breast and upper abdomen ;
wing-lining white, a brown patch at the base of the primaries.
Length 14, or rather less ; tail 5-75 ; wing 10 ; tarsus 2 ; bill
from gape 1'2.
The tarsi, feet, and claws are very small. In the wing the 3rd
quill is longest and the 4th very little shorter.
Distribution. Only two specimens are known — one, the type in
the Hume collection, was obtained, there is every reason to believe,
at Omara on the Mekran coast ; the other was procured by Canon
Tristram from Mt. Sinai. This Owl is somewhat intermediate
between Syrnium and Asio, but appears more allied to the former,
as it has a rounded wing and no aigrei
280
Subfamily BUBONINJE.
Ear-orifice not exceeding the eye in size; no operculum. Facial
disk generally ill-marked, and never extending as far above the
eye as below ; ruff nearly or quite obsolete.
This subfamily is much larger than the last two, and contains
several Indian forms, varying in size from the great Eagle-Owls
to species scarcely larger than a Skylark.
Key to the Genera.
a. Aigrettes well developed.
a'. Size large ; wing exceeding 13.
a". Tarsi partly or wholly naked KETUPA, p. 280.
b". Tarsi feathered throughout.
a3. 1st quill longer than 7th j irides yellow. BUBO, p. 283.
b3. 1st quill shorter than 10th ; irides'brown. HUHUA, p. 287.
b'. Size small ; wing under 8 SCOPS, p. 290.
b. Aigrettes small or wanting.
c'. Cere not inflated, colour mainly or wholly
white : NYCTEA, p. 289.
d'. Cere inflated ; colour brown or rufous,
c". Plumage more or less spotted with white
ahove ATHENE, p. 300.
d". Plumage barred above (in Indian forms). GLAUCIDIUM, p. 304.
e". Plumage uniformly brown above (in
Indian forms) NINOX, p. 309.
Genus KETITPA, Lesson, 1831.
The Fish-Owls comprise three species, all occurring within Indian
limits. They are large and powerful birds, with the tarsus partly
or wholly naked and granular, much like that of the Osprey, and
the soles of the feet covered with prickly scales. The claws are
large, well curved, each with a sharp cutting-edge beneath, and the
middle claw with a sharp keel on the inside also.
Aigrettes are present, long and pointed. The bill is large and
strong. The facial disk is ill-marked, especially above. The
wings are rounded, and do not reach the end of the tail, 4th quill
generally the longest, 3rd and 5th subequal ; tail moderate.
Key to the Species.
•a. Tarsus naked behind and usually more than
halfway up in front.
a'. Lower surface with shaft-stripes and finely
barred across throughout K zeylonensis, p. 281.
6'. Lower surface with shaft-stripes, but without
cross-barring x. javanensis, p. 283.
b. Tarsus partly feathered behind, and usually more
than halfway down in front K.flampes, p. 282.
KETUPA. 281
1164. Ketupa zeylonensis. The Brown Fish-Owl.
Strix zeylonensis, Gmd. Syst. Nat. i, p. 287 (1788).
Strix leschenaultii, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 20 (1824).
Strix dumeticola, Tickett, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 571 (1833).
Strix hardwickii. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool ii, pi. 31 (1833-4).
Cultrunguis nigripes, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 364 (1836).
Ketupa ceylonensis, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 38; Blyth, Cat. p. 37;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 77 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. J 33 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 254 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 379 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 431 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 4 ; Blyth Sf Wold. Birds Burm. p. 66 ;
Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 300 ; Blanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ; Fairbank,
ibid. p. 392 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 33, 497 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 201 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 255 ; Hume, Cat. no. 72 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl.-p.l27; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 36 ; Butler, ibid. p. 376 ; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 15 ; Davison, ibid. p. 343 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 148 ; id. in
Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 96 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 68 ;
Hume, S. F. xi, p. 21 ; Littledale, Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. i,
p. 195.
Amraika ghughu, Ulu,II.-, Bhutum, Beng. ; Hudu, Assamese; Baka-
muna, Cing. ; Tee-dote, Burm.
Fig. 75.— Left foot of K. zeylonensis, £.
Coloration. Lores white or fulvous, with black shafts ; cheeks
and ear-coverts the same, but more fulvous ; upper plumage
throughout rufescent brown to dull rufous, with broad black shaft-
stripes ; lower back and rump with narrow shaft-lines ; the scapu-
lars and tertiaries much mottled, and the neck-feathers very often
marked with close and subobsolete cross-bars ; outer webs of outer
scapulars white, and some white or buff spots on the larger and
median wing-coverts ; quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with
282 ASIONID^.
paler mottled whity-brown bands and tips ; throat white; remainder
of lower parts whitish, narrowly and closely transversely barred
with brownish rufous, each feather, including those of the throat,
with a fusiform dark brown shaft-line ; larger under wing-coverts
white, with dark brown ends.
Bill dusky yellow-green, dark brown on the culmen ; cere pale
dusky green ; iris bright yellow ; legs dusky yellow (Oates).
Length about 22 ; tail 8 ; wing 16 ; tarsus 2'75 ; bill from
gape 2.
Males are generally smaller than females, and Himalayan birds
are considerably larger than those from Southern India, Ceylon,
and Southern Burma.
Distribution. A common bird throughout India, Ceylon, and
Burma in well-wooded tracts near the sea, rivers, or large pieces
of water. This Owl is rare in the Himalayas, where it is replaced
by the next species ; but it has been found on the tops of the
Nilgiri and Palni hills in Southern India. It is, of course, rare
or wanting in the drier parts of Eajputana, the Punjab, Sind, &c. ;
but I shot one by a stream in the Western Sind hills. It does
not appear to range south of Tenasserim, though it occurs to the
eastward in China and far to the west near Acre in Palestine. It
has not yet been observed in Persia or Arabia.
Habits, <$fc. The Common Indian Fish-Owl generally passes the
day in a thick tree, and wings its way at sunset to the water's edge
to search for food. It lives chiefly on fish and crabs, but also kills
birds and small mammals at times. It has a loud dismal cry, like
haw, haiu, haw, ho. It breeds from December to March, and lays
usually two white broad oval eggs, measuring about 2-38 by 1-88, in
a hollow tree, the deserted nest of a Fishing-Eagle, or occasionally on
a ledge of rock, a small stick nest being made in the latter case.
1165. Ketupa flavipes. The Tawny Fish-Owl.
Cultrunguis flavipes, Hodgson, J. A. 8. B. v, p. 364, pi. 25 (1836).
Ketupa flavipes, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 38 ; Blytli, Cat. p. 37 ; Horsf. $
M. Cat. i, p. 76; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 135; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 346;
Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 155 ; Hume, Hough Notes, p. 385 ; id. S. F.
iii, pp. 327, 416; xi, p. 21; id. Cat. no. 73; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
ii, p. 5 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. 8. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 12.
Lak-kyo-o-mung (the Kyo-o-calling Devil), Lepcha.
Coloration. Lores white ; cheeks and ear-coverts orange or
brownish buff, all with black shafts ; feathers of the upper parts
with broad blackish-brown median bands and rich orange-buff
edges, the orange-buff in parts forming indentations or spots on
the dark brown ; outer scapulars and some of the larger wing-
coverts with the outer webs chiefly buff ; quills and tail-feathers
dark brown, with buff bars and tips ; lower parts rich orange-buff,
with dark brown shaft- stripes, broadest on the breast ; usually a
white patch in the middle of the throat.
BUBO. 283
Bill horny black ; cere dirty greenish ; irides gamboge-yellow ;
legs yellowish grey (Jerdon). Bill greenish horny (Chennell).
Length about 24 ; tail 9 ; wing 18 ; tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1*8.
The tarsi covered with downy feathers for some distance below
the upper end behind, and more than halfway down in front.
Distribution. Throughout the lower Himalayas as far west as
Kashmir, at elevations not exceeding about 5000 feet, also in the
ranges immediately south of the Assam valley, and in China.
Habits, $c. This fine Owl is found on the banks of Himalayan
rivers, and like K. zeylonensis is said to subsist principally on fish
and crabs. The nest and eggs do not appear to have been
described.
1166. Ketupa javanensis. Tlie Malay Fish-Owl.
Strix ketupu, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 141 (1821).
Ketupa javanensis, Less. Traitt, p. 114 (1831); Blyth, Cat. p. 37;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 76 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 384 ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. ii, p. 9 ; Blyth 8? Wald. Birds Burm. p. 66 ; Armstrong, S
F. iv, p. 300 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 33, 497 ; Hume, Ca..
no. 73 bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, pp. 146, 471 ; Gates, B. B. ii,
p. 149 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 98.
Coloration. Similar to that of K. flavipes, except that the
present species is browner and less orange, especially above ; the
buff borders to the upper plumage frequently wanting altogether
in old birds, whilst white or buff spots on the dark parts of the
feathers are more numerous. Chiefly, however, the species is dis-
tinguished by having the tarsus entirely naked behind up to and
including the joint, and not, as a rule, clad in front so much as half-
way down, and by much smaller size.
Bill dusky ; cere dark slate-colour ; irides light yellow ; legs and
feet dusky yellowish brown.
Length about 18-5 ; tail 6-5 ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2'75 ; bill from
gape 1-75.
Distribution. Arrakan, the Irrawaddy delta, and throughout Te-
nasserim, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Habits, $c. Very similar to those of the other species, except
that K. javanensis appears to feed largely on insects, but it probably
eats fish and crabs as well. It sees well by day and has a low soft
whistling note. Major Bingham found the nest, containing a
single white egg, in a fork of a large peepul tree, on February 27th.
The egg measured 2-21 by 1'17, and was, as usual, a broad oval.
Genus BUBO, Dumeril, 1806.
This and the next genus contain the Eagle-Owls, birds of large
size, with aigrettes and with the tarsus fully feathered ; the claws
are powerful and well curved, the inner (2nd) claw being the
longest, much exceeding the hind (1st) claw in length. The wing
284 ASIONID^E.
is rounded, the 3rd primary longest, 4th subequal ; tail moderate,
slightly rounded at the end.
This is a large genus, found over the greater part of the world,
except in Australia. Three species are Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. General colour buff and blackish brown.
a'. Toes completely feathered: wing 17-20 . . B. iffnavus, p. 284.
V. Last joint of toes naked : wing 1475-16 . . B. bengalensis, p. 285.
b. General colour greyish brown, toes half naked. B. coromandus, p. 286.
1167. Bubo ignavus. The Great Horned Owl or Eagle-Owl.
Strix bubo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 131 (1766).
Bubo ignavus, Forster, Syn. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 3 (1817) ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. ii, p. 14 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 346 ; id. Cat. no. 68 ter ;
id. S. F. ix, p. 311 note ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 425 ; St. John, Ibis,
1889, p. 154.
Bubo maximus, Fleming, Brit. An. p. 57 (1828) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 34 ;
Sclater, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 99 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 870 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 374 ; id. 8. F. iii, p. 327 ; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 129.
Strix turcomana, JSversm. Add. Pall. Zoog. p. 3 (1835).
Strix sibirica, Licht. Susemihl, Abbild. Vog. Eur. pi. 44 (1846-52).
Bubo hemachalana, Hume, S. F. i, p. 315 (1873).
Bubo turcomanus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 17 (B. ignavi subsp.) ;
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 348 ; id. Cat. no. ? 68 quat. ; Biddulph, Ibis,
1881, p. 45 ; Menzbier, Ibis, 1885, p. 262.
Coloration. Lores and anterior portion of cheeks white or pale
fulvous, with black shafts; ear-coverts and hinder part of disk
tawny, with indistinct brown cross-bars, the outermost disk-
feathers sometimes black- tipped ; aigrettes black, the inner or
both margins buff, especially towards the base ; upper plumage
black, varied and mottled with buff, there being broad black shaft-
stripes on the head and neck, the broad buff edges of the neck-
feathers less mottled with black than elsewhere ; much buff on the
outer scapulars ; upper tail-coverts tawny buff, with narrow wavy
blackish cross-bars ; primaries orange-buff, barred and tipped with
dark brown ; secondaries brown, with mottled buff bars, becoming
entirely buff on the inner web and on both webs at the base ;
tail barred buff and dark brown, both colours mottled on the middle
feathers. Chin and below the throat pure white, remainder of
lower surface buff ; the throat with black median stripes and cross-
bars, and the breast with broad black median stripes ; abdomen
and flanks with narrow dark brown shaft-lines and wavy cross-bars,
the cross-bars alone remaining on the vent, legs, under tail-
coverts, and wing-lining.
Typical B. iynavus, from Europe, has more black on the back
and the middle tail-feathers, the pale cross-bars on the latter being
very narrow; but there is a complete passage into the Asiatic
B. turcomanus, with broad mottled buff edges to the back-feathers,
and the buff or white cross-bars on the median rectrices as wide
BUBO. 285
as the dark. Some Asiatic birds are very pale, especially beneath,
others as rich an orange-buff as European skins ; the difference
depends probably on the bleaching action of the sun in dry open
tracts. Both races have been brought from the Himalayas.
Bill dark slate-colour ; irides golden orange ; claws dusky at base,
black at tips (Scully). The toes are completely covered and con-
cealed above by feathers, which overhang the base of the claws.
Length of female about 26 ; tail 10 ; wing 19 ; tarsus 3 ; bill
from gape 1*9. Males run a little smaller.
Distribution. Throughout the Palsearctic region. This noble
Owl has occasionally been killed in Tibet and the higher Hima-
layas as far east as the Ganges (Bhagirati). Both Biddulph and
Scully obtained it in Gilgit, and St. John at Quetta and Candahar.
Habits, fyc. The Great Eagle-Owl is bold and powerful, living
on game birds, hares, rabbits, and even fawns of deer, and
especially, it is said, on crows. The call is a loud, deep, dissyllabic
hoot. The eggs have not been taken in India ; in Europe they
are generally two or three in number, white, and rounded oval as
usual, and are laid about March on a ledge of rock or in a hollow
tree.
1168. Bubo bengalensis. The Rock Horned Owl.
Otus bengalensis, Frarikl P. Z. S. 1831, p. 115.
Bubo cavearius, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 169 (1836).
Urrua cavearia, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 372.
Urrua bengalensis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 87 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 128 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 450.
Bubo bengalensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 35 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 73 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 231 ; Hume, S. F. i. p. 163 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 25 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 76 ;
Ball, ibid. p. 200 ; Butler, ibid. p. 180 ; ix, p. 376 ; Hume, Cat. no. 69 ;
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 35 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 14 ; Damson, ibid. p. 343 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 150 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 99;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 65 ; id. Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 221.
Ascalaphia bengalensis, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 253; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 366 ; id. N. $ E. p. 62 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 81 ; Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 405 ; Batt, S. F. ii, p. 381 :
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 65.
GMghu, H. ; Ghubdd, Mahr. ; Yerra gudla guba, Tel. ; Eotang, Tarn.
Coloration. Lores whitish with black shafts ; cheeks and ear-
coverts tawny with black streaks, and bordered behind by a black
rim to the facial disk ; aigrettes black, with buff margins towards
the base ; forehead buff, passing into the crown and nape, which
are blackish brown, the feathers with buff spots on the edges ;
hind-neck and sides of neck nearly pure buff, with broad black
shaft-stripes; rest of upper parts blackish brown, spotted and
mottled with buff and white ; the buff spots on the outer scapulars
are very large, and the rump and upper tail-coverts are chiefly
buff ; primaries rich orange-buff, barred and tipped with brown ;
secondaries brown, with mottled buff bars, becoming entirely buff
on the inner web and towards the base ; tail barred buff and brown,
286 ASIONID^!.
both colours mottled on the middle feathers ; chin and below the
throat white, rest of lower surface buff ; upper throat with fusi-
form black shafts ; breast with broad black stripes passing into the
narrow dark shaft-lines and wavy cross-bars of the abdomen,
shaft-lines disappearing and the cross-bars growing fainter or
occasionally dying out on the legs, vent, and lower tail-coverts.
Bill horny black ; irides orange-yellow : claws dusky (Hume).
Length 22; tail 8; wing 15'5 ; tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1*7.
Distribution. The Rock Horned Owl is almost, if not entirely,
confined to the Indian Peninsula, being one of the commonest
Owls of Northern and Central India, except in desert tracts ; less
common in the south, wanting in Ceylon. It is found, though not
commonly, in Eajputana, Sind, and the Western Punjab, and has
been reported to occur in Afghanistan ; it inhabits Kashmir and
the lower Himalayas to the westward, though not Nepal or
Sikhim ; it is very rare in Lower Bengal and apparently unknown
to the eastward, though Blyth states that it occurs in Arrakan.
Habits, <$fc. This fine Owl haunts rocky hills and ravines,
alluvial cliffs, and brushwood, beside rivers and streams, and in
flat country groves of trees. It is by no means exclusively noc-
turnal, and it lives on rats and mice, birds, lizards, snakes, crabs,
and large insects. Its cry is a loud dissyllabic hoot. The
breeding-season is from December to April, and from two to four
white oval eggs are laid on a rocky ledge or in a cave, or on the
ground under a bush or tuft of grass. The eggs measure about
2-1 by 1-73.
1169. Bubo coromandus. The Dusky Horned Owl.
Strix coromanda, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 53 (1790).
Urrua coromanda, Hodgs. J.A.S. B. vi, p. 373 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 130 ;
id. Ibis, 1871, p. 345; Hume, N. $ E. p. 63; Butler, S. F. iii,
p. 450 ; v, p. 217 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 12.
Urrua umbrata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 180 (1845).
Bubo uinbratus, Blyth, Cat. p. 35.
Bubo coromandus, Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 75 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 164 ;
Adam, ibid. p. 369 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 35 ; Butler, S. F. vii,
_ 1 or\ . Tt ..77 ,1'j _ ctm yv • •» • T A^i •*••*- ^. .
C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 407 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 66.
Ascalaphia coromanda, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 253 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 371 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 81 ; 1876, p. 316 ; Blyth.
Birds Burm. p. 65.
Coloration. Whole plumage above and below greyish brown
with dark shaft-stripes, the feathers finely mottled and vermi-
culated with whitish ; more white on the lower surface, which is
paler than the upper in consequence ; a few white or buff spots
on the outer webs of the outer scapulars and on some of the
larger and median primary-coverts ; lores white, with black shafts ;
aigrettes darker than crown ; quills and tail brown, with pale
mottled cross-bands and tips.
HUHUA. 287
Bill greyish white or pale lavender, the tips and culmen pale
yellowish horny; irides deep yellow (not orange); claws black
(Hume).
Length 23; tail 8; wing 16; tarsus 2-5 ; bill from gape 1-65.
Distribution. The greater part of the Indian Peninsula. This
Owl is common in the North-west Provinces and throughout the
greater part of the Gangetic plain, being far from rare in Eastern
Bengal. It has been obtained, though rarely, from the Punjab
and Sind, but not farther west. To the eastward it has been
recorded from the N. Khasi hills, Assam, Tipperah, and Arrakan,
but not Manipur, nor farther south. Sharpe found a specimen in
the Paris Museum from China. It occurs in the better watered
parts of Eajputana, in Khandesh, Raipur, Chutia Nagpur, the
Carnatic, and Mysore, but not in the Bombay Deccan or Concan,
Western Ghats, Malabar coast, nor in Ceylon.
Habits, <$fc. This dull-plumaged bird inhabits well-wooded and
watered tracts, where it lives on small mammals, birds, frogs,
lizards, &c. A. Anderson mentions seeing one pursue a heron. It
also kills and eats crows. Like its congeners it is by no means
exclusively nocturnal. The call is characteristic, resembling, ac-
cording to Butler, wo, wo, wo, wo-o-o-o, and is chiefly heard in the
rains. It breeds from December to February, depositing generally
two eggs in a stick nest, more or less lined with green leaves and
a few feathers or a little grass. Sometimes the deserted nest of
an Eagle or some other bird is utilized, and occasionally the eggs
are laid in a hollow tree. They are creamy white (Anderson once
obtained a coloured pair), and measure about 2-33 by 1'89.
Genus HUHUA, Hodgson, 1837.
This genus is distinguished from Bubo by the important character
of the young having a perfectly distinct plumage, an exceptional
case amongst Owls. The birds moult from the immature into
the adult garb. The present type is further distinguished by
having the irides dark brown instead of yellow, and by the wing
being more rounded, the 4th and 5th quills being longest. The
inner claw is very large.
Only two species are known ; both occur within our limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Back and scapulars unbarred, more or less edged
and mottled with buff : wing 15-19 H. nepalensis, p. 287.
b. Back and scapulars with wavy rufous cross-
bars : wing about 13'5 H. orientate, p. 289.
1170. Huhua nepalensis. The Forest Eagle-Owl.
Bubo nipalensis, Hodgson, As. Ees. xix, p. 172 (1836) ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. ii, p. 37 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 30 ; Hume, Cat. no. 71 ;
288 ASIONIDJE.
Scully. S. F. viii, p. 231 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 131 ; Davison,
S. F. x, p. 343 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 152 ; Hume, S. F. xi. p. 20.
Huhua nipalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. 362 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 131 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 254 ; 1872, p. 89 ; Beavan, P. Z. S.
1868, p. 400 ; Hume, Eough Notes, p. 378 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 346 ; Hume, 8. F. i. p. 431 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2,
p. 154 ; Blyth # Wald. Birds Burm. p. 65; Qodw.-Aust. J.A.S. B.
xlv, pt. 2, p. 68 ; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 12 ; Gurney fy Fitzgerald, Ibis,
1878, p. 119 ; Gurney, P. Z. S. 1884, p. 558, pi. lii.
Huhua pectoralis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 89, pi. i ; Holds-
worth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 416.
Bubo orientalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 34 ; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 790 ;
nee Strix orientalis, Horsf.
Ptiloskelos amherstii, Tickell, J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 448 (1859).
Huhu, Huhu Chil, Nepal ; Migdori, Bliot. ; Uman, Malayalim ; Loho,
Bakamuna, Cing. ; Peria-anda, Tarn. (Ceylon).
Coloration. Lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts greyish or brownish
white, shafts and tips of lores and ear-coverts blackish brown ;
long-pointed aigrettes blackish brown, the inner webs or some-
times the whole barred with white or buff; upper plumage
throughout dark brown, the feathers barred, edged, and mottled
witn buff, least, and frequently not at all, on the crown, back, and
smaller wing-coverts, most on the neck, scapulars, and larger wing-
coverts ; sides of neck, outer scapulars, and upper tail-coverts buff,
barred with brown, the scapulars forming a distinct buff band on
each side ; quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with pale bars and
tips, more distinct on the secondaries than on the primaries, the
pale bars on the inner webs near the base, except on the middle
pair of tail-feathers, very broad and nearly or quite white ; lower
plumage white, often tinged fulvous, the feathers broadly barred
•with dark brown, the subterminal bar on each feather forming a
crescentic or heart-shaped spot.
Young birds are white or buff, with crescentic dark brown bars
on all feathers of both the upper and lower surface ; the quills
and tail-feathers as in adults. Even after a change of plumage (by
a moult) the aigrettes are barred throughout at first and the dosral
feathers have more buffy bars and markings than those of older
birds.
Bill yellow : irides brown ; toes yellow ; claws dusky at the end,
pale at base.
Length about 24 inches (21-5-27) ; tail 9 ; wing 17 (15-3-19) ;
tarsus 2-75 ; bill from gape 2. Females are generally larger than
males and Himalayan birds than those from Southern India and
Ceylon.
Distribution. This Owl is found in the forests of the Himalayas as
far west as Kumaun, and probably farther, at elevations not ex-
ceeding 7000 feet, also in the hill-forests of the Nilgiris and Malabar
and in the higher parts of Ceylon. To the eastward it has been
obtained in the Assam hills, and in Burma near Toungngoo, in
Karennee, and from Bilugyun Island opposite Moulmein. There can
now be no question that Jerdon's Huhua pectoralis, from Malabar,
NTCTEA. 289'
is the same bird, as Davison found the present species on the
Nilgiris. The description by Tickell of Ptiloskelos amherslii appears
to me to agree better with the young of this bird than with that
of B. orientalis, and Blyth (Ibis, 1872, p. 89), who saw Tickell's
original specimen, identified it with B. nepalensis without hesi-
tation.
Habits, $c. A forest bird, shy and seldom seen. Very little is
known of its food, though from its size and powerful claws it
probably lives on birds or mammals, and it is said to kill pheasants,
hares, young deer, &c. It is somewhat diurnal in its habits, and I
heard one calling and saw it shot about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
The call is, as described by Jerdon, " a low deep and far-sounding
moaning hoot." The nidification is unknown.
1171. Huhua orientalis. The Malay Eagle- Owl.
Strix orientalis, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 140 (1821).
Strix sumatrana, Raffl. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 279 (1822).
Strix strepitans, Temm. PL Col. pis. 174, 229 (1823).
Bubo orieutalis, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 72, part ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii,
p. 39 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 223 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 31 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 71 bis ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 153.
Huhua orientalis, Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 25, pt. ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 346, pt. ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 416.
Coloration. Lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts pale brown or
brownish white, the lores black-shafted ; blackish supercilia ;
aigrettes blackish brown, some barred on the inner webs or
throughout with white or pale rufous; upper plumage dark
brown, narrowly and irregularly ' barred with dull rufous ; outer
webs of the outer scapulars partly or wholly white ; quills and
tail-feathers dark brown with pale mottled bars and tips, the bars,
except on the middle tail-feathers, broader and white on the inner
webs towards the base ; lower parts white, more or less tinged
fulvous, the feathers narrowly barred with dark brown, the bars
much closer together as a rule on the upper breast.
Young whitish, barred with brown above and below, the bars
narrow, closer and paler than in the young of H. nepalensis.
Bill, cere, eyelids, and feet yellow ; irides dark brown (Davison).
The toes are almost naked above.
Length about 18 ; tail 7 ; wing 13*75 ; tarsus 2 ; bill from gape
1-75.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra,
.lava, and Borneo. Very rare in Southern Tenasserim, where
Davison obtained a single specimen. Nothing is known of the
habits or nidification.
Genus NYCTEA, Stephens, 1826.
The Snowy Owl forms a genus differing from Bubo chiefly in
plumage and in having aigrettes so small that they are not easily
VOL. III. U
290 ASIONIDJE.
detected. The feathers of the facial disk and those of the legs are
peculiarly dense and hairy, and so long that the bill and claws are
almost concealed. Wings and tail as in Bubo-, the under tail-
coverts extend nearly to the end of the tail. There is a single
species, which has once been obtained within Indian limits.
1172. Nyctea scandiaca. The Snoivy Owl.
Strix scandiaca and S. nyctea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 132 (1766).
Strix nivea, Thunb. Kon. Svensk. Vet.-Ak. Handl. xix, p. 184 (1798).
Nyctea nivea, Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 410.
Nyctea scandiaca, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 125 ; Hume, S. F. vn,
p. 345 ; id. Cat. no. 68 bis.
Coloration. Pure white, a few brown bars remaining here
and there, even in old males, more in old females. In young
birds the facial disk, a narrow collar on the back of the neck,
the chin and throat, wing-lining and axillaries, feathers on
the legs and feet, vent and under tail-coverts are pure white ; the
rest of the plumage, including the quills and tail, barred with
brown, the bars being broad, rather distinct from each other,
crescentic or subcrescentic in shape, and not continuous from
feather to feather either above or below.
Bill black ; irides golden yellow.
Length about 23; tail 9-25; wing 17; tarsus 2-3; bill from
gape 1-7.
Distribution. The northern portion of both hemispheres, some
birds migrating into the temperate zone in winter. A single
specimen was once received by Mr. Hume from Mardan in the
North-west Punjab, not far from Peshawur. The bird was obtained
by Dr. Johnson on March 3rd, and other specimens were said to
have been seen by the shikari. So far as is known this Owl has
not since been observed within Indian limits.
Genus SCOPS, Savigny, 1810.
The Scops Owls are of small size and furnished with aigrettes
usually of considerable length. The head is rather large, the
nostrils round and pierced in the anterior margin of the cere, which
is slightly prominent. The wings are long, but vary much in
shape, being far more rounded in some species than in others ; the
tail is moderate in length and rounded at the ends. The tarsus is
feathered more or less completely. The plumage of the young
differs from that of adults.
The members of this genus generally have the plumage minutely
vermiculated or stippled with delicate markings, and the distinction
of the species is rather difficult, several of the forms showing con-
siderable variation. The number of species has, however, certainly
been overrated; only two were admitted by Jerdon, whilst in
Hume's Catalogue no less than 18 names are enumerated, but of
these three are regarded as not worthy of distinction, and one as
of doubtful validity. Anyone, however, who reads Hume's notes
SCOPS. 291
will recognize how very doubtful many of the nominal species are,
and I think the 14 remaining species may with advantage be
reduced by one-half.
All species of Scops are thoroughly nocturnal, and generally
make their presence known in the dusk of the evening or after
nightfall by a peculiar monotonous, monosyllabic or dissyllabic call,
repeated at regular and rather long intervals, generally from inside
a bush or tree with thick foliage.
These Owls are insectivorous as a rule, though they occasionally
capture and eat small birds or mammals. They are found in most
tropical and temperate regions, but are wanting in Australia.
Key to the Species.
a. 3rd quill longest, 1st longer than 8th.
a'. Feathers on tarsus stop short at base of
toes : spots on scapulars white 8. giu, p. 291.
b' . Feathers extend on to base of toes ; spots
on scapulars buff S. brucii, p. 294.
b. 4th or 5th quill longest j 1st much shorter
than 8th.
c'. No distinct collar on hind-neck ; pale
spots on upper surface ; no black shaft-
stripes.
a". Size moderate: wing about 5-5, tail
about 3.
a'". Tarsus feathered to base of toes. ... 8. spilocephalus, p. 295.
b'". Lower third of tarsus bare 8. balli, p. 296.
b". Size large : wing over 7, tail 4*8 S. sagittatus, p. 296.
d'. A distinct pale collar on hind-neck ; black
shaft-stripes usually distinct.
c". Toes naked S. bakkamcena, p. 297.
d". Toes feathered above S. semitorques, p. 300.
1173. Scops giu. The Scops Owl.
Strix scops, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 132 (1766).
Strix giu, Scop. Ann. i, p. 19 (1/68).
Strix zorca, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 289 (1788).
Scops aldrovandi, Flem. Brit. An. p. 57 (1828) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 36.
Scops sunia, Body*. As. lies, xix, p. 175 (1836) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xiv,
P-
no.
p. 408; Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 179.
Sc )ps pennatus, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 369 (descr. nulla) ;
myth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 183 (1845) ; Hume, N. $ E.v. 65;
if/. S. F. iii, p. 38 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. J/. ii, p. 53 (subsp.) ; Hume $
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 34 ; Butler, S. F. vii, p. 180 ; ix, p. 376 ; Ball,
S.F. vii, p. 201 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 255 ; Hume, Cat. no. 74 : Biddulph,
Ibis, 1881, p. 46 ; Scully, ibid. p. 428; Biwjham, S. F. ix, p. 147 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. x, p. 343 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 154 ; id. in
I [nines N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 103 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 70;
Littledak, Jour. Bom. N. II. Soc. \, p. 196 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus.
Cir. Gen. (-2) iv, p. 573 ; v, p. 557 ; vii, p. 375 ; Hume, S. F. xi,
p. 21.
u2
Scops gymnopodus, Gray, Cat. Accip. B. M. 1844, p. 44 (descr,
nSlla); Sharpe, Cat, B. M. ii, p. 65, pi. iv, fig. 2; Hume, Cat.
292 ASIOMTDJE
sops gymnopc
nulla) ; Shai
Scops malayanus, Hay, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2 p. 147 (1845) i ;
Sharpe, Cat, B. M. ii, p. 58, pi. iv, fig. 1 (subsp.) ; Hume, S. 1.
vii, p. 355 ; id. Cat. no. 74 sex.
Ephialtes sunia, Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 70; A. Anderson, S. F. m,
p. 388 ; id. P. Z. S. 1875, p. 25 ; 1876, p. 781.
Ephialtes pennatus, Jerdon, B. L i, p. 136; Hume, Rough Notes,
p 386 ; id. S. F. ii, p. 151 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 25.
Ephialtes bakkamoena, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 27 ; 1866, p. 255 ;:
Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 347 ; Blyth # Wald. Birds Burm. p. 66 ;
nee Otus bakkamoena, Penn.
Ephialtes jerdoni, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) v, p. 417 (1870); id.
Ibis, 1871, p. 112.
Scops giu, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 47 ; Barnes, S. F. ix, p. 452 ;
Bkinf. Ibis, 1894, p. 528.
Scops rufipennis, Sharpe (subsp.), Cat. B. M. ii, p. 60 (1875) ; Hume,
S. F. vi, p. 34 ; vii, p. 350 ; id. Cat. ? no. 74 B.
Ephialtes nicobaricus, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 283.
Scops nicobaricus, Hume, Cat. no. 74 quat.; Gurney, Ibis, 1884,
p. 172.
Scops minutus, Legge, A. M. N. H. (5) i, p. 175 (1878) ; id. S. F. vii.
p. 145 ; id. Birds Ceyl p. 143, pi. iv ; Hume, Cat. no. 74 C.
The Indian Scops Owl, Jerdon ; Choghad kusial, Sunya kusial, Nepal ;
Dundul, Chamba; Chitta guba, Yerra chitta guba, Tel.
. Coloration. Lores white or pale grey with some black tips, rest
of facial disk greyish white with indistinct brown bars ; ruff white
or pale rufous tipped with black ; whole upper plumage grey, more
or less tinged with rufous, the feathers minutely speckled black
and white, and generally with black median stripes, which vary
much in definition ; some feathers are stippled at the end, white or
buff further down with black shaft-stripes and cross-bars, and the
white or buff spots thus formed are conspicuous in some skins,
almost wanting in others ; outer scapulars white on the outer
webs, with black ends and sometimes a black inner border to the
white spots ; some white or buff spots on the wing-coverts ; quills
brown, with paler mottled bars and tips, the bars forming white or
buff patches on the outer webs of several primaries and on the
inner webs of all wing-feathers ; tail brown, much mottled with
whitish on the middle feathers and outer edges of the others, all
with narrow pale bars dark-edged; lower parts paler than the
upper, closely stippled with dark brown or black on a white ground,
and more or less tinged with buff or rufous, the feathers with
blackish shaft-stripes, usually broadest on the breast, and small
dark wavy cross-bars, broken up into minute dots towards the ends
of the feathers.
Rufous phase (S. sunia). The upper parts are sometimes pale
chestnut with some black shaft-stripes, especially on the bead, and
with white black-tipped spots on the scapulars ; the lower surface
varying, the usual markings generally remaining on the lower
breast and abdomen. In one specimen from Carnorta in the
scors. 293
Nicobars, already described by Grurney as a form of S. nicobaricus,
the wliole lower surface is chestnut and the upper surface darker
red than usual, but still traces of the normal markings remain on
the \viugs and tail. In other skins the markings have disappeared
on the rectrices, but are retained on the wing-feathers and on the
abdomen. Again, in others faint obsolete marks appear on the
upper surface, and there is a complete gradation from these forms
into the ordinary grey S. giu (/S. pennatus). Moreover, chestnut
varieties of all the local forms occur, of the small dark S. minutus
of Ceylon and the larger dark 8. malayanus of Malacca, as well as
,of the large 8. pennatus of the Himalayas. It should be added
that both Ely th and Jerdon unhesitatingly regarded S. sunia as a
rufous phase of S. pennatus, though some later writers have thought
differently.
Young birds are greyish brown, speckled throughout, and with
indistinct cross-barring on both upper and lower surface.
Bill dusky greenish ; iris pale golden yellow ; feet fleshy grey
(Jerdon). Third quill longest. Toes and extreme end of tarsus
bare of feathers.
Length about 7*5 ; tail 2*75 ; wing 5'75 ; tarsus *85 ; bill from
gape '7. South Indian and Ceylon birds are smaller : wing 4*75
to 5-25.
In the present species no less than seven of the names of Hume's
Catalogue are included, three of those names, however, being marked
by Hume as doubtful and invalid. In Sharpens Catalogue, S. pen-
natus and several other forms were classed as races or subspecies
of the European Scops Owl, 8. giu, and I think that this is a
correct view. Some of the birds found in North-western India
are typical S. yiu, absolutely identical with grey European speci-
mens. As a rule, however, the Indian form S. pennatus is slightly
browner and darker and the aigrettes are generally rufous in part.
A rufous form of S. <jiu occurs in Europe, but it never approaches
the Indian S. sunia, which is a remarkable instance of a bird's
assuming a rufous plumage locally. The following Indian named
forms of S. <jiu besides S. pennatus and S. sunia require notice : —
Scops rufipennis is a small, rather uniformly-coloured bird from
the Carnatic.
Scops y>/mnopodus was a name given by Mr. G-. E. Gray to a skin
in which the lower portions of both tarsi were naked. Dr. Sharpe
tells me that, as no additional specimen has been found, he suspects
the skin, which agrees with normal S. pennatus in plumage, had
accidentally lost the feathers of the lower tarsus.
Scops nicobaricus was founded on a very dark rufous skin, but
with the brown markings of the dorsal surface still conspicuous.
There are in the Hume collection precisely similar specimens from.
the Malay Peninsula.
N<y>/«r nialtti/anus is a dark brownish form from Malacca, differing
from typical S. pennatus precisely as that does from the Western
S. i/iu. Wing 5*35.
Scops minti.tus is the best marked of all these races and the
294
smallest. It is from Ceylon, and resembles S. malayanus in its
dark brownish colour. Wing about 4-8.
As in so many other cases, specimens from the South are smaller
and darker, the smallest and darkest of all being the Ceylonese
L/
Distribution. Central and Southern Europe and Asia, and the
greater part of Africa. One form or another of this bird is found
in all parts of India, Ceylon, and Burma, except perhaps the
higher Himalayas.
Habits, <$>c. This is a migratory species in Europe and probably
to some extent in India. No nests appear to have been taken m
the plains, but the small dark Southern forms certainly breed in
the hills of Southern India and Ceylon, for there are nestlings
from both localities in the British Museum, and Mr. Daly tells me
he has taken the eggs on the Shevroys. There can be but little
doubt that S. giu breeds in the Himalayas also, but it is doubtful
whether the few supposed instances on record do not apply to
another species. The habits are those of the genus; the call is a
peculiar monotonous monosyllabic hoot, repeated at regular
intervals, generally from a dense-foliaged tree.
1174. Scops brucii. The Striated Scops Owl.
Ephialtes brucei, Hume, S. F. i, p. 8 (1873) ; Fairbank, S. F. ivf
Scops brucei, Sharpe, Cat. S. M. ii, p. 62 ; Blanford, S. F. v. p. 245 ;
Doig, S. F. vii, p. 505 ; Hume, Cat. no. 74 sept. ; Vidal, S. F. ix,
p. 36; Butler, ibid. p. 376; Barnes, ibid. p. 452 ; Biddulph, Ibis,
1881, p. 47 ; Scully, ibid. p. 426 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 291 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 71 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 12, pi. ii ; Blanf*
Ibis, 1894, p. 528.
Subnet, Mahr.
Coloration. Lores sullied white, with black tips, rest of the face
grey, ruff tipped dark brown and without any ferruginous tint ;
upper plumage sandy grey (dark isabelline), with narrow blackish
shaft-stripes, the surface generally very finely and uniformly
speckled with dark brown on buff ; spots on outer scapulars pale
dull buff, not white ; wing and tail-feathers marked as in S. giu,
but with dull dark brown and buff; lower plumage marked with
dark shaft-stripes like the upper, and similarly coloured, but paler
and less uniform, with some white on the abdomen.
Bill horny ; irides brilliant yellow ; toes olivaceous grey {Doig}.
Length about 8-5 ; tail 3'2 ; wing 6-3 ; tarsus 1'2 ; bill from.
gape '7. Third quill longest ; feathering of tarsus extends on to
the base of the toes.
Distribution. Specimens have been obtained hi the Bombay
Presidency at Ahmednagar and at Khed in Eatnagiri, and the
bird has probably occurred in Western Khandesh ; it has alsa
been met with several times in Sind, and Mr. Barnes found it
breeding at Chaman in South Afghanistan. It has been recorded
SCOPS. 295
at Sultanpur in Oudh, and at Grilgit, and beyond Indian limits
at Panjah in Wakhan, and at considerable elevations on the
Kuen-luen range ; also near Bokhara, on the Murghab, and in
Transcaspia, as I learn from Mr. Dresser, who has examined
specimens. It is probably migratory, but nothing is known of
its habits.
1175. Scops spilocephalus. The Spotted Himalayan Scops Owl.
Ephialtes spilocephalus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 8 (1846).
Ephialtes scops (L.), apud Hutton, J. A. S. B. xvii, pt. 2, p. 4.
Phodilus nipalensis, G. R. Gray, Hand-list, i, p. 5:3 (descr. nulla),
teste Sharpe.
Ephialtes gymnopodus, apud Hume, Rough Notes, p. 390 ; Jerdon,
Ibis, 1871, p. 347 ; Cock fy Marsh. S. F. i, p. 349 ; nee Gray.
Scops spilocephalus, Hume, N. $ E. p. 66 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii,
p. 63; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 352; id. Cat. no. 74ter; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 408 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2)
iv, p. 573 ; vii, p. 376 ; Gates in Hume's Sf N. E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 104.
Coloration. Face whity brown, indistinctly barred ; lores whitish,
with black tips ; ruff buff, with broad tips of dark brown ; broad
frontal area extending above the eyes lighter than the crown ;
upper parts speckled greyish to rufous brown, and marked,
especially on the crown and nape, with pale spots, each with a
dark brown or black spot behind it ; there are the usual white
spots, bordered with blackish inside and at the ends, on the outer
webs of the outer scapulars, and a few white spots on the wing-
coverts; quills and tail-feathers brown with pale bands as in
S. giu, but the pale bands across the tail are generally much more
numerous, and the white spots on both webs of the primaries are
dull and inconspicuous; lower parts speckled brown on white,
and with indistinct pale brown-tipped spots on the breast and
abdomen.
Both a greyish and a rufous phase are found, but the colour is
never chestnut as in the sunia variety of S. </>'»'.
Bill yellowish ; iris yellow ; feet fleshy brown. Tarsus not
feathered quite to the distal extremity ; toes bare ; 4th or 5th
quill longest.
Length of males about 7-5 ; tail 3 ; wing 5-5 ; tarsus 1-15 ;
bill from gape '7. Females are a little larger : wing 5*7 ;
tail 3-25.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Murree,
at elevations between about 3000 and 6000 feet. There is in the
British Museum a skin collected by God win- Austen at Asalu, Naga
hills ; and Fea obtained specimens identified by Salvadori as this
species at Bhamo and in Karennee.
Habits, fyc. According to Hutton, this Scops utters a double
whistle — who-who. It lays 3 to 5 round oval white eggs on the
bare wood in a hollow tree, or in a hole in the wood ; the eggs
measure about 1-26 by 1*09. The breeding-season is from the
middle of March to the middle of June.
296 ASIONID^E.
1176. Scops balli. The Andaman Scops Owl.
Ephialtes spilocephalus, apud Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 276 ;
id. S. F. i, p. 53 ; nee Blyih.
Ephialtes balli, Hume, S. F. i, p. 407 (1873) ; ii, pp. 151, 491.
Scops modestus, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) xiii, p. 123 (1874) ;
id. Ibis, 1874, p. 129 ; Hume, Cat. no. 74 quint.
Scops balli, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 100 ; Hume, Cat. no. 74 oct. ;
Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 151, pi. xx ; Blanford, Ibis, 1894,
p. 526.
Coloration. Face and lores fulvous brown to grey, barred with
darker brown, loral plumes tipped black ; forehead and supercilia
pale, upper surface rufous brown, paler or darker, finely freckled
and mottled with black, and dotted over with subcruciform or
polygonal whitish or buff spots nearly surrounded by black ; the
larger white spots on the outer scapulars also bordered with
black almost throughout, and sometimes crossed by brown or
black lines ; quills brown, speckled at the ends and on the
outer webs, with conspicuous white spots on the outer webs of the
primaries and fulvous notches on the inner webs of all near the
base; tail brown with paler cross-bars, sometimes indistinct or
broken ; lower parts paler and greyer than the upper, speckled
with dark brown or white, and spotted with whitish brown-tipped
spots.
The young (S. modestus} are dull brown, closely but indistinctly
barred, especially on the head, neck, and wing-coverts ; the white
or buff spots on the upper and lower surface are wanting, and the
quills are barred throughout with pale rufous.
Colours of soft parts not recorded.
Length about 7'5; tail 3; wing 5'4 ; tarsus 1. Tarsus slender,
lower third generally bare ; fifth quill longest.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands. There can, I think, be no
question but that S. modestus is merely the young, its small size
(wing 4-75) being simply due to immaturity. As Hume has shown,
other young specimens show a passage between 8. modestus and
.$. balli. Some of them are more rufous than adults.
1177. Scops sagittatus. The Large Malay Scops Owl.
Ephialtes sagittatus. Cass. Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. iv, p. 121
(1850).
Scops sagittatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 98; Gates, S. F. v,
p. 247 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 35; Hume. Cat. no. 74 nov. ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 156.
Coloration. Feathers around eyes deep ferruginous red ; cheeks and
lores whitish, the former faintly barred, the latter with brown ends ;
behind the eye pale rufous, succeeded by a broad crescentic band
of dark ferruginous brown on each side of the neck ; broad frontal
band, extending above the eyes to the aigrettes, white with faint
brown bars, sharply divided from the crown, which with the upper
parts generally is dull chestnut without distinct speckling, but with
SCOPS. :297
small pointed, often subcruciform, white or fulvous spots, bordered
with dark brown ; quills brown, rufescent and paler on the outer
webs and at the tips, and with pale bars throughout ; tail-feathers
like the back and indistinctly barred ; lower parts pale rufous-
white, speckled with brown, especially on the breast ; all feathers
with whitish shaft-stripes interrupted at short intervals by brown
spots.
Bill bluish white ; cere pale bluish green ; i rides deep brown ;
feet and claws bluish white (Davison). Tarsus feathered nearly
to the end.
Length about 11; tail 4-8; wing 7*4; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from
gape -9.
Distribution. The Malay Peninsula. A specimen was obtained
by Gates at Malewoon, Southern Tenasserim, and another by
Davison at Meetan, S.E. of Moulmein.
1178. Scops bakkamcena. The Collared Scops Owl.
Otus bakkamcena, Pennant, Indian Zool. p. 3. pi. iii (1769) ; Newton,
S. F. viii, p. 414.
Strix indica, Gm. St/st. Nat. i, p. 289 (1788).
Strix lempiji, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 140 (1821).
Scops lettia, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 176 (1836) ; Hume, N. $ E.
p. 67 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 85 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 65 ; Inc/lis, S. F. v, p. 86 ; Oates, S. F. vii, p. 45 ; Hume, ibid.
P. 357 ; id. Cat. no. 75 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 232 ; Oates, B. B.
11, p. 155; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 104; Salvadori,
Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 572 ; v,p. 558 ; vii, p. 375 ; Hume,
S. F. xi, p. 22.
lid. p. 377 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 343 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 74 ;
Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 107.
Scops griseus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 119 (1845).
Scops lettioides, Jerdon, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 182 (1845).
Scops lempiji, Bh/th, Cat. p. 36; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 38 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. ii, p. 91 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 35, 497 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 75 quint. ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 147 ; Hume, S. F. x,
p. 183 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 156 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed.
iii, p. 107.
Ephialtes lempiji, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 71 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 138 ;
Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 256 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 347.
Ephialtes lettia, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 393.
Ephialtes griseus, Hume, t. c. p. 398 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. :.V> :
Rainey, S. F. iii, p. 333.
Ephialtes malabaricus, Hume, t. c. p. 402.
Ephialtes jerdoni, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) v, p. 417 (1870) ; id.
Ibis, 1871, p. 112.
Barnes, Birds Bom. p.
p. 105 ; Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 179 ; Littledale,
ibid. p. 196; Barnes, op. cit. iii, p. 2'2'2.
298
Ephialtes bakhamuna, Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 417; Hume,
Scops indicus, Gutter, S. F. vii, p. 175 ; Hume, ibid. pp. 201, 359
Scops bakkamcena, Reid, S. F. x, p. 16; Blanf. Ibis, 1894, p. 527.
The Large Scops Owl, Jerdon; Tharkavi choghad, H. ; Lattya kusyal,
Nepal ; Pedda chitta guba, Tel.
Coloration. Lores sullied white, the longest black-tipped, rest of
facial disk light brown or rufescent, generally banded darker;
forehead, broad supercilia, and inner webs of the long aigrettes
white or buff, speckled and barred with black ; ruff white or butt,
with dark brown edges ; crown and upper parts generally closely
vermiculated and speckled with black on a buff ground, many
feathers with black shaft-stripes more or less dentate and irregular,
or even broken up, generally broadest on the crown and nape ; a
pale buff nuchal collar, formed by buff feathers with dark edges ;
large buff spots tipped with black on the outer scapulars, forming
Fig. 76.— Head of S. bakkamcena, f.
a distinct buff scapular band ; quills brown, with paler mottled
bands and tips, the bands as usual forming white or buff spots on
the outer webs of the primaries, but becoming faint and indistinct
on their inner webs, better marked on the secondaries, and running
into buff indentations on the inner borders, as also on the
primaries near the base ; tail brown, with pale cross-bands, all the
feathers more or less mottled, especially the middle pair and the
outer webs and tips of the others ; chin white or buff, throat
(part of the ruff-feathers) buff with shafts, tips, and sometimes
bars dark brown ; rest of lower surface white or buff, somewhat
irregularly black- shafted, and much stippled with fine wavy cross-
bars more or less broken up ; legs, vent, and under tail-coverts
nearly or quite uniform white or buff.
Some birds are more rufous than others. Young birds are very
indistinctly coloured, the prevalent markings being close, irregular,
dusky cross-bars.
Bill horny (yellowish or greenish), darker above ; irides varying
SCOPS. 299
from yellow to brown ; cere dusky ; feet fleshy grey to greenish
yellow. Tarsi stout, feathered to the base of the toes, the
feathering sometimes in Himalayan birds concealing the junction
of the middle and inner toe, but generally stopping just short of
it. 4th quill usually longest, 5th subequal, 1st shorter than 10th.
Length of Himalayan birds about 10 inches ; tail 3-25 ; wing
6-75 ; tarsus 1*25 ; bill from gape 1. South Indian, Ceylonese, and
Malayan birds are considerably smaller : length about 8, wing 6.
Distribution. Throughout the Oriental Region. This Owl is
found in all parts of India, Ceylon, and Burma, except in absolute
deserts and in the higher Himalayas.
The Owls classed together in the present species were united
by Blyth and, at one time, by Jerdon, but have since been divided
into four by Hume. The four species are : —
Scops lettia j from the Himalayas, Assam, and Burma; large
(wing 6-45-7*2), and " with the bases of the toes feathered."
S. lempiji, Burma, Malay Peninsula and Archipelago ; smaller
(wing 6-6-5), more rufous, " and with the bases of the toes
exposed."
S. malabaricus, west coast of India and Ceylon ; small (wing
5-5-6-1), colour more rufous.
S. bakkamcena v. gi*iseus, throughout India, except the west
coast ; small (wing 5-6-6-6) and greyer.
The last two are united by Sharpe under the name of S. mala-
baricus, and made a subspecies of S. lempiji. Unless the grey and
rufous phases of all Owls are to be regarded as distinct species, a
proceeding which in this case would result in intermediate forms
being more common than typical specimens, S. bakkamcena v. griseus
and S. malabaricus must be regarded as varieties. The same
remark applies to S. lempiji, which agrees in all respects with
S. malabaricus. Blyth, it is true, at one time (Ibis, 1866, p. 256)
thought that there were two forms (S. lettia and S. yriseus), one
with dark and the other (S. lempiji =malabaricus) with yellow
irides, but Hume in his 'Rough Notes' showed that the coloration
was variable.
The smaller size of the Southern forms is according to the
usual rule, and cannot be regarded as a specific distinction. The
only remaining difference is that the feathering in S. lettia is said
to extend farther down the toes. Occasionally in Himalayan and
North Indian examples the feathers do certainly run a little way
down the middle and outer toes (such specimens may possibly be
hybrids with the closely allied S. semitorques, inhabiting the same
tracts), but the occurrence is exceptional, and in general the
difference is the very trifling one shown in Sharpens figures (Cat.
B. M. p. 96) ; while an examination of the large series in the
British Museum has convinced me that even this difference is not
constant, and that in very many cases Himalayan, Burmese,
Malaccan, and S. Indian birds are precisely similar as regards the
feathering at the base of the toes.
Habits, $c. This is the commonest species of Scops in India ;
300 ASIONIDJE.
it is resident throughout, and breeds in the plains from January to
April, and somewhat later in the Himalayas. It usually lays 4
(sometimes 3 or 5) eggs in holes in trees, more or less lined with
leaves and grass. The eggs are pure white, glossy, and very
spherical as a rule, and measure about 1-25 by T05. This species
is thoroughly nocturnal ; its call-note, written by Hume woo-oo, is
double, but the syllables almost run into one.
1179. Scops semitorques. The Plume-foot Scoj)s Owl.
Otus semitorques, Schl. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 25, pi. 8 (1845-50).
Ephialtes plumipes, Hume, Rouah Notes, p. 397 (1870).
Ephialtes semitorques, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 348.
Scops plumipes, Hume, N. $ E. p. 68 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 85
(subsp.); Hume, S. F. vii, p. 358; id. Cat. no. 75 bis ; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 408; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed.
iii, p. 105.
Scops semitorques, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 83 ; Slanf. Ibis, 1894,
p. 527.
Coloration similar to that of the greyer forms of S. bakJcamoena ;
the markings, especially below, are as a rule more distinct and
coarser, the shaft-stripes generally broader and better-marked, and
the nuchal collar less distinct, and whitish rather than buff. The
present species is rather larger than S. bakJcamoena, and may be
at once distinguished by having the toes feathered above to the
end of the subterminal phalanx, and sometimes rather farther.
Length of Himalayan birds about 10 ; tail 3-4 ; wing 7 ;
tarsus 1'4 : bill from gape *9.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Sikhim to Murree,
also (the typical form) in Japan and Corea. The Himalayan bird
(S. plumipes) is slightly smaller than the Japanese.
Habits, fyc. Pour eggs were taken at Kotgarh, near Simla, on
May 13th, from a hole in a tree ; they were very similar to those
of S. bakJcamccna, and measured about 1*27 by 1*03.
Genus ATHENE *, Boie, 1822.
The members of this genus are of small size, the wing rarely if
ever exceeding 7 inches in length, and all are more or less spotted
with white on the upper surface, never barred. The cere is
swollen, and the nostril is a round orifice near the anterior
margin. There is no distinct ruff, and the facial disk is scarcely
recognizable. The wings are rounded, the 3rd quill generally
* The name Carine has been used by many ornithologists instead of Athene
for this genus, because the name Athena was applied to a butterfly by Hiibner
m his ' Verzeichniss bekannter Schmetterlinge,' a work with 1816 on the
titlepage. I am, however, assured by entomologists that Hiibner's work was
not really published until 1823 to 1824 ; consequently there appears no reason
to reject Boie's peculiarly appropriate generic name for the owl of Minerva and
its allies.
ATHENE. 301
longest (4th exceptionally), the 1st shorter than the 5th and not
shorter than the 8th; tail moderate; tarsus feathered; toes clad
above with feathers or bristles.
I do not regard Heteroylaux as distinct. The wing is slightly
more rounded and the nostril a little farther from the anterior
border of the cere, but neither difference is of generic import-
ance, and the plumage is precisely similar.
The genus Athene is found in the warmer temperate regions of
the Old World, in India, and Upper Burma. Three species are
Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. Abdomen transversely barred.
a'. Crown distinctly spotted ; 1st quill longer
than 7th A . brama, p. 301.
b'. Crown unspotted or indistinctly spotted ; 1st
quill = 8th A. blewitti, p. 303.
b. Abdomen longitudinally streaked A. bactriana, p. 303.
1180. Athene brama. The Spotted Owlet.
Strix brama, Temm. PL Col. pi. 68 (1823).
Noctua indica, Frankl. P. Z. S. 1831, p. 115.
Noctua tarayensis, Hodqs. As. Res. xix, p. 175 (1836).
Athene brama, Blyth, Cat. p. 39 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 65 ; Jerdon,
B. 1. i, p. 141 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 257 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 404 ; id. N. $ E. p. 69 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 04 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 231 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 81 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 164 ; Adam, ibid. p. 369 ; Butler,
S. F. iii, p. 450 ; Blanford, Eastern Persia, ii, p. 118 ; Hume, S. F.
iv, p. 457 ; Hume & Inglis, S. F. v, p. 16.
Athene pulchra, Hume, S. F. i, p. 469 (1873) ; Hume $ Oates, S. F.
iii, p. 39.
Carine brama, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 138 ; Davidson fy Wend.
S. F. vii, p. 76 ; Ball, ibid. p. 201 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 256 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 76 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 232 ; Tidal, S. F. ix, p. 38 ; Butler,
ib. p. 377; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 100; Reid, S. F. x, p. 16;
Damson, ibid. p. 344 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 75 ; Oates in Hume's
N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 108.
Carine pulchra, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 140 (subsp.) ; Hume, Cat.
no. 76 quat. ; Anderson, Yunnan E.rped., A ves, p. 576 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 157 ; Sharpe, York. Miss., Aves, p. 151, pi. xxi.
Khukhusat, Khusattia, Ulu, Choyhad (in the South), II.; Katoria
Pencha, B. ; Pingald, Mahr. ; Dany Tany-pum, Lepcha ; Paini gante,
Tel. (gold eye) ; Andi, Tarn. ; Zee-ywet, Burin.
Coloration. Lores white or pale buff, with some black tips, a
brown spot in front of the eye and a white or whitish one beneath
it ; ear-coverts barred brown and whitish ; forehead and super-
cilia white ; upper parts, wings, and tail uniform brown, varying
from greyish or earthy to rufescent, the crown and nape with
numerous small white spots ; remainder of the upjx'r surfaiv with
larger and more distant white spots, arranged, as are those on the
crown, in pairs, and occasionally becoming bars, especially on the
302 ASIONID^E.
scapulars ; the spots are often wanting on the upper back, and are
largest on the wing-coverts ; an indistinct half-collar on the hind
neck formed by white feathers with brown edges quills with pale
cross-bars, becoming white spots on the outer web and, except near
the tips of the primaries, white indentations on the inner border ;
tail with from 4 to 6 white cross-bars varying in breadth and
continuity; chin, throat, and sides of neck behind ear-coverts
white ; a broad brown band, narrower or interrupted in the middle,
across the throat ; remainder of lower parts white, with broken
brown cross-bars formed by subterminal bands and spots on the
feathers ; these spots generally diminish in size or disappear on
the lower abdomen, legs, and under tail-coverts.
Bill greenish horny ; irides pale golden yellow ; feet dirty
greenish yellow (Jerdori). Cere dusky (Hume). Tarsi feathered ;
toes clad with long bristles above.
Length 8 inches ; tail 2-9 ; wing 6 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from
gape -8.
Fig. 77. — Head of A. brama, £.
Distribution. Throughout the Peninsula of India, from the
Punjab, Baluchistan, and Sind to Assam and Cachar, and from the
base of the Himalayas to the extreme South, but not in Ceylon,
though this Owl was obtained by Hume on the island of Eames-
waram. It is also common in the Irrawaddy valley from Prome
upwards, and probably throughout the drier parts of Burma.
The Burmese form was separated by Hume as A. pulchra on
account of smaller size, darker colour, and some supposed dif-
ferences in the markings ; but specimens from the west coast of
India are equally small and dark, and the differences in markings
are neither important nor constant.
Habits, fyc. Owing to its semi-diurnal habits, its noisiness, and
its fondness for human habitations, this is the best-known Owl in
India. It does not as a rule ascend the hills, and it avoids
forests ; it keeps to trees in cultivated tracts, especially in gardens,
and is commonly found roosting and breeding in the roofs of
houses. It lives chiefly on insects, partly on mice, shrews, lizards,
or small birds. Its usual call is a double note, but it keeps up a
continual chatter at times, especially in the evening, often before
sunset, always long before dusk, when it issues from its hiding-
place to perch on a pole or fence or telegraph-wire. As Hume
ATHENE. 303
says, it is one of the birds that seem to think that telegraph-wires
were erected for their sole and especial benefit. Its flight is
undulating, but peculiar and easily recognized. This Owlet breeds
from February to April, and lays 3 to 5 white oval eggs in holes
in trees or a building, or in a cleft in a rock, scantily lined with
leaves, grass, or feathers. The average size of the eggs is 1-25 by
1-04.
1181. Athene blewitti. The Forest Owlet.
Heteroglaux blewitti, Hume, S. F. i, p. 468 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii,
p. 141 ; Sail, S. F. v, p. 412 ; Hume, Cat. no. 76 quint. ; David-
son, S. F. x, p. 292 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 151, pi. xxii.
Carine (Heteroglaux) blewitti, Sail, S. F. vii, p. 201.
Coloration very like that of A. brama, but the brown spot in
front of the eye is faint or wanting ; there are no white spots,
or only traces of them, on the crown and nape, the nuchal semi-
collar is less distinct; the back and lesser and median wing-coverts
are uniform brown, the white spots being confined to the greater
coverts ; there are four broad distinct white bars across the tail-
feathers, one being terminal ; the brown band across the throat
is dark, unbroken, and much broader, and there is a second and
still broader band on the breast, partly broken by white edges ;
farther back on the breast and flanks the brown bars are wider
apart, and the middle of the abdomen, legs, and under tail-coverts
are pure white. Colours of soft parts not recorded.
Length about 9 ; tail 2-9 ; wing 5'7-6 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from
gape -85.
A heavier bird than A. brama, weighing 8*5 oz., or fully one-
third more. The 3rd and 4th quills are longest, the 3rd gene-
rally slightly exceeding the 4th, 1st quill about as long as 8th.
Tarsus feathered ; upper surface of toes with soft feathers, the
barbs of which wear away, leaving the shafts only in some
specimens.
Distribution. Of this rare Owl the type was obtained by
Mr. Blewitt near Sambalpur, and a second specimen by Mr. Ball
on the Udet river in Karial, 150 miles farther south. Some
years later three specimens were collected by Mr. Davidson at
the foot of the Satpuras in North-western Khandesh, where
this species was not rare. All were found in thick forest.
1182. Athene bactriana. Buttons Owlet.
Athene bactriana, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 776 (1847) ; Scully, S. F.
iv, p. 130.
Athene persica, apud Hume, Rough Notes, p. 407 (nee Vieill.).
Athene plumipes, 11. Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 448.
Carine plumipes, Sharpe (subsp.), Cat. B. M. ii, p. 137.
Carine bactriana, Hume, S. F. v, p. ::".<) : vii, j>. :;itt ; id. Cat. no 76
ter ; Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 21/5, 452 ; C. Sivinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 100 ;
Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 14, pi. iii.
304
Coloration. Facial disk mostly white, except the black tips to the
loral bristles and the ear-coverts, which are pale brown, streaked
longitudinally darker ; supercilia pure white ; upper parts, wings,
and tail dark rufous brown spotted with white, the spots small
and elongate on the crown, round and large elsewhere, an im-
perfect concealed white collar on the hind-neck; wings and tail
with broad white bands generally interrupted, sometimes for a
considerable distance, at the shafts ; lower parts white, a pale
brown band with darker spots across the throat, and light brown
longitudinal streaks on the breast and upper abdomen.
Bill greenish yellow ; cere pale greenish white ; iris pure sulphur-
yellow; feet greenish, claws bluish horny black (Stolictka). Feet
feathered above to ends of toes.
Length 9 ; tail 3*5 ; wing 6-25 ; tarsus 1*1 ; bill from gape "85.
Distribution. This form is not more than a local race of A. glaux,
which again is merely the Eastern desert form of the South
European A. noctua. One or the other of these is found through-
out the warmer temperate portions of the Pataarctic region ; the
race A. bactriana, distinguished solely by its well-plumed toes,
occurring in China, Mongolia, Yarkand, and Afghanistan. It is
common at Kandahar and has been obtained at Quetta, also in
some of the valleys near Peshawar. Two specimens in the British
Museum are labelled Tibet.
Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of A. brama, but the present
form is generally found on rocks, not on trees, and is especially
partial to deserted houses and ruins, particularly to the buildings
of sun-dried bricks so common throughout Central Asia.
Genus GLAUCIDIUM, Boie, 1826.
This genus differs chiefly from Athene in having a more rounded
wing, and the first quill much shorter, it being the shortest of all
the primaries ; the 4th is generally longest, but is occasionally ex-
ceeded by the 5th or the 3rd. All the Indian species, too, are well
distinguished by having the upper surface barred instead of spotted.
The cere is swollen and the nostrils tubular, the tarsus feathered
and the toes provided above with bristles.
This genus is widely distributed in the tropical and temperate
regions of the Old World and in Southern and Central America,
but not in Australia.
Key to the Species.
a. No collar : wing exceeding 4-5.
a'. Abdomen longitudinally striated.
a". Back and wings not chestnut G. cuculoides, p. 305.
b". Back and wings chestnut G. castanonotum, p. 307,
b'. Abdomen transversely barred G. radiatum, p. 306.
b. A distinct "buff collar : wing under 4 G. brodiei, p. 307.
GLA.UCIDIUM. 305-
1183. Glaucidium cuculoides. The Large Barred Owlet.
Noctua cuculoides, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; Gould, Cent. pL 4.
Athene cuculoides, Blyth, Cat. p. 38 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 66 ;
Jerdon, 7?. /. i, p. 145 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 17 ;
Hume, Rouf/h Notes, p. 414 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2.
p. 94; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 22; Hume, N. $ E. p. 71; id. S. F. iii,
p. 39; v, p. 135 ; InyKs, S. F. v, p. 16: Wardl. Rams. Ibis, 1877.
p. 454 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 408.
Athene whiteleyi, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 313 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 66.
Glaucidium cuculoides, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 219 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 37 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 201 ; Hume, Cat. no. 79 ;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 232 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 162 ; id. in Hume's
N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 113 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2)
iv, p. 572 ; v, p. 558 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 23.
Burra dundul, H. (Chamba) ; Tangpum, Lepcha.
Coloration. Lores whitish with black tips ; a narrow band over
the eye white ; sides of head, including ear-coverts, crown, and all
the upper parts, olive-brown, sometimes rufous, with white, buff, or
rufous cross-bars ; some white patches on the outer scapulars and
larger wing-coverts ; quills brown, with pale bars, becoming whitish
spots on the inner and outer webs, and growing whitish throughout
on the secondaries, which are tipped with the same colour ; tail
dark brown, with from 6 to 8 white bars, including the terminal
one ; the bars are generally interrupted and broken at the shafts ;
chin and moustachial stripe and the lower throat white ; remainder
of throat, breast, flanks, and legs dark olive-brown, with white or
pale rufous bars ; abdomen white, with rather irregular olive or
rufous streaks.
Young birds are rufescent brown, with small buff spots on the
head and nape ; the back and breast not barred, the only bars
being on the wings and tail.
Bill pale green ; cere brown ; irides bright yellow ; legs greenish
yellow (Oates).
Length about 9 ; tail 3-4 ; wing 5-8 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape -8.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Hazara,
chiefly at elevations from 2000 to 6000 feet, also in Assam,
Cachar, Manipur, and throughout Burma as far south as Tavoy,
being very common in Northern Tenasserim. This Owl is occa-
sionally met with in Bengal, and has been recorded at Calcutta
and in the Kajmehal hills, whilst Hume received a specimen from
the southern portion of the Mirzapur district. G. whiteleyi, which
appears to be only a large variety, is found throughout Southern
China.
Habits, $-c. This is one of the least nocturnal of all Owls, and
may often be seen in full sunlight, sometimes even at midday, sit-
ting on trees or stumps, or moving about and feeding in shady
gardens or jungle. It keeps to thin tree- or bamboo-jungle or
gardens, and feeds partly on insects, but also on small birds and
mammals. The cry is a peculiar cackle, like a laugh, called by
VOL. III. X
306 ASIONID^E.
Hume a " chuckling vibrating call." The breeding-season is from
March to May ; the eggs, 4 in number, are deposited in a hollow
or hole in a tree without any nest, or with a few dead leaves or
touchwood as lining. The eggs are round, pure white and glossy,
.and measure about 1-41 by 1-19.
1184. Glaucidium radiatum. The Jungle Owlet.
Strix radiata, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 572 (1833).
Athene erythropterus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 136.
Athene radiata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 281 ; id. Cat. p. 39 ; Rortf.
$ M. Cat. i, p. 67 ; Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 262 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i,
143; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 409 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 450; An-
derson. P. Z. S. 1875, p. 27; 1876, p. 781.
Athene malabarica, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 280; id. Cat. p. 39;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 144 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 413.
Glaucidium radiatum, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 217 ; Ball. 8. F. vii,
p. 201 ; Hume, Cat. no. 77 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 152 ; Reid,
S. F. x, p. 17 ; Davidson, ibid. p. 292 ; Damson, ibid. p. 344 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 76 ; Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i,
p. 196 ; Gates, in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 112.
Glaucidium malabaricum, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 218 (suhsp.) ;
Legge, S. F. iv, p. 242 ; Hume 8f Bourd., ibid. p. 372 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 78 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 38 ; Hume, ibid. p. 39 ; Butler, ibid.
p. 377 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 76.
Jangli Chogad, H. ; Kalakasut, Oude ; Chota kalpencha, Beng. ; Adam
paini gante, Tel. ; Nattah, Mai.
Coloration. Lores whitish with black tips ; sides of head and
neck, crown, and whole upper surface dark olive-brown, more or
less tinged with rufous and narrowly barred with pale rufous or
white, the bars much closer than in G. cuculoides ; some white spots
on outer scapulars and on greater coverts ; wings blackish brown,
both webs indented with chestnut spots, becoming bars on the
secondaries ; inner webs and sometimes the outer also becoming
entirely rufous towards the base ; tail blackish, with narrow white
cross-bars, interrupted and often broken at the shafts ; chin and
a band on each side of the throat behind the ear-coverts, a large
patch on the upper breast, middle of breast, and abdomen white ;
rest of lower surface banded dark olive and white or pale rufous,
the dark bars becoming wider apart behind on flanks and disap-
pearing on the legs and lower tail-coverts.
Bill greenish horny ; cere greenish ; irides yellow ; feet greenish
yellow to green.
Length 8 ; tail 2'9 ; wing 5-1 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape '75.
G. malabaricum is a rufous race, found, together with typical
G. radiatum and all intermediate varieties, on the Malabar coast.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of India in well-
wooded jungly tracts, from the lower Himalayas to the extreme
South, and also in Ceylon. This species is wanting in the Punjab,
Sind, Eajputana (except at Mount Abu), rare or wanting in the
GLAUCIDIUM. 307
Bombay Deccan, Western Central Provinces, and Carnatic ; com-
mon in the N.W. Provinces, parts of Guzerat, Khandesh, Chutia
Nagpur, and throughout the Malabar coast, and also in Ceylon.
It has been included in lists from Malacca, but probably in error.
Habits, <$fc. Like other species of Glaucidium this is often seen
and heard in daylight. It is bold and sagacious, feeding on small
birds as well as on lizards and insects. Its flight is rapid and
strong, and its call peculiar and protracted. It breeds from March
to May, in holes in trees, unlined, laying 2 or 3 white smooth eggs
without gloss, that measure about 1-25 by 1*06.
1185. Glaucidium castanonotum. The Chestnut-backed Owlet.
Athene castanopterus, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 280 ; nee Horsf.
Athene castanotus, Blyth, Cat. p. 39 (1849) ; Layard, A.M.N. H.
(2) xii, p. 105.
Athene castaneonotus, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 412 ; Holdsworth.
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 418.
Glaucidium castanonotum, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 215 ; Hume,
S. F. vii, p. 364 ; id. Cat. no. 78 bis ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 149,
pi. iv ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 112.
Coloration. Similar to G. radiatum, except in having the back,
rump, scapulars, and whole upper surface of the wings overlaid
with chestnut, so that the narrow cross-barring is seen more or
less distinctly through it, and in having longitudinal olive streaks
on the abdomen, and traces of them on the lower tail-coverts and
legs instead of cross-bars. The rufous bars on the wing-feathers
are narrower and more numerous, and they extend across all the
feathers, whilst the basal portions of the inner webs are buff
instead of rufous. The white spots on the wing-coverts and
scapulars are often wanting, but occasionally well developed.
Bill greenish horn-colour ; cere dusky greenish ; iris yellow ;
feet olivaceous, soles yellowish ; claws brown (Legge).
Length about 7*5 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 5-2 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from
gape -75.
Distribution. Peculiar to Ceylon, where this Owl is chiefly found
in the hills.
Habits, 6fc. These differ very little, if at all, from those of the
last two species. The food consists chiefly of insects and lizards,
occasionally of small mammals and birds. The cry is a repeated
guttural sound often heard long after sunrise and before sunset.
The eggs are laid in a hole in the trunk or branch of a tree from
March to May ; they are (so far as is known) two in number, white,
oval, and about 1-37 by I'll.
1186. Glaucidium brodiei. TJie Collared Pigmy Owlet.
Noctua brodiei, Burton, P. Z. S. 1835, p. 152.
Noctua tubiger, Hodgs. As. He*. xix,j>. 175 (1836).
Athene brodiei, Blyth, Cat. p. 40 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 66.
Glaucidium brodiei, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 146 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 258 ;
x2
308 ASIONIIXffl.
Stohczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 17 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 417 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 26 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 349 ; Stanford,
J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 155 ; Cock fy Marsh. S. F. i, p. 349 ;
Godw.-Aust. J.A.S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 152; xlv, pt. 2, p. 68;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 212 ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm. p. 67 ;
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 39 ; Hume, Cat. no. 80 ; Bingham, 8. F.
ix, p. 148 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 160 ; id. in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed.
hi, p. Ill ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1887, p. 434 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 23 ;
Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 558 ; vii, p. 375.
Glaucidium immaculatus, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 420 (1870).
Athene minutilla, Gould, Birds of Asia, i, pi. 15 (1870).
Coloration. Lores white with black tips, a narrow white super-
cilium ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and crown of head olive-brown (varying
to blackish), with short transverse buff, white, or rufous bars and
spots ; a black spot on each side of the nape, followed by a fulvous
half-collar formed by deep buff feathers with brown borders ; re-
mainder of upper parts olive or rufous-brown, often more rufous
than the head, with narrow white, buff, or rufous cross-bars ;
some large white spots on the outer scapulars ; quills dark brown,
with buff, rufous, or white spots on the outer, and partial bars on
the inner margins, the two united by subobsolete pale bands, the
first two primaries and tips of the others unspotted ; secondaries
tipped with buff ; tail dark brown, with white, buff, or rufous bars,
interrupted at the shafts ; chin and sides of the neck behind the
ear-coverts white, followed by a broad olive band barred with
white or rufous across the throat ; upper breast and a stripe down
the middle of breast and abdomen to lower tail-coverts white ;
sides of breast barred dark olive and buff or rufous ; abdomen
white, with large rufous or olive spots, dark at the edges; legs
olive, with pale bars.
Young birds are much more uniformly coloured above ; they
have only a few buff streaks on the head, and no bars either there
or on the mantle. This is the G. immaculatum of Hume, Athene
minutilla of Gould.
The birds of the Western Himalayas are browner, as a rule,
those of the Eastern Himalayas more rufous, some Sikhim skins
being tinged with ferruginous buff, but other Sikhim birds are
blackish olive, not rufous at all. Assamese and Burmese birds
also vary.
Bill, cere, and feet yellowish green ; iris bright yellow ; claws
horny (Bingham).
Length about 6-5; tail 2-5; wing 3-6; tarsus '8; bill from
,pe *7. Males are a little smaller than females, and Burmese
irds are rather less in dimensions than Himalayan.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Murree,
being found in Sikhim from the base of the hills to a considerable
elevation, but chiefly in the Western Himalayas between 5500 and
7500 feet. This species occurs also in the hills south of the Assam
valley, and in Karennee and the Tenasserim ranges, again at Perak
in the Malay Peninsula, and in Southern China.
Habits, $c. This is a bird of hill-forests, living partly on insects,
parti)' on birds, small mammals, and, according to Stoliczka, lizards
and frogs. Its call, first ascertained by Hutton, consists of four
clear whistled notes, whoo-tvhoo wJioo-whoo, easily imitated. Like
other species of Glautidium, this Owl is somewhat diurnal in its
habits. It lays four round white eggs, generally about May or
June, in holes in trees.
Genus NINOX, Hodgson, 1837.
Of all the genera of Owls this is, perhaps, the most Hawk-like
in general appearance, owing to the ruff and facial disk being quite
obsolete. The wings are longer and more pointed than in Athene
or Glaucidium, the 3rd or 4th quill is longest and the 1st about
as long as the 7th. The tail is slightly lengthened, and rounded
at the end. The cere is swollen, with the nostril close to the
anterior margin. Tarsus feathered, upper surface of toes thinly
furnished \vith bristles.
This genus is found throughout the Oriental region, the greater
part of the Australian region, New Zealand, and Madagascar.
Most of the species, including the two found within Indian limits,
are almost uniform chocolate-brown above.
Key to the Species.
a. Lower parts partly white, partly brown or
rufous ; quills barred N. scutulata, p. 309.
b. Lower parts almost entirely brown ; quills not
barred N. obscura, p. 311.
1187. Ninox scutulata. The Brown Hawk-Owl.
Strix scutulata, Raffl. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 280 (1822).
Strix hirsuta, Temm. PI. Col. p. 289 (1824).
Strix lugubris, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 572 (1833).
Ninox nipalensis, Hodgs. Madr. Jour. L. S. v, p. 23, pi. 14 (1837) ;
Godw.-Awt. J.A.S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 68.
Ninox scutulata, Blyth, Cat. p. 38 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 147 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 420; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 350; A. Anderson,
P. Z. S. 1875, p. 27 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 156 ; Blyth $
WaU. Birds Burm. p. 67 ; Hume, S. F. iv, pp. 286, 373 ; Arm-
strong, ibid. p. 303 ; Tweeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 287 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 81 bis ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 145 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 346 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 159 ; id. in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. Ill ;
Gurney, Ibis, 1884, p. 169 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2)
iv, p. 572 ; v, p. 558.
Athene scutulata, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 68 ; Layard, A. M. N. H.
(2) xii, p. 106.
Ninox hirsuta, Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 418 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 151 ;
Ball, ibid. p. 383 ; Hume % Oates, S. F. iii, p. 40 ; Fairbank, S. F.
iv, p. 254.
Is'inox lugubris, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. ii, p. 154; Anderson, Yunnan
Exped., Aves, p. 577 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 76; Sail,
ibid. p. 201 ; Cripps, ibid. pp. 253, 256 ; Hume, Cat. no. 81 ; FWo/,
& F. ix, p. 42 ; Butler, ibid. p. 377 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 17 ; Barney
Birds Bom. p. 77.
310
Ninox burmanica, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 285 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,
p. 40 ; Hume, Cat. no. 81 ter ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 148; Hume,
ibid. p. 245 ; Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 24.
Ninox innominata, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 286 ; v, p. 16.
Ninox affinis, Tytler, Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 316; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 421 ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 129, pi. v ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. ii, p.. 155 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 152; iv, p. 286; vii, p. 364;
id. Cat. no. 81 quat. ; Gurney, Ibis, 1884, p. 170.
Ninox hirsuta (Temm.), Ball, S. F. i, p. 54.
Choghad besra, H. ; Kal pechak or pdncha, Beng. ; Moh chirai, Assa-
mese ; Tang-kyi-per-chi-ok, Lepcha ; Paini (/ante vestam, Tel.
Fig. 78.— Head of N. scutulata, |.
Coloration. Lores and feathers on anterior portion of forehead
white with black ends ; upper parts with the sides of the head
and neck chocolate-brown, varying in depth of tint, the head and
neck very often greyer brown; some large concealed white patches
or bars on the outer scapulars ; quills brown, with pale bands
that disappear near the ends of the primaries, but become white
bars on the inner webs of the secondaries and on both webs of the
tertiaries; the tail alternately barred with blackish and pale
greyish brown and tipped whitish or white, the alternating bars
subequal in breadth, and those of each colour about 5 (from 4 to 6)
in number ; ground-colour of lower parts white ; the chin, throat,
and upper breast with broad brown median stripes, which pass
into large heart-shaped spots on the abdomen and flanks, and these
sometimes assume the form of bars on the thigh-coverts ; lower
tail-coverts chiefly or wholly white ; axillaries barred white and
brown or buff and brown, or sometimes orange-buff throughout.
Bill bluish black ; cere dull green ; irides bright yellow ; feet
dull yellow ; claws horny brown.
Length about 12-5 ; tail 5*25 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from
gape -9.
There is much variation in size, Northern specimens as usual
being larger than Southern. In Himalayan and Burmese birds
the wings measure 8 to 8*75, in Ceylonese and Malaccan 7'5 to 8,
in the little Andaman variety only 6'6 to 7*6.
As Hume has shown (S. F. iv, p. 285 ; ix, p. 42, &c.), N. lugu-
bris cannot be distinguished from N. scutulata. The former is
rather paler, with a greyer head, and is found in India and Burma
generally, chiefly in the less damp parts of the country; the latter,
of a deeper more uniform brown colour above, occurs in Malabar,
Ceylon, parts of Burma, &c., where the rainfall is heavier!
N. affinis, from the Andamans and Nicobars, is merely a small
insular race, some supposed differences in colour, as Hume has
also clearly shown, being individual.
Distribution. Throughout the Oriental region. This Owl is
common in the well-wooded parts of India, rare in the tracts less
furnished with trees, such as the Bombay Deccan, and parts of
the North-west Provinces, wanting, except at Mount Abu, in
Eajputana, Sind, and the Punjab. It has not been observed in
the Himalayas beyond the lower forests, but it is generally distri-
buted in Burma and Ceylon.
Habits, <Sfc. The Brown Hawk-Owl keeps much to thick trees
during the day ; it is chiefly nocturnal, but is occasionally seen
sitting on a stump or branch in the evening after sunset or in the
morning. It lives chiefly on insects, which it not unfrequently
captures in the air, but it also feeds on mice, lizards, Ac. The
call is said by Captain Legge to be a not unmelodious hoot, which
he writes ivhod-ivuk, and he doubts if this Owl utters cries like a
strangling cat, or a hare when caught by hounds, as stated by
Tickell, Buchanan Hamilton, and others. Mr. fieid, however,
who wounded one, noticed that it cried like a hare. That peculiar
strangled cries are not uncommon at night in the forests of
India, I know from having heard them ; I never succeeded
in detecting the bird by which they are made, though I have
no doubt it is an Owl. Very little is known of the breeding
of N. scutulata, except that it rears its young in holes in trees
without any lining, and lays nearly spherical white
1188. Ninox obscura. Hume's Brown Hawk-Owl.
Ninox obscura, Hume, S. F. i, p. 11 (1873) ; Ball, ibid. p. 66 ; Hume,
S. F. ii, p. 153 ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 129, pi. iv ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. ii, p. 177 ; Hume, Cat. no. 81 quint.
Coloration. Very dark chocolate-brown above and below, growing
lighter and more rufous on the abdomen; a few small whitish
spots or bars occur on the flanks and abdomen (often only to
be seen by raising the overlying feathers), and the lower tail-
coverts are barred with white ; feathers of the lores, forehead,
and chin bristly, whitish, or white at the base, black at the ends ;
quills uniform deep brown ; tail-feathers deep brown, with about
four narrow pale greyish cross-bands and a whitish tip. The head
above is often a little darker than the back.
Bill blackish ; cere, ridge of upper mandible and tip of lower
green ; irides yellow ; feet yellow ; claws black.
Length 11*5 ; tail 5 ; wing 8-75 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1.
Distribution. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The nearest
ally is the Papuan N. theomacha.
Fig. 79. — Haliastur indus.
Order XI. ACCIPITRES.
The diurnal Birds of Prey, if only Indian genera are taken into
consideration, form a very natural and well-marked group, about
which the only doubt that can arise is whether the Osprey is
'entitled to higher rank than that of forming a distinct family.
The difficult questions as to the relationship of the American
Vultures or Condors (Cathartidce) and of the African Secretary
Bird (Serpentarius) do not concern us, and the Owls have now by
general consent been placed in a distinct order.
In the Accipitres the bill is strong, the upper mandible con-
siderably longer than the lower, with the culmen much curved, so
that the end is hooked and the tip perpendicular ; the basal
portion is covered with a membrane or cere, in which the nostrils
are pierced. The feet are strong and furnished with powerful
-claws. A hallux is always present, and there is a tufted oil-gland.
The spinal feather-tract is well-defined on the neck. There are
:;]:',
always 11 primaries. The Jlcxor low/us Jialluds leads to the hallux
and the flexor perforans diyitorum to the other three digits, but
the two tendons are united by a fibrous vinculum. The ambiens
muscle and the femoro-caudal are present, the accessory femoro-
caudal, semitendinosus, and accessory semitendinosus are absent.
The posterior border of the sternum is not notched, but there is
sometimes a foramen on each side within the border. There are
no basipterygoid processes, and the palate is desmognathous.
Both carotids are present, and there are caeca of the intestine.
The nest is generally of sticks, and is placed on a tree or on
rocks. The young are hatched helpless and covered with down ;
they remain in the nest for a considerable time. The female
throughout the order is almost always larger than the male.
Accipitrine birds may be thus divided into three families : —
rt. No aftershaft to contour-feathers; outer toe
reversible Pandionidae, p. 818.
b. An aftershaft present; outer toe not or very
slightly reversible.
a'. Crown of head naked or covered with down. Vulturidae, p. 315.
b'. Crown of head feathered Falconidae, p. 327.
Family PANDIONID.E.
The Osprey differs from all other Accipitrine birds in having the
outer toe reversible, and in having no aftershaft to the feathers.
The characters of the tibia and tarsus (tarso-metatarsus and
tibio-tarsus) have been shown by Lydekker (Cat. Foss. Birds B. M.
p. 18) to be Owl-like, as are the other distinctive peculiarities
J'ust mentioned, and it is unquestionable that the Osprey forms a
ink between Accipitrine birds and Owls, and that it differs from
the FdlconidcK much more than the Vultures do.
Genus PANDION.
Bill moderate, with the tip produced and much hooked ; festoon
variable; nostrils small, narrow, oblique. "Wings long and
pointed ; third quill longest, extending beyond the end of the tail,
which is nearly even. Tarsus short, stout, reticulated, without
scutation ; toes with scutse above only near the ends, covered with
prickly scales beneath; claws rounded beneath, much curved,
subequal in size.
A single species.
314 PAKDIONIDJE.
1189. Pandion haliaetus. The Osprey.
Falco haliaetus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 129 (1766).
Pandion haliaetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 29 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 52 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 80 ; Hume, 'Rough Notes, p. 234 ; id. S. F.
i, p. 159; xi, p. 11 ; id. Cat. no. '40; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i,p. 449;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 16 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ; Vidal, S. F.
ix, p. 32 ; Butler, ibid. p. 373 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 122 ; Gurney,
Ibis, 1882, p. 594 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 220 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 38.
Machariya, Machmanga, H. ; Macharang, Nepal ; Machmoral, Bala,^ B. ;
Koramin gedda, Tel. ; Hegguli, Yerkli ; Verali-addi-pong, Tarn. ; Pantiong,
Lepcha ; Woon-let, Burm.
Fig. 80. — Left foot of P. haliaetus,
Coloration. Head and neck white, the feathers along the middle
of the crown and nape, and sometimes at the sides, with conspi-
cuous brown shaft-lines and tips ; a broad dark brown band from
each eye down the side of the neck ; upper parts glossy brown ;
tail the same, the rectrices more or less distinctly barred with
paler brown above, with white below, especially on the inner webs
of all except the middle pair ; in old birds the bars tend to become
obsolete ; quills blackish ; lower parts white, except on the upper
breast, where the feathers are brown with dark shafts and white
edges, that are sometimes very broad, but occasionally wanting ;
wing-lining brown, mixed with white or fulvous.
In the young the dark feathers of the dorsal surface are
pale-edged, the tail is more closely and more distinctly barred,
and the breast either unmarked or only slightly spotted with
brown.
Bill black; cere, gape, and eyelids dull greenish blue; irides
bright yellow ; legs pale greenish or yellowish ; claws black.
Length of females about 22 inches ; tail 9 ; wing 20 ; tarsus 2*3
bill from gape 1-6. Male slightly small. -r.
Distribution, Almost world-wide; found in suitable localiti.-s
throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma.
Habits, $c. Ospreys live on fish, and haunt, in India, the coast,
backwaters, rivers, and large pieces of water of all kinds. They
are generally seen perched on trees, occasionally on a stone, or
else circling or flying over water in search of food. They capture
fishes near the surface of the water by dropping on them from a
height with a great splash, and often carry off prey of considerable
size, but instances are on record of their being drowned by large
fash, so that sometimes at all events they are unable to extricate
their claws. Though nests have been seen in the Himalayas by
Hume and others, and by Jerdon in an unrecorded part of the
country, no eggs have been taken, and most Indian Ospreys are
cold-weather visitants and do not breed in the country. They
lay generally three eggs, white, much spotted and blotched with
dull red, and measuring about 2-4 by 1*77, in a large nest of sticks
mixed with various materials and placed on a tree or rock.
Family VULTURID.E.
Head and neck more or less bare or only clothed with short
stubby down ; never any true feathers on crown of head (SJiarpe).
The above appears the only really distinctive character by which
Vultures are distinguished from Falcons, Eagles, and Hawks.
Vultures have the crop covered with short feathers, and generally
a more or less distinct elongate ruff round the neck at the end of
the naked portion. The bill (except in Neophron) is strong, deep,
and compressed, with the culmen much curved ; the tip is al\\a\ >
hooked, and the cere large and horny. There are 15 cervical
vertebrae, or one more than is usual in Fahonidw. The wings are
long ; tail-feathers 12 or 14, with strong shafts, that, owing to
wear, always project at the ends. The tarsi are partly feathered,
the naked portions covered with granular scales, with larger
transverse scutes on the distal phalanges of the toes; the inn.-r
and outer toes are subequal, and the middle and outer united by
membrane ; claws blunt, not much curved.
Typical Vultures (the genus Neophron differs in some respects)
resemble each other closely in habits. As is well-known, tli. \
feed on dead animals, and congregate in an extraordinary maiiii- r
wherever a carcase is exposed. The way in which they assemble,
apparently from all parts of the air, in a place whore a few minutes
previously not one was in sight, is a wonderful spectacle. When
in search of food, Vultures and some other Accipitrine birds soar
and wheel slowly in large circles, very often at an elevation tar
316 YULTURIDJE.
beyond the reach of human vision, as was shown by the observa-
tion of Colonel Tennant, who at Roorkee in 1875 (8. F. iii, p. 419)
noticed that birds at a height of some miles often passed across
the field of his telescope. As Jerdon and other writers have
pointed out, the Vultures are dependent for the discovery of their
food upon their eyesight, the more distant birds being attracted
by seeing those nearer to the carcase flying in a manner that shows
them to have found out its position. The actual discovery is
doubtless generally made by Crows or Kites, and th6 Vultures
obtain information from the movements of the smaller birds.
On the ground Vultures are clumsy, heavy, and ungainly, as
foul in aspect as in smell ; but on the wing no bird has a grander
or more powerful flight, and none affords a better opportunity of
studying the position and movements of a bird when flying.
Amongst the rocky crags to which Vultures resort to roost and,
in many cases, to breed, it is often easy to stand on the edge of a
cliff where they pass by within a few feet, and as each great bird
sweeps past, regulating its course by its tail, and occasionally
moving its head slightly as it investigates the different objects
that present themselves, to notice how steady and unchanging is
the position of the extended wings and flight-feathers, and to
observe how entirely the support of the bird is due to the resist-
ance of the air.
Vultures are confined to the tropical and warm temperate regions
of Asia, Europe, and Africa ; their American representatives, the
Condors and their allies, being now placed in a distinct order by
most ornithologists. The family is represented in India by species
of all known genera except Lophogyps. By some writers Neophron
is regarded as forming a distinct subfamily, but the difference is
scarcely more than generic.
Key to the Genera.
a. Bill stout ; height of upper mandible approxi-
mately the same as length of cere on culmen.
a'. Nostril round or oval ; tail-feathers 12.
a". No neck-wattle VULTUR, p. 316.
b". A fleshy wattle on each side of the neck. OTOGYPS, p. 318.
b'. Nostril a vertical narrow slit.
c". Tail-feathers 14 GYPS, p. 319.
d". Tail-feathers 12 PSEUDOGYPS, p. 324.
b. Bill slender ; nostril elongate, horizontal .... NEOPHRON, p. 325.
Genus VULTUR, Linn., 1766.
Bill short, strong, and deep, curving from the end of the cere ;
nostrils round or slightly curved ; head broad, covered with down,
which is longer on the nape; neck naked, ruff very small,
ascending on the back of the neck.
A single species.
VULTUIt. 317
1190. Vultur monachus. The Cinereous Vulture.
Vultur inonachus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 122 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 32 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 1 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 6 ; id. Ibis,
1871, p. 234 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 1 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S.
1871, p. 675 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 367 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 3 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 441 ; v, p. 226 ; Blanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ;
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 321; id. Cat. no. 1 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 217 ;
Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 214, 450 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884,
p. 405 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 2 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 149.
Great Brown Vulture, Jerdon ; Kdla-yidh, H. ; Gut panom, Lepcha.
Fig. 81. — Head of V. monachus, -J-.
Coloration. Blackish brown throughout, with, in freshly moulted
plumage, a ruddy gloss on the mantle ; under surface sometimes
darker than upper ; quills and tail almost black, occiput and lower
tail-coverts paler. Young birds are paler and browner.
Bill blackish brown; cere pale mauve; irides brown; naked
skin of neck livid flesh-colour ; legs and feet creamy or pearl-
white.
Length about 42 inches ; tail 17 ; wing 30 ; tarsus 5.
Distribution. Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and eastward
through South-western Asia and parts of Central Asia to India
and China. In India this bird is resident in Afghanistan and the
Himalayas, and visits North-western India in the cold season,
having been observed in the Punjab, Sind, North-west Provinces,
and Oude, Guzerat near Ahmedabad, Mhow, and Saugor. It
ranges in the Himalayas as far east as Bhutan.
Habits, Sfc. Those of the family. The nesting does not appear
to have been recorded within Indian limits, though there can be
no doubt that this bird breeds in the Himalayas. In Europe it
breeds about February or March, sometimes on cliffs, more often
in trees ; builds a huge nest of sticks, and lays a single egg (very
rarely two) richly marked with dark red, and measuring about
3-7 by 2-6.
318 YTJLTUEID^E.
Genus OTOGYPS, Gray, 1841.
Head and neck bare, without any down in adults ; a wattle of
skin on each side of the neck behind the ear ; ruff very small ;
bare neck extending farther down than in Vultur, to which genus
the present is very similar.
Two species, one African, the other Indian.
1191. Otogyps calvus. The Black Vulture or
Pondicherry Vulture.
Vultur calvus, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 85 (1786) ;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 8 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 232 ; Adam, S. F.
i, p. 367 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 676 ; 1875, p. 17 ; Blyth,
Birds Burm. p. 64.
Vultur ponticerianus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 7 (1790) ; Sykes, P. Z. S.
1832, p. 77 ; Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. x, p. 63 ; Gray in Hardw.
III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 15, fig. 1.
Otogyps calvus, G. R. Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 6 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 32 ;
Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 2 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 7 ; Stoliczka, J.A.S. B.
xli, pt. 2, p. 230 ; Hume, N.^E.^.l; Davidson, S. F. ii, p. 336 ;
Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 14 ; Brooks, 8. F. iii, p. 228 ; Butler,
S. F. iii, p. 441 ; vii, p. 179 ; ix, p. 369 ; Blanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ;
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 1 ; Davidson fy Wend. S. F. vii, p. 72 ;
Gurney, ibid. p. 170; Ball, ibid. p. 196; Cripps, ibid. p. 240;
Hume, Cat. no. 2; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 190; ix, p. 142; Scully,
S. F. viii, p. 217 ; Doig, ibid. p. 370 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 29 ;
Davison, S. F. x, p. 331 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 2 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 171 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed'. iii, p. 209 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 3 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 38 ; iii, p. 206.
Rdj-gidh, Mulla-gidh, Bhaonra, H. ; Lung-nong-loong, Lepcha ; Raj
Sagun, Beng. ; Nella Boraiva, Tel. ; Rannapanta, Yerkli.
Fig. 82.— Head of 0. calvus,^.
Coloration. Adult. Scattered black hairs on the nape and sides
of the head and on the throat, more closely set around the ear-
orifice: head above and neck bare; plumage generally glossy
GYPS. 319
black, brownish on the scapulars, lower back, and rump ; secondary
quills brown with black tips ; ruff inconspicuous, black, the
feathers white at the base ; crop-patch dark brown, surrounded,
except anteriorly, by white down ; upper thighs and anterior part
of flanks white and downy.
The young are brown above and below ; feathers of the breast
and abdomen with paler edges ; under tail-coverts whitish ; the
ruff of rather longer brown feathers. The crown of the head is
covered with white down.
Bill dark brown ; cere, skin of head and neck deep yellowish
red, a conspicuous naked patch on each side of the crop and a
large naked oval area in front of each thigh the same ; irjules red-
brown or yellow ; legs dull red (legs china-white, Oates).
Length about 32 ; tail 10*5 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 4*5 ; mid toe
without claw 3'5 ; bill from gape to tip 2-75.
Distribution. Throughout India and Burma, but not in Ceylon,
ranging to the south-east into the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and
Cochin China. Rare in the Punjab and Sind, but found in the
lower Himalayas.
Habits, $c. This fine Vulture is nowhere very abundant, usually
one or two come to feed on a carcase with scores of Gyps indicus,
G. tenuirostris, or Pseudogyps benyalensis ; these, being smaller and
weaker, give way before the present species, which is consequently
known as the King Vulture. It breeds on trees from the latter
end of January to the middle of April, making a large platform of
sticks, and laying a pure white egg (spots and streaks are of very
rare occurrence in this species) that measures about 3-34 by 2-6.
Genus GYPS, Savigny, 1810.
This genus contains several species, and includes several of the
common Indian Vultures. The head is narrower and the bill
longer than in the two preceding genera ; the naked neck is
longer, and there is a well-marked ruff at the base of the naked
portion. The nostril is very narrow and vertically (transversely)
or obliquely elongate. This genus, too, is distinguished from the
other Vultures by having 14 tail-feathers.
Species of Gyps are found throughout Africa, Southern and
South-eastern Europe, South-western and Central Asia. India and
Burma. Four species occur within our limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Larger : wing 27-31 inches.
a1. Third primary longest; lower plumage
with narrow shaft-stripes G. fulws, p. 320.
b'. Fourth primary longest ; shaft-stripes on
lower plumage very broad G. himalayensis, p. 321.
b. Smaller : wing 22-26'5 ; bill more slender.
c'. Crown of head with scattered hairs .... G. indicus, p. 322.
d'. Crown of head quite naked G. tenuirostris, p. 323,
320 VULTURIIXffi.
1192. Gyps fulvus. The Griffon Vulture.
Vultur fulvus, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 249 (1788).
Gyps fulvus, Slyth, Cat. p. 32, partim ; id. His, 1866, p. 232 ; Jerdon,
£. I. i, p. 8, pt. ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 235 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 5 ;
Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 88; Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 99; Butler,
S F iii, p. 441 ; v, p. 217 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 196; Hume, Cat.
no. 3 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 149.
Gyps fulvescens, Hiime, Ibis, 1869, p. 356 ; id. Rough Notes, p. 19 ;
id. S. F. i, p. 148 ; id. N. $ E. p. 5 ; id. S. F. vii, p. 322 ; id. Cat.
no. 3 bis ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 367 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 2l8;Eutler,
S. F. ix, p. 369 ; Barnes, ibid. p. 450 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 285 ;
Swinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 98 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 4 ; id. Jour. Bom.
N. H. Soc. iii, p. 207 ; Gates in Hume's N. fy £. 2nd ed. iii, p. 203.
Coloration. Head thickly covered all round with short white hair-
like feathers, passing into white down on the neck ; feathers of ruff
elongate, lanceolate, whitish, with rufous-brown or fawn-coloured
edges, in very old birds dingy white throughout and disintegrated
back and wiDg-coverts varying from brown with a pinkish tinge,
through fawn-colour to pale brown, often particoloured, some
feathers darker than others, but all with narrow pale shafts, more
or less distinct : rump and upper tail-coverts paler fawn, especially
along the shafts and edges ; major coverts, scapulars, and tertiaries
dark brown with pale edges ; quills and tail black or blackish
brown ; lower parts throughout, including wing-lining, pinkish
brown to ochreous buff, with narrow white shaft-stripes, the short
crop-feathers generally rather browner.
Younger birds are deeper coloured when freshly moulted, and
are distinguished by having the feathers of the back, scapulars,
and coverts pointed and the ruff-feathers dark and elongate. The
buff -coloured birds appear to be either young or old in worn and
faded plumage.
Bill horny brown or dusky yellowish, paler on the culmen in
adults, greenish horny in younger birds ; cere black ; iris brownish
yellow ; legs and feet dirty yellow to greenish grey ; 3rd primary
longest.
Length 41 to 47 ; tail 13 ; wing 26-29 ; tarsus 4-5 ; mid toe
without claw 4*25 ; bill from gape to point 8*1.
Amongst the series of G. fulvescens in the Hume collection I
can match all European specimens of G. fulvus available for
comparison. It should be remembered that many specimens of
Vulture skins in European museums are faded and bleached by
exposure : but, so far as I can see, the Indian bird is absolutely
identical with the European.
Distribution. Southern and South-western Europe, Northern
Africa, and South-western Asia ; common in Afghanistan, Balu-
chistan, the Punjab, Sind, and Bajputana, the range in India
extending east as far as Nepal and Sikhim, and south to Khandesh
and the Deccan. Ball records the species from Manbhooin, and I
once saw a large Vulture, that must, I think, have been this species,
on the banks of the Glodavari near Dumagudern.
GYPS. 321
Habits, <$fc. The Griffon generally breeds on rocky cliffs in
colonies, and lays a single white egg, about February, in a loosely
constructed nest of sticks. Occasionally, but very rarely, the egg
is slightly spotted ; the average measurement is 3'65 by 2'7.
Solitary nests on trees have been observed in North-western
India ; but in Sind I have no doubt these Vultures breed on the
cliffs of the Khirthar and other ranges, for I saw a pair in copuld
on January 3rd on the crags, roaring in the most extraordinary
way at the time, after the manner of Vultures.
1193. Gyps himalayensis. The Himalayan Griffon.
Gyps fulvus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 32, partim ; id. J. A. S. B. xxiv,
p. 253, note ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 3 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 8, pt. ;
nee Vultur fulvus, Gmel.
Gyps himalayensis, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 12 (1869) ; id. N. $ E.
S3; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 235; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p 8 ;
rooks, S. F. iii, p. 228 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 323 ; id. Cat. no.
3ter; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 218; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 38
Scully, ibid. p. 416 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 405 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 200.
Gyps nivicola, Servertzov, Turkest. Jevotn.^. Ill, pi. vii (1873).
Coloration. Adult. Hair-like feathers on the head and down on
neck white or yellowish white ; feathers of ruff loose-textured,
whitish along the shafts, pale brown on the sides ; back and wing-
coverts whity brown, rather unevenly coloured, with traces of pale
shaft-stripes ; lower back whitish or white ; rump and upper tail-
coverts buff ; scapulars and greater wing-coverts dark brown with
pale tips ; quills and tail-feathers blackish brown, the inner quills
with pale ends ; crop brown, streaked paler ; rest of lower parts
light brown or buff with broad whitish shaft-stripes ; under tail-
coverts pale buff.
Young birds are dark brown above and below, with strongly
marked whitish shaft-stripes on all body-feathers and wing-coverts,
the shaft-stripes being very broad on the ruff and the lower parts;
wing- and tail-feathers nearly black.
Bill pale horny green ; cere pale brown ; irides brownish yellow ;
legs and feet dingy greenish grey or white (Hume). The 4th
primary is the longest.
Length about 48 ; tail 16 ; wing 30 ; tarsus 4-6 ; mid-toe
without claw 4*3 ; bill from gape 3'3.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Cabul to Bhutan,,
but only observed on the mountains. This species is also found
farther north in Turkestan and Northern Tibet, and probably in
other ranges of Central Asia.
Habits, 6fc. This is distinctly a mountain Vulture, and breeds
from the end of December to the first week in March. It makes
the usual platform of sticks, or sometimes occupies an old Eagle's
nest, on the face of a cliff, and lays a single egg, sometimes greyish
white, more often blotched and streaked with red-brown, and
measuring about 3'76 by 2-75.
YOL. III. T
1194. Gyps indicus. The Indian Long-billed Vulture
Vultur indicus, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 85 (1786) ;
Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 77.
Gyps bengalensis, apud J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. ZooL i, pi. 15 ;
nee Gin.
Gyps indicus, Blyth, Cat. p. 33, partim ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 4, pt. ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 9, pt. ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 235 ; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 21 ; id. N. $ E. p. 5; id. Cat. no. 4 ; Adam, S. F. i,
p. 367 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 10, pt. ; Davidson # Wend.
S. F. vii, p. 72 ; Tidal, S. F. ix, p. 29 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 332.
Gyps pallescens, Hume, S. F. i, p. 150 (1873) ; vii, pp. 165, 325 ; id.
Cat. no. 4 bis; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 11; Butler, S. F. iii,
p. 442 ; ix, p. 369 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 190 ; Davidson, S. F.
x, p. 285 : Swinhoe fy Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 54 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 5 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 207 ; Oates in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 203.
Gidh, H. ; Gidad, Maha-dho, Mahr.
Coloration. Adult. Short brownish-white hair- like feathers
thinly sprinkled all round the head and on the nape ; upper half
of back and sides of neck, and all the front, with small tufts of
white down scattered over them; ruff disintegrated, soft and
white; back pale brown, upper wing-coverts still paler, all the
feathers palest on their edges ; lower back and rump brown, with
broad white borders to the feathers, sometimes whitish throughout;
upper tail-coverts darker brown, pale-edged ; larger wing-coverts
and scapulars the same ; quills and tail-feathers blackish brown ;
crop generally uniform dark brown, but sometimes light brown or
even white ; lower parts whity brown, with indistinct broad pale
shaft-stripes.
Young very like that of G. himalayensis; the head and nape
more thickly clad than in the adult; a ruff of long lanceolate
feathers, whitish, with brown edges at each side ; upper back,
smaller scapulars, and wing-coverts dark brown, with narrow
whitish shaft-stripes ; lower back and rump whitish ; quills and
tail nearly black ; crop brown ; abdomen and under wing-coverts
light brown, with broad whitish shaft-stripes.
Bill and cere pale greenish, yellowish horny on culmen ; irides
brown ; bare skin of head and face dusky ashy leaden ; legs and
feet the same ; claws creamy horny (Hume).
Length about 38 ; tail 11 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 3' 75 ; mid-toe with-
out claw 3'9 ; bill from gape 2-8.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of the Peninsula of
India, south of the Indo-Gangetic plain — not in Sind nor in
Ceylon.
Habits, $c. The Long-billed Vulture breeds from December to
February in colonies on precipitous cliffs, laying a single egg,
greenish white, generally unspotted, sometimes spotted or blotched
with reddish brown, and measuring about 3*61 by 2-72.
GYPS. 323
1195. Gyps tenuirostris. The Himalayan Long-billed Vulture.
Vultur tenuiceps, Hodgson in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844), descr
nulla.
Gyps tenuirostris, Hodgson MS., Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 6 (1844), deter
nulla ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 326 (18/8) ; id. Cat. no. 4ter ; Scully,
S. F. viii, p. 219.
Gyps indicus, apud Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 9, partim ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 232 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 10, pt. ; Blyth $ Walden, Birds
Burm. p. 64 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 1 ; Hume, Cat. no. 4 ;
id. S. F. xi, p. 2 j Oates, B. B. ii, p. 169 ; id. in Hume's N. 8c E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 202.
Sdgun, Beng. ; Gut, Lepcha.
Fig. 83.— Head of G. tenuirostris,
Very similar to the last, but distinguished by having no feathers
at all on the head and scarcely any down on the neck, by the
general coloration of the plumage being darker, the legs and feet
somewhat longer, the bill more slender, the nostril apparently less
elongate and broader, and the colours of the soft parts different.
BUI brownish dusky horny, the culmen yellowish horny ; cere
horny black ; irides deep brown ; skin of head and neck dark
muddy ; tarsi and toes black ; claws dusky or horny black (Hume).
Length about 38-5 ; tail 10-5 ; wing 24 ; tarsus 4 ; middle toe
without claw 4-3 ; bill from gape 2-85.
The Indian Peninsular form, and not the present species, must
retain the name indicus, for Sonnerat in his original description
of " Le Grand Vautour des Indes " (to which the specific name
indicus was applied by Scopoli) wrote that the head is covered
with fine down resembling hair (la tete est couverte d'un petit duvet
qui ressemble a du poil). Hume has distinguished the Himalayan
Vulture, G. tenuirostris, from that of Bengal, Assam, and Burma,
on account of the slender bill and head of the former ; but I feel
doubtful whether the difference is constant.
Distribution. Throughout the lower Himalayas and near their
base as far west as Kashmir, also in Bengal, As-am, and Burma,
T2
324 VULTUBIDJE.
as far south as Moulmem ; and according to Blyth in the Malay
Peninsula also. The limits of this and the last species are not
clearly known.
Habits, 6fc. This Vulture breeds on trees in Bengal in January and
February, making the usual large nests of boughs freshly broken
off. The single egg is nearly pure white, and measures about 3*5
by 2-73.
Genus PSEUDOGYPS, Sharpe, 1873.
This genus is only distinguished from Gyps by having 12 tail-
feathers like other Vultures, instead of 14. There are two species
very similar to each other, one is African, the other Indian.
1196. Pseudogyps bengalensis. The IndianWhite-bacJced Vulture.
Vultur bengalensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 245 (1788).
Vultur leuconota, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 14
(1830-32).
Gyps bengalensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 33 ; Horsf.fyM. Cat. i, p. 4 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 10 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 233 ; King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii,
pt. 2, p. 210; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 26; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 235 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. IS. 1871, p. 676 ; 1875, p. 17 ; Stoliczka,
J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 230 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 7 ; Adam, S. F,
i, p. 367; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 65; Butler, S. F. iii,
p. 442 ; v, p. 322 ; vii, p. 179 ; Blanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ; Davids.
fy Wend. S. F. vii, p. 72; Cripps, ibid. p. 240; Marshall, Ibis,
1884, p. 406.
Pseudogyps bengalensis, Sharpe, A. M. N. H. (4) xi, p. 133; id.
Cat. B. M. i, p. 11 ; Hume 8? Dav. S. F. vi, p. 1 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 196 ; Hume, Cat. no. 5 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 190 ; Scully,
ibid. p. 219 ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 29 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 2 ; Davidson,
ibid. p. 286 ; Davison, ibid. p. 332 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 1 ; Oates, B.
B. ii, p. 170 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 205 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 6 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 38 ; iii, p. 207 ;
St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 149.
Gidh, H. & Mahr. ; Sdgun, Changoun, Beng. ; Guligadu, Matu pudum
gudu, Tel. ; Walhorya, Yerkli ; Karru, Tarn. ; Lin-tah, Burmese.
Coloration. Adult. Head and fore-neck with sparse brownish
hairs, thicker on the nape ; back of neck with white downy tufts ;
ruff of short pure white down ; wings, interscapulary region,
upper tail-coverts, and tail black or brownish black ; secondaries
brownish grey ; lower back, rump, upper part of flanks, lower
wing-coverts except near the edge of the wing, axillaries, and
thigh-coverts white ; crop-patch black, bordered on each side by
white down; breast and abdomen brownish black, with narrow
whitish shaft-stripes.
Young. Head and neck much covered with down, whitish above,
brownish and thinner below ; ruff of whitish lanceolate feathers
with brown edges ; plumage generally dark brown, primaries and
tail-feathers blackish ; wing-coverts with narrow, breast and abdo-
men with broad whitish shaft-stripes ; no white on back, flanks, or
wing-lining ; a white down border to the brown crop-patch.
NEOPHRON. 325
Bill dark plumbeous, except the upper part of the upper man-
dible, which in adults is greyish white ; cere horny black, polished ;
irides brown ; naked skin of head and neck dusky plumbeous :
legs and feet nearly black (Hume).
Length about 35 ; tail 10 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 3-75 ; mid-toe with-
out claw 3*5 ; bill from gape to point 2'75.
At all ages this is a darker as well as a smaller bird than Gyps
indicus, and may be at once recognized by its dark lower parts
with narrow whitish shaft-stripes.
Distribution. The commonest Vulture throughout India and
Burma, but not found in Ceylon nor above moderate elevations in
the Himalayas. Earer in the Punjab and Sind, and in the desert
parts of Eajputana. According to St. John, large numbers ac-
companied the army engaged in S. Afghanistan in 1878-9, and
fed on the dead camels.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of other true Vultures. This
bird and Gyps indicus are commonly found about towns and
villages, and they assemble in large numbers to feed on carcases of
all kinds. The nest is an irregular platform of sticks, always on a
large tree, often banyan or pipal, sometimes on palms, not unfre-
quently tamarind, nim (Melia azadirachta), or Terminalia, and
there are often several nests on one tree. The middle of the plat-
form is lined with green leaves, and a single egg is laid, generally
dull white, sometimes speckled or blotched with reddish brown,
and measuring on an average 3-26 by 2*42. This bird breeds from
October till March, the majority about December or January, rather
earlier, as is usual, to the southward than in Northern India.
When pairing these Vultures, like Gyps fulvus, make an extra-
ordinary roaring.
Genus NEOPHRON, Savigny, 1810.
Bill slender, lengthened, the culmen straight at first, greatly
hooked at the tip ; cere very long ; nostrils elongate, horizontal ;
crown and sides of head, chin, throat, and upper fore-neck naked ;
neck surrounded by a ruff of hackles, which extend up to the nape
and round all the lower part of the neck ; crop naked ; wings
long, pointed, the third quill longest ; tail wedge-shaped. Third
and fourth toes much united at the base by membrane ; claws
sharper than in other Vultures.
The habits and flight of these birds differ much from those of
the preceding Vulturine genera. Neophron inhabits Africa,
Southern Europe, and South-western Asia, including the Indian
Peninsula. Two species are known, both Indian. The African
Vultur pileatus, often referred to Neophron, belongs to a distinct
genus, Necrosyrtes, Gloger.
Key to the Species.
/i. Bill yellow in adults N. ginginianus, p. 326.
J). Bill dark homy at all ages Ar. percnopterus, p. -)-7.
326 VULTUEID^E.
1197. Neophron ginginiaims. The Smaller White
Scavenger Vulture.
Vultur ginginianus, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 7 (1790).
Neophron percnopterus, Blyth, Cat. p. 33, pt. ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 6, pt. ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 12 ; nee L.
Neophron ginginianus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 233; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 31 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 12 ; xli, pt. 2,
p. 230 ; Stanford, J. A. 8. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 165 ; Hume, N.
& E. p. 9 ; id. S. F. i. p. 150 ; id. Cat. no. 6 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i,
p. 18 ; Leffffe, S. F. iii, p. 195 ; id. Birds CeyL p. 2 ; Ball, S. F.
vii, p. 196 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 29 ; Butler, ibid. p. 369 ; Damson,
S. F. x, p. 333 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 7 ; Oates in Hume's N.
fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 213.
Sufed Gidh, Kol Murgh, H. ; Telia borawa, Tel. ; Manju Tiridi,
Pittri Gedda, Papa, Pdpdparundu, Tarn.
Fig. 84. — Head of N. ginginianus, %.
Coloration. Adult. Plumage almost throughout white ; winglet
and primaries black, the latter grey outside, brown inside towards
the base; secondaries whity brown or grey on the outer web
outside, blackish brown elsewhere ; tertiaries pale brown through-
out. A brownish or greyish tinge on the scapulars and wing-
coverts, and sometimes elsewhere, is a sign of immaturity. The
neck-hackles are often stained rusty.
Young birds are at first blackish brown, the scattered down on
the head and throat black, then pale tips appear on some of the
neck-hackles and breast-feathers and on the smaller wing-coverts,
giving a speckled appearance ; the back, breast, and greater wing-
coverts are mottled with whitish blotches. The change to the
adult plumage is gradual.
Bill in adults horny yellow ; cere and sides of head and throat
yellow ; irides dark brown ; legs dirty yellow ; claws pale horny.
Jn young birds the bill is dark ; naked parts of head and throat
grey ; legs and feet cinereous.
Length about 24; tail 9-5 ; wing 18'25; tarsus 3-1 ; mid-toe
without claw 2-5 ; bill from gape to tip 2-4.
FALCONID/E. 327
Distribution. India generally, from the Himalayas to Cape
Coinorin, only found as a straggler in Ceylon ; wanting in Lower
Bengal and to the eastward, replaced in the north-west by the
next species ; found in the Western Himalayas up to 7000 or
8000 feet.
Habits, &c. This bird, in India, haunts towns and villages, and
lives largely on human excrement. It also eats carrion, but is not
commonly seen feeding on dead animals. It breeds from February
to May, making a nest on rocky or earthy cliffs, on buildings or
on large trees, and lays usually two eggs, generally richly spotted
and blotched with brownish red and measuring about 2'6 by 1*98,
The nest is a loose pile of sticks, generally rudely lined with rags,
sometimes with straw, cotton, or hair, or green leaves.
1198. Neophron percnopterus. The Egyptian Vulture, or
Large White Scavenger Vulture.
Vultur percnopterus, L. Syst. Nat. i, p. 123 (1766).
Neophron percnopterus, Blyth, Cat. p. 33, partim; Horsf. $ M.
Cat. i, p. 6, pt. ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 17 ; Brooks, Ibis, 1869,
p. 43 ; 1870, p. 290 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 236 ; Barnes, S. F. ix,
pp. 214,450; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 38; St. John, Ibis, 1889,
p. 150.
This is precisely similar to the last, except that it is rather
larger, with much larger feet and toes, and it always has the bill
dusky, never yellow ; the cere is reddish yellow, darker than the
cheeks, and the claws blackish horny.
Length about 26 ; tail 10 ; wing 19 ; tarsus 3'3 ; mid-toe with-
out claw 2- 6.
Distribution. This replaces the last species in the extreme
North-west of India, and is the common bird of the Punjab, Sind,
and Cutch, extending east to Delhi ; farther east than this yellow-
billed birds prevail. N. percnopterus ranges through Baluchistan,
Afghanistan, and Persia to Egypt and Southern Europe, and has
an extensive range in Africa. The occurrence of a single bird was
observed by Biddulph at Gilgit. Of course, there is some passage
between the two Neophrons, which are mere geographical races
scarcely deserving specific distinction.
Family FALCONID^l.
The great majority of Eaptorial birds belong to the present
family, which comprises Eagles, Buzzards, Kites, Hawks, Harriers,
Falcons, and a number of intermediate forms. They are distin-
guished from the Osprey by having the body-feathers provided
with an aftershaft, and from" the Vultures by having the head and
neck feathered. In virtue of the last character Oypaetus (the
.328 FAXCONID^E.
Lammergeyer), which is intermediate in characters between the
Vultures and Eagles, is here assigned to the neighbourhood of the
latter.
Throughout the family there are 12 tail-feathers and 14 cervical
vertebrae. Nearly all are carnivorous, a few of the smaller species
being insectivorous partly or wholly, and the majority capture
living prey. The hair and feathers of the prey, if not removed
before eating, are cast up, with the bones, in the form of pellets.
As a rule, birds of this family are solitary, and all are monogamous.
Scarcely any two authors agree as to the division of the
Falconidae into subfamilies. Sharpe in the ' Catalogue ' admits
five : Potyborince, Accipitrince, Buteonince^ Aquilince, and Falconince ;
but the result is unsatisfactory and artificial. Blyth and Gurney
employed far more divisions ; the former (' Ibis,' 1863) arranged
these birds in 10 subfamilies, the latter in his last work ('A List
of the Diurnal Birds of Prey7) in no less than 11. If the Fal-
conidae are to be arranged in natural subfamilies at all, this number
must, I believe, be increased rather than diminished ; and as I can
find no satisfactory system, I think it best to leave the family
undivided with the exception of the Lammergeyer, which appears
entitled to rank as a subfamily apart.
a. Claws blunt ; bill lengthened ; a tuft of
long bristles on the chin Gypaetince, p. 328.
I. Claws sharp ; bill not lengthened ; no
bristles on chin Falconince, p. 330.
Subfamily GYPAETI1SLE.
Genus GYPAETUS, Storr, 1784.
Bill moderately high, compressed, much hooked at end, culmen
•curved throughout ; nostrils oval, longitudinal, concealed by long
bristles directed forwards from the lores and cere, another tuft
•of long bristles descending perpendicularly from the chin ; tarsi
feathered ; feet stout ; claws of moderate size, well curved, blunt ;
wings long, very pointed, 3rd quill longest ; tail of 12 feathers,
long, wedge-shaped, very pointed.
This genus inhabits mountainous regions in Southern Europe,
Central Asia, and Africa. One species is found in the Himalayas,
the Punjab, and Sind.
119c <ypaetus barbatus. The Bearded Vulture
or Lammergeyer.
Vultur barbatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 123 (1766).
Gypaetus barbatus, Storr, Alpenreise, p. 69 ; Hutton, J. A. S. B.
hi, p. 522 ; Hodgson, J. A. S. B. iv, p. 454 ; Blyth, Cat,, p. 33 ;
Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 9; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 13 ; id. Ibis, 1871,
GYPAfilTs. ;>(1j<)
p. 236; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 12; Hums, Rouah
A7_j-« „ OK. T\,l.~l -n^J-l'jr 11 • -i^A-i w«y«
, p. V&
£ 99 ^Scully, S. F. viii, p. 221 ; Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 214, 461 •
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 39 ; Scully, ibid. p. 41(5 ; Barnes, Birds Bom
p. 8; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 150; Gates in Hume's N. $ K
2nd ed. iii, p. 127 ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 6.
Gypaetus hemachalanus, Hutton, J. A. S. B. vii, p. 22 (1838).
Argul, H., Mussooree ; Okhdb, Chamba.
Fig. 85.— Head of <V. barbatus, %.
Coloration. Adult. Bristles on lores, cere, and chin, supercilia
more or less united across the occiput, and narrow stripe below
ear-coverts black ; remainder of head all round and throat white,
speckled with black, more in younger, less in older birds ; nape,
neck all round, and lower parts white, tinged to a varying extent
with ferruginous, and, except in very old birds, with an imperfect
blackish-brown gorget, the feathers pale-shafted ; upper back and
smaller wing-coverts black with narrow white shaft-stripes, that
are broader at the tip ; rest of upper plumage deep silvery grey,
the shafts white and the edges of the feathers blackish, the black
edges disappearing in old birds on the quills and tail ; some brown
feathers on the lower back and rump; under wing-coverts
blackish with white shaft-stripes, which are very broad on the
axillaries.
The above is the fully adult plumage, but most birds have brown
and whitish patches on the upper parts and blackish marks on the
neck and breast. Young birds of the year have the head and neck
black, the upper parts blackish brown, lower parts brownish grey ;
usually there is some white on the back and often on the base of
the tail.
Bill horny, the tip darker; irides pale orange, the sclerotic
membrane blood-red ; feet plumbeous grey. Irides in the young
pale yellowish brown.
330 FALCONIDjE.
Length about 4 feet ; tail 22 inches ; wing 32 ; tarsus 4 ; bill
from gape to point 4 (all these are average measurements, and
there is much variation).
Distribution. Mountainous parts of Southern Europe, Northern
Africa, Western and Central Asia. This bird is common in
Persia and Afghanistan, in the Khirthar range of Sind, the
Suliman and Salt ranges of the Punjab, and throughout the
Himalayas, as far east as Sikhim at all events, but not in forest.
Habits, $c. The Bearded Vulture keeps to rocky hills and
mountains, and is usually seen beating regularly over precipices
and slopes with a steady sailing flight very like that of a
Vulture. It occasionally soars also, and may be recognized at a
great elevation by its pointed wings and long wedge-shaped tail.
The stories, chiefly Alpine, of its carrying off lambs (whence its
name of " Lammergeyer" or Lamb Vulture) and even children, and
pushing goats and other animals over precipices, are now generally
discredited. It is somewhat doubtful whether this great bird ever
attacks living prey, its food consisting chiefly of bones and offal.
It but rarely descends on a carcase ; but Hume found one feeding
on human ordure, like Neophron, to which it has a great resem-
blance in its gait when walking, and in its appearance on the
wing. The Bearded Eagle has been known from, antiquity for its
habit of carrying up large bones and letting them fall from a height
in order to break them, and it is said in the Levant to treat
tortoises in the same manner ; hence is supposed to have arisen
the story of the death of .^Eschylus. This bird breeds on rocky
precipices in the Himalayas and elsewhere from November to
March, and lays generally two eggs, varying much in markings,
but often richly coloured, and measuring about 3'24 by 2-66. The
nest is a great pile of sticks, mixed with wool or hair or frequently
old rags.
Subfamily FALCONING.
As already pointed out, this subfamily contains the bulk of the
Accipitrine birds. The following key to Indian Genera is not so
satisfactory as could be wished, but many of the most important
generic characters are not easily expressed in a few words.
Key to the Genera.
A. Bill without any pointed tooth on upper
mandible opposite end of lower mandible ;
a festoon commonly present farther back.
a. Lores with bristles or feathers termi-
nating in bristles.
a'. Tarsus feathered throughout : size
^mostly large. (Eayles.} °
a". Claws much curved, hind claw
longer than inner.
FALCONINJE. 331
rtn. Primaries exceeding secondaries by
more than length of tarsus.
a1. No elongate occipital crest.
a\ Culmen straight at base, then
curving AQUILA, p. 332.
b\ Culmen curving from cere *. . HIERAETUS, p. 342.
b\ An elongate occipital crest ; ab- [p. 345.
domen chestnut in adults LOPHOTBIORCHIS,
//'. Primaries exceeding secondaries by
less than length of tarsus SPIZAETUS, p. 348.
6". Claws but little curved, inner longer
than hind claw ICTINAETUS, p. 346.
b'. Tarsus not feathered throughout.
c". Tarsus reticulated throughout, no
scutellse broader than high.
c3. Tarsus long, more than 1| times
length of bill from gape to point.
c4. Scales on tarsus subequal
throughout : size of bird large.
(Serpent-Eagks.)
c\ Head not crested CIRCAETUS, p. 355.
d?. Feathers of nape and sides of
neck lengthened to form a
crest SPILORNIS, p. 357.
r/4. Scales in front of tarsus larger
than behind : size small. (Buz-
zard Eagles.) BUTASTUB, p. 362.
d3. Tarsus short, less than 1£ times
length of bill from gape , . ELANUS, p. 379.
d". Tarsus with some scutellae broader
than high.
e3. Size large: tarsi very long and thick,
scutellated in front and either
reticulated behind or irregularly
scutellated ; scales beneath toes
rough and pointed. (Sea-Eagks.)
e*. Claws grooved beneath HALIAETUS, p. 366.
/4. Claws rounded beneath POLIO AETUS, p. 369.
f*t Size moderate : tarsus scutellated
in front but not behind.
ff*. Tarsus short; bill from gape
more than half tarsus. (Kites.)
e5. Tail slightly rounded at the
end HALIASTUB, p. 372.
/5. Tail forked MILVTJS, p. 374.
h\ Tarsus long ; bill from gape less
than half tarsus. (Hamers.) CIRCUS, p. 380.
g3. Size moderate or small : tarsus
scutellated behind.
i4. Bill from gape half length of
tarsus or less. (Hcncks.)
* This distinction is very unsatisfactory. Generally Hieraetus may be
distinguished by having the middle toe longer than the bill from gape, whereas
in Aquila the latter is the longer, but this does not hold good with Aquila
maculata and A. chrysaetm.
332 FALCONIDjE.
(f. Bill from gane f to f length
of mid-toe without claw.
«6. No crest ................ ASTUB, p. 396.
b*. A small occipital crest .... LOPHOSPIZIAS, p. 400.
h5. Bill from gape about half mid-
toe without claw .......... ACCIPITER, p. 402.
k*. Bill from gape more than half
tarsus. (Buzzards.)
i\ Lower part of tarsus naked all
round .................. BUTEO, p. 389.
k\ Tarsus feathered in front to
base of -toes, naked and scu-
tellate behind ............ AKCHIBUTEO, p.. 395.
b. Lores very broad, densely feathered, with-
out bristles *. (Honey-Buzzards.)
c'. Loral feathers scale-like ; bill not much
compressed ...................... PERNIS, p. 405.
d'. Loral feathers not scale-like ; bill ex- [p. 408.
cessively compressed, culmen sharp . . MACH^BHAMPHUS,
B. Bill with two teeth on each side of upper
mandible, opposite end of lower ........ BAZA, p. 408.
C. Bill with one tooth on each side of upper
mandible.
c. Tail half to two-thirds as long as wing.
e'. Size moderate ; wing never under 6.
(Falcons.)
e". Tail rounded, not graduated.
h3. 2nd quill longest, 1st much longer
than 4th.
/4. Sexes alike ; foot long, mid-toe
1-25-2-25 .................. FALCO, p. 412.
m*. Sexes dissimilar; foot small,
mid-toe about 1 ............ EBYTHBOPUS, p. 424.
i3. 2nd and 3rd quills subequal, also
1st and 4th .................. ^ESALON, p. 426.
f". Tail graduated, middle tail-feathers
exceeding outer by an inch or more ;
upper parts largely brick-red : sexes
dissimilar
TINNUNCULUS, p. 428.
/'. Size very small, wing under 5 ........ MICBOHIEBAX, p. 432.
d. Tail nearly as long as wing : sexes dis-
similar ............................ POLIOHIEBAX, p. 434.
Genus AQUILA, Brisson, 1760.
The typical Eagles, constituting the present genus, are large
and powerful birds, and, from their grand appearance, have
acquired a reputation for courage which they scarcely deserve, as
they are much less courageous than the comparatively small
Hawks and Falcons.
The bill is strong and slightly lengthened, curved from the
* This only applies to Indian species. In the African Machcerhamphus
(M. anderssoni) the feathers on the lores have some bristles intermixed.
AQUILA. :',:>,;>,
cere, the margin of the upper mandible straight or with a very slight
festoon ; wings long, the 4th or 5th quill longest ; tail moderate,
slightly rounded or nearly even ; tarsus feathered to the toes ;
claws curved, strong and sharp, the hind toe and claw powerful.
The coloration is dark, and in adults as a rule nearly uniform
throughout. Eagles prey on mammals, birds, and sometimes
on reptiles, frogs, &c., and all or nearly all feed on carrion as
well. The genus is found throughout Europe and Asia and North
America, and seven species occur in India.
Key to the Species.
a. Nostril elliptical or ear-shaped, higher than
broad,
a'. Claws very large, hind claw 2*5-4 in . round
curve A. chrysaetus, p. 333.
b'. Claws moderate, hind claw veiy rarely
exceeding 2 in. round curve.
a". Wing in <$ 21-23, in % 23-24-5.
a3. Plumage deep blackish brown, crown
and nape tawny A. heliaca ad., p. 334.
ft3. Plumage deep umber-brown through-
out, or a pale patch on the nape [p. 336.
only A. bifasciata ad.,
c3. Lower plumage striated A. heliaca juv., p. 334.
d3. Lower plumage not striated, pale
tips to larger wing-coverts and to [p. 336.
secondaries A. bifasciata juv.,
b". Wing in tf under 21, in <J> under 22 .. A. vindhiana, p. 337.
b. Nostril round, as broad as high.
c'. Whole head and lower parts uniformly
pale tawny or rufous A. fulvescens, p. 339.
d'. Head and lower parts dark brown, or not
uniformly coloured.
c". Wing d 19-20, $ 2O-5-21-5 A. maculata, p. 340.
d". Wing c? about 18, $ 19 A. hastata, p. 341.
1200. Aquila chrysaetus. The Golden Eagle.
Falco chrysaetus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 125 (1766).
Aquila chrysaetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 26 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 47 ;
It, &tJ*J • \J ilWVlVj J. • fJ» *-/• *WI Tj p. ** \J\J 9 ^VC*C-lUj IV! A • *VJ !'• A*-'' .
Gurney,Ibis, 1877, p. 210; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 41; Scully,
ibid. p. 419 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 406 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 25 ; Oat.es in Humes N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 130 ; Sharjn>.
Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 7.
Muriari, H., Chamba.
Coloration. Adult. Feathers of lores whitish, with black hair-
like tips ; crown and sides of head dark brown ; feathers of nape,
hind-neck, and sides of neck lanceolate, rufous tawny, dark brown
at the base and black-shafted ; rest of plumage blackish brown ;
the feathers of the upper parts white or mottled with white towards
334 PALCONIDJE.
the base, the pale mottling being conspicuous on the inner second-
aries and scapulars ; tail with more or less distinct mottled bands
of pale brownish grey except near the end ; upper tail-coverts,
bend of wing, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts generally
rufous-brown.
Young birds are glossy brownish black ; the crown and nape
more tawny; the basal two-thirds of the tail greyish white, all
body-feathers white at the base. The general tint varies from
black to brownish black, blotched in places with brown and whity
brown. There is, as usual in raptorial birds, a gradual change from
the young or ring-tail plumage to that of the adult.
Bill dark horny ; irides hazel- brown ; cere and feet yellow.
Length of male about 35 inches ; tail 13 ; wing 24-5. Length
of a female about 40 inches ; tail 14 ; wing 27'5 ; tarsus 4 ; bill
from gape to point straight 2'75. The toes and claws are very
large, the hind claw (not including the toe) measures from 2-5 to
3-5 round the curve.
Distribution. Throughout Europe, Northern Africa, Northern
and Central Asia, and North America, chiefly about mountainous
districts. This Eagle breeds in the higher Himalayas, and
Mr. Hume thought he recognized it in the Sind hills and on the
Makran coast. Other reported Indian localities are probably due
to error.
Habits, <$fc. The Grolden Eagle, though by no means the largest,
is one of the most powerful of predatory birds. It lives on
gallinaceous birds and on mammals, such as hares, lambs, kids,
fawns, &c., and it is said occasionally to attack even wolves, but
it does not disdain carrion. It is kept tame in Central Asia, and
employed to capture gazelles. It makes a large nest of dried
sticks, lined with grass, moss, or other plants, sometimes on rocks,
often on a tree, and lays usually two eggs, occasionally pure white,
more often blotched with rufous-brown, measuring about 2-87
by 2-25.
1201. Aquila heliaca. The Imperial Eagle.
Aquila heliaca, Sav. Descr. Egypte, p. 259, pi. 12 (1810) ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. i, p. 238; Stanford, Ibis, 1894, p. 283.
Falco imperialis, Bechst. Orn. Taschenb. v. & f. Deutschl. iii, p. 553
(1812).
Aquila imperialis, J. E. Gray, in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. ii, pi. 28 ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 26 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 48 ; Jerdon, B. I. i. p. 57,
partim ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 244; Brooks, Ibis, 1868, p. 349; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 142; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 682; Hume,
S. F. i, p. 157 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152.
Aquila crassipes, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844), descr.
nulla ; Brooks, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 64 ; id. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 503 ;
Anderson, ibid. p. 620.
Aquila mogilnik *, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 5 ; Gurney, Ibis,
* I cannot identify the Imperial Eagle at any stage with S. GK Gmelin's
figure and description of Falco mogilnik (see ' Ibis,' 1894, p. 283).
AQUILA. 335
1873, p. 99 ; Dresser, Bir<k Eur. pi. 344 ; Hume, N. & £ p 27 •
Brooks, S. F. i, p. 290; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 20; Gurneu
Ibis, 1877, p. 215 ; Davison Sf Wend. S. F. vii, p. 73 ; BaU, ibid.
p. 197 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 244 ; Hume, ibid. p. 335 ; id. Cat. no. 27 •
Butler, S. F. ix, p. 372 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 6 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 26; Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 194; nee Falco
mogilnik, Gmel.
Aquila bifasciata, Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 131 ; nee
Gray.
Jumiz, Jumbiz, Barra Jumiz, Satanyal, H. ; Frus, Beng.
Coloration. Adult. Lanceolate feathers of head and neck above
and at the sides tawny buff ; forehead and sinciput blackish, or
streaked with blackish, neck-feathers sometimes black-shafted;
rest of plumage above and below glossy blackish brown ;„* the
smaller wing-coverts and upper and lower tail-coverts with butt'
margins ; vent and lower tail-coverts whity brown ; tail-feathers
tipped buff, the last 2£ to 3 inches almost black, and the basal
portion indistinctly marked with numerous irregular mottled
brownish-grey transverse bands ; in most adults also some
scapulars are pure white, but the white feathers vary in number
and position.
Many birds are particoloured, some of the feathers above and
below having pale borders, or being wholly pale brown. These
are probably immature birds.
The young have the feathers of the head, neck, back, wing-
coverts, breast, and part of the abdomen dark brown with whitish
shaft-stripes, very broad on the lower surface ; upper and under
tail-coverts, lower abdomen and thigh-coverts, chin, throat, and
cheeks buff ; secondary quills and major coverts and tail broadly
tipped with fulvous white, remainder of tail uniform dull brown.
This is the lineated stage. There is much variation in this
plumage also.
Bill bluish horny ; cere yellow with a greenish tinge ; irides in
adults brownish yellow, in the young dusky brown ; feet yellow.
Length of male about 29; tail 11-5; wing 22; tarsus 3-6; bill
from gape to point 2-4 ; of females — length about 31 ; tail 13 ;
wing 24.
Distribution. From Central and South-eastern Europe to China,
ranging north to Southern Siberia. The Imperial Eagle is chiefly
a winter visitor to India, but breeds in the extreme North-west
and perhaps occasionally in the North-west Provinces, or even,
according to Jerdon, in the Deccan. Except locally it is a rare
bird, being most common on the Indo-G-angetic plain. It has not
been recorded in Ceylon or Burma, nor farther east in India than
Furreedpore in Bengal.
Habits, <$fc. A sluggish heavy bird, often seen sitting on trees,
sometimes on the ground in open country. It feeds much on
carrion, though it also kills small mammals, birds, and lizards for
food. It lays, as a rule, two eggs in the usual large nest of sticks
lined with a few green leaves, and generally placed on a
336 FALCONID^E.
The eggs vary from unspotted greyish white to white greatly
blotched with rufous, bat are generally either white or but faintly
coloured ; they measure about 3 by 2-2, Indian examples about
2-7 by 2-09.
1202. Aquila bifasciata. The Steppe Eagle.
Aquila bifasciata *, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 17
(1830-32) j Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 5 ; Brooks, P. A. S. B. 1872,
p. 65 : id. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 503 ; id. J. A. S. B. xlii, pt. 2, p. 145 ;
xliii, pt. 2, p. 239 ; id. S. F. i, pp. 290, 325 ; id. Ibis, 1874, p. 86 :
Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 621 ; 1875, p. 21 ; 1876, p. 311 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 230 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1873, p. 99 ;
Dresser, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 514 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 63 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 185.
Aquila nipalensis, Hodgson, As. Res. xviii, pt. 2, p. 13, pi. 1 (1833) ;
Dresser, Birds of Europe, v, p. 507, pi. 340 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1877,
p. 222 ; Hume, S. F. vii, pp. 197, 338 ; x, p. 443 ; xi, p. 8 ; 'id. Cat.
no. 27 bis ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 223 ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 7 ; Oates,
ibid. p. 179 ; Davison, ibid. p. 287 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.
(2) v, p. 556; vii, p. 374.
Aquila orientals, Cab. J.f. Orn. 1854, p. 369.
Aquila imperialis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 57, partim ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 142, pt. ; nee Bechstein.
Aquila amurensis, Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 338.
Aquila mogilnik, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 240 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 25 j
Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 11 ; nee Gmel.
Jumiz, H. ; Woon-lo, Burmese ; Ony yau, Lepcha.
Coloration. Adult. Almost uniform brown, varying from pale
greyish brown to deep umber-brown ; there is often a rufous-buff
patch on the nape, varying much in size ; quills and larger scapu-
lars blackish brown ; tail blackish brown, with traces of greyish
cross-bars. This plumage is rare, most birds retaining some im-
mature characteristics, such as buff upper tail-coverts or whitish
mottling on the quills.
Young birds also vary in colour, but are paler than adults, some
being almost whity brown, more often umber-brown ; no nape-
patch ; broad white or buff or rufous-buff ends to the secondary
quills and to the greater coverts, forming two conspicuous wing-
bars ; the primary-coverts and some of the under wing-coverts
also with pale tips ; all the quills are mottled with grey or whitish
towards the base and the secondaries are more or less barred ;
upper and under tail-coverts buff; tail tipped whitish or buff,
sometimes, except the pale tip, uniform brown, in other specimens
mottled with grey, so as to be more or less distinctly banded. In
some birds there are darker cross-bands and pale tips on the
feathers of the back and on the wing-coverts, and sometimes the
* This name has been rejected by several ornithologists because of A. bifas-
ciata, Brehm (1831), a name given to the Spotted Eagle. It is, however,
doubtful whether Brehm's name is older than Gray's.
AQUILA. 337
abdominal feathers have whitish transverse or arrow-head-shaped
bands and pale tips.
Bill and claws black; gape, cere, and feet yellow; iris dark
brown ; eyelids greenish (Oates). The nostrils are rounder than
in A. heliaca, but still oval.
Length of a male 30 inches; tail 11'5 ; wing 22; tarsus 4; mid-
toe without claw 2-5 ; bill from gape 2-8. Females are rather
larger : tail 12'5 ; wing 23'5.
Distribution. A winter visitor to Northern India, ranging south
as far as Khandesh, Seoni, and B/aipur ; also found at the same
season throughout Assam and Burma. Beyond Indian limit* this
Eagle is found in Eastern Europe, North-eastern Africa, and in
parts of Central Asia, including Mongolia, Southern and Eastern
Siberia, and China.
For a long time the two plumages of this Eagle were supposed
to be phases of A. heliaca (A. imperialist and were described as
such by Jerdon and Hume. The recognition and separation of
A. bifasciata is due to Messrs. Brooks and Anderson.
Habits, &fc. Very similar to those of A. lieliaca, except that the
nest, which has not been observed within Indian limits, is generally
placed on the ground.
1203. Aquila vindhiana. The Indian Tawny Eagle.
Aquila vindhiana, Franklin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 114 ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. x, p. 67 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 29 ; Brooks, P. A. S. B.
1873, p. 174; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 243; Anderson, P. Z. S.
1875, p. 22 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 446 ; ix, p. 372 ; Gurney, Ibis,
1877, pp. 225, 234 ; Davidson 8f Wend. S. F. vii, p. 74 ; Ball, ibid.
p. 197 ; Hume, Cat. no. 29 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 370; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 7 ; Davidson, ibid. p. 287 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 29 ; id. Jour.
Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 40 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 132.
Aquilla punctata, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 16
(1830-32).
Aquila fusca, J. E. Gray, op. cit. ii, pi. 27 (1833-34).
Aquila nsevioides, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 27 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 44 ;
nee Cuv.
Aquila fulvescens, apud Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 60; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 241 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 173 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B.
xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 166 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 245 ; Hume, S. F. i,
p. 158 ; nee Gray.
The Tawny Eagle, Jerdon; Wokhdb, Ragar, H. ; Dholwa, Wagri;
Bursawul, Yerkli ; Alawa or Salwa, Tel. ; AH, Tarn.
Coloration very variable. Adults are almost uniform brown,
varying from dark umber to pale brown, sometimes whity brown
or whitish on the head and body. Very pale birds are generally
in worn plumage, and the light tint is probably caused by bleaching.
The quills are dark brown or nearly black at the end, mottled and
barred towards the base ; the tail is dark grey, with more or less
distinct cross-bars. Occasionally the head is greyer or paler than
VOL. III. Z
338 FALCONIDjE.
the back, and in some birds (not, I think, fully adult) the head is
almost black and the nape pale.
A nestling, obtained by Mr. Brooks from the nest, has the
eathers brown, without shaft-stripes, but with broad rufous-buff
edges, and pale tips to the quills and tail-feathers ; but, according
to Hume, in the nestling (N. & E. p. 30) " the whole plumage is
rufous-brown, purer on the head, more earthy on the mantle, and
paler below, each feather with a narrow black central stripe or line."
Hume (Eough Notes, p. 176) says that the paler-coloured birds
are young, and the plumage grows darker with age ; but Brooks
(P. A. S. B. 1873, p. 174) declares that the pale plumage is that
of adult birds, and is due to fading from exposure. I am disposed
to think Brooks right. Apparently there are two young plumages —
one tawny, with dark shaft-stripes below and on the upper tail-
coverts; the other darker brown, without shaft-stripes: but whether
these plumages are successive or alternative it is difficult to say.
Fig. 86.— Head of A. vindhiana, f.
Many specimens have the breast dark brown, and the abdomen
paler greyish brown with dark shaft- stripes. In the dark plumage
many of the feathers have pale tips ; in some cases, even in
freshly-moulted adult birds, there are pale buffy terminal spots to
the nape and breast-feathers (as in Gray's figure of A. punctata).
In the nestling plumage the tail appears to be unbarred, but in the
next plumage, probably after the first moult, it becomes closely
barred, the barring becoming less marked again in the adult.
There are other variations still. Some birds have a brownish-
rufous head, some a pale whitish one, some a black one with a
whitish nape ; some have particoloured feathers on the lower
breast and abdomen. In this, as in other Eagles, the changes are
probably irregular and vary in different individuals.
Cere deep yellow; irides hazel- brown ; feet yellow (Jerdori).
Bill pale bluish grey near the cere, tip black ; cere dirty cream-
colour ; legs and feet dirty greenish white (Hume). Nostrils
elliptical or ear-shaped ; plumage harsh.
Length of male about 25'5 ; tail 10 ; wing 20 ; tarsus 2-75 ;
mid- toe 2 ; bill from gape 2-25 : in females — length 28 ; tail 11 ;
wing 21 '5.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of India, chiefly in
AQUILA. 339
the drier districts, where this is by far the commonest "Ragle ;
wanting on the Malabar coast and in Ceylon, and apparently in
Lower Bengal and Assam, but occurring in Upper Burma near
Thayet Myo, as there are specimens collected by Gates in the
British Museum. This species is not known to occur outside of
India and Upper Burma, but is represented by a nearly allied
form, A. albicans, in N.E. Africa.
Habits, #c. This common Eagle is usually seen either seated on
a tree or beating over fields and woods. It is, like most Eagles,
not particular about its food, and will pounce on a small mammal,
bird, lizard, snake, or frog, or share the carcase of a dead bullock
with vultures ; but it also subsists to a great extent by robbing
smaller Accipitrine birds, such as kites and falcons, of their cap-
tures ; and Elliot long since called attention to its troublesome
habit of pursuing tame falcons, owing to its mistaking the jesses
for prey. It breeds from November to June, chiefly in January
in Northern India, rather earlier in the Central Provinces; it
builds a nest of sticks, usually lined with green leaves, generally
on the top of a high tree, but often, where no high trees are at
hand, on a low babul (Acacia arabica), and lays usually two eggs,
greyish white, more or less spotted or blotched with yellowish
brown, and measuring about 2-63 by 2*11.
1204. Aquila fulvescens. Brooke's Eagle.
Aquila fulvescens, J. E. Gray in Hardw. 111. 2nd. Zool. ii, pi. 29
(1833-34) ; Brooks, P. A. S. B. 1873, p. 173 ; id. J. A. S. B. xliii,
pt. 2, p. 241 ; id. Ibis, 1874, p. 85 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 22;
Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 325 ; Hume, 8. F. vii, p. 339 ; id. Cat. no. 28
bis ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 450.
Aquila nae via, j uv., apud Brooks, Ibis, 1868, p. 351; 1870, p. 290;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 168 ; nee Gmel.
Aquila naevioides, Tristram, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 4 ; id. Ibis, 1870,
p. 290; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 245; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871,
p. 687.
Coloration. Head, neck, and lower plumage varying from yel-
lowish buff to brownish rufous, the head-feathers, as a rule, and
occasionally those of the lower parts with dark shafts ; a narrow
blackish supercilium; upper back and wing-coverts brown, the
feathers broadly edged with huffy white ; lower back buff ; rump-
feathers brown, with broad buff margins ; upper tail-coverts buffy
white ; primary-quills and larger scapulars blackish brown, without
buff edges, first primaries white at extreme base; secondaries
dark brown, with whitish edges, especially on the outer webs ;
tail blackish brown, the feathers growing paler brown towards the
end and with a whitish tip ; in one specimen the tail shows traces
of barring.
The pale buff plumage is evidently that of the young; what
appears to be the adult has the head, neck, and lower parts
brownish rufous ; the feathers of the abdomen with darker centres,
and the breast-feathers tipped darker; the upper back dark brown;
z2
340 FALCONID.E.
lower back paler and buffy ; upper tail-coverts white. Only one
specimen, now in the British Museum, is known in this stage, and
it is uncertain whether the fully adult plumage has been observed.
Bill pale bluish grey, with dark tip; cere and gape cream-colour;
iris light brown ; feet yellowish (Brooks). Nostril round; plumage
soft.
Length of female about 27'5; tail 11-5; wing 21; tarsus 4;
bill from gape 2'3 : of a male— tail 10-5 ; wing 19-25.
Distribution. This rare Eagle has only been obtained by Messrs.
Brooks and Anderson, to whom we are indebted for all we know
concerning it, in the North-west Provinces, chiefly about Etawah.
It is a cold-weather visitant, and is believed to have been also met
with in Southern Russia and Eastern Prussia (Gurney, I. c.).
Habits, 6fc. Like the Spotted Eagles, this species is met with
near rivers and marshes, and feeds, partly at all events, on frogs.
Nidification unknown.
1205. Aquila maculata. The Large Spotted Eagle.
Falco maculatus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 258 (1788).
Aquila clanga, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso- Asiat. i, p. 351 (1811) ; Sharpe
(A. maculatae subsp.}, Cat. B. M. i, p. 248; Gurney, Ibis, 1877,
p. 329 ; Davids, fy Wend. S. F. vii, p. 74 ; Ball, ibid. p. 197 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 28 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 190 ; Doig, ibid. p. 370 ; Butler,
S. F. ix, p. 372 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 7 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 186 ; id. in
Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 138 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 28 ; id.
Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 212 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 8.
Aquila vittata, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844), descr.
nulla.
Aquila nsevia, Blyth, Cat. p. 27 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 45 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 59 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 162 ; id. S. F. i, p. 158 ;
Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 244 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 686, 689 ;
1875, p. 22 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 63 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 445 ;
Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 339.
Aquila maculata, Brooks, S. F. iv, p. 268 ; Blanford, Ibis, 1894,
p. 287.
The Spotted Eagle, Jerdon ; Kaljanga, H. ; Bukayari Jiyadha, Beng. ;
Nella gedha, Tel.
Coloration. Adult. Dark, almost blackish brown, with a slight
purplish gloss on the mantle ; primary-quills black ; tail unbarred,
but washed with grey towards the end above ; head and neck all
round paler, the tips, and sometimes broad shaft-stripes to the
lanceolate feathers of the crown and nape, lighter brown; feathers
on tarsus and upper and lower tail-coverts mixed with whitish,
and sometimes chiefly white ; base of all feathers, including wing-
and tail-feathers, white.
Young birds are also dark brown, and differ chiefly from adults
in having the upper back and smaller wing-coverts marked with
elongate paler greyish-brown spots, these spots are largest and
whitish on the smaller scapulars and median coverts ; longer
scapulars, larger coverts, and secondaries with large buff tips;
AQUILA. 341
lower back and rump pale brown, with dark edges to the feathers ;
upper tail-coverts whitish ; tail black, grey, or mottled towards
the end and pale-tipped ; lower plumage with light brown shaft-
stripes varying in breadth and tint ; vent and lower tail-coverts
buff. Some birds are pale brown beneath.
Bill bluish grey, dusky at tip ; cere, gape, and feet orange-yellow.
Irides brown (Hume). Nostrils round and large ; plumage soft.
Length of a male about 26 inches ; tail 10-5 ; wing 19'5 ;
tarsus 4 ; bill from gape 2-5 : of a female — length 27'5 ; tail 11-5 ;
wing 2O5.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of the Palaearctic
region. Common throughout India and Northern Burma in damp
tracts near water ; not found in Ceylon, and rare in Tenasserim.
Habits, $c. A sluggish bird, living chiefly on frogs in India, but
occasionally preying on small mammals, lizards, &c. It breeds on
trees from April to June in Northern India, and as far south as
the Tapti, and appears to lay a single greyish-white egg, profusely
spotted and blotched with yellowish brown, and measuring about
2*65 by 1*98. Elsewhere two to three eggs are said to be laid.
1206. Aquila hastata. The Small Indian Spotted Eagle.
Morphnus hastatus, Less. Toy. Belanger, p. 217 (1834).
Lhnnaetus unicolor, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xh, p. 128 (1843).
Spizaetus punctatus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, p. 164 (1844).
Aquila hastata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 7 ; id. Cat. p. 27 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 62 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 241 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 180 ; Godio.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 265 ; Jerdon,
Ibis, 1871, p. 245; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 69, 622 ; 1875,
p. 23, pi. iii ; id. Ibis, 1875, p. 199 ; Brooks, S. F. i, pp. 293, 327;
id. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 240; Sharpe (A. maculatSB subsp.},
Cat. B. M. i, p. 248; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 378; vii, p. 198; Gurney,
Ibis, 1877, p. 329; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 244; Hume, Cat. no. 30;
Reid, S. F. x, p. 450 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 188 ; id. in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 136 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 9 ; Davidson, Jour.
Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 213.
Spizaetus hastatus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 34.
Aquila fusca, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 63 ; nee Gray.
Jiyadar, Gutimar, Phari-tisa, H.
Coloration. Adult. Very dark brown, often with a purple gloss ;
lanceolate feathers of crown and nape often pale-tipped, but
with dark rather than pale shaft-stripes ; feathers of back, rump,
wing-coverts, and breast also with rather darker shafts in general ;
primaries black; tail-feathers dark brown, often with traces of
narrow bars.
Young birds have small buff or whitish spots on the nape, upper
back, and smaller coverts, a few larger white spots on the median
coverts, and there are narrow white tips to the larger coverts ;
the secondaries and tail-feathers are rather closely barred with
grey ; upper tail-coverts barred white and light brown ; the breast
.and sometimes the abdomen, thigh-coverts, and lower wing-coverts
342 FALCONTDJE.
have buff shaft-stripes ; abdomen generally paler ; lower tail-
coverts buff ; thigh-coverts, if not striped, whitish. The striation
on the underparts is lost after the first moult, but the spots of
the upper plumage do not entirely disappear till the bird is three
or four years old.
Bill plumbeous blue at base, black at tip : cere, gape, and feet
yellow ; irides hazel-brown.
Length of male about 24 ; tail 9-5 ; wing 18 ; tarsus 3-8 ; bill
from gape 2'3 : the female very little larger.
Distribution. This species is only known to occur in India,
where it is a permanent resident. It is common in parts of the
Grange tic plain, but rare to the westward, unknown in Sind, more
common in the Gangetic delta, and especially in Eastern Bengal.
A specimen was obtained by Blyth from Arrakan ; Jerdon states
that he met with this species once or twice in Southern India ; and
it has been observed breeding in Raipur, Sambalpur, and Mysore.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of A. maculata. The present
species was observed by Mr. Frith in Mymensingh to plunder the
nests of Sturnopastor contra. It breeds in April and May, and
lays generally a single egg, sometimes two, in the usual stick-nest
on a high tree. An egg measures 2-6 by 1-95.
Genus HIERAETUS, Kaup, 1844.
"With this genus commences the series of Hawk-Eagles as they
have very appropriately been termed. They are birds of more
slender build, with smaller bills, longer and more slender tarsi, and
longer tail than the true Eagles, and most of them are, in some
phase of plumage, partly or wholly white beneath.
This genus has a moderately strong bill, much hooked at the
end, and with a prominent festoon to the upper mandible ; the
nostrils are elliptical and oblique ; wing long, 4th quill longest,
primaries exceeding secondaries by far more than the length of
the tarsus ; tail nearly square, more than half the length of the
wing ; tarsi feathered ; toes long, outer toe (without claw) a little
longer than inner ; claws large, sharp, well curved ; inner and
hind claw both large, the latter the larger.
The type of Nisaetus, Hodgs., the name used by Jerdon, Sharpe,
and others for this genus, was Spizaetus nipalensis, and the generic
description does not apply to the present group, although Bonelli's
Eagle was included by Hodgson (Ibis, 1894, p. 288). The type of
Hieraetus is H. pennatus, the Booted Eagle ; but I follow Sharpe
in placing the Booted and Bonelli's Eagles in the same genus.
Four species are known, of which two are Palsearctic and Indian,
one African, and one Australian.
Key to the Species.
a, Larger : wing 19-21 H.fasciatus, p. 343.
b. Smaller : wing 14-16-5 H. pennatus, p. 344,
HIEEAETUS. 34$
1207. Hieraetus fasciatus. Bonelli's Eayle.
Aquila fasciata, Vieill. Mem. Soc. Linn. Paris, ii, 1822. p. 162.
Falco bonelli, Temm. PL Col. i, pi. 288 (1824).
Aquila bonellii, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 98; Horsf. $ M,
Cat. i, p. 46.
Nisaetus grandis, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 230 (1836) ; Jerdon, 11L
2nd. Orn. pi. 1, text.
Nisaetus niveus, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 69 ; Elliot,
ibid. p. 234 (1839) ; nee Falco niveus, Temm.
Spizaetus grandis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 301.
Eutolmaetus bonellii, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 174 ; xix, p. 335 : id.
Cat. p. 26 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 241 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 189 ;
A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 75, 273.
Nisaetus bonellii, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 67 ; Brooks, Ibis, 1869, p. 44.
Nisaetus fasciatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 250 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv,
p. 253 j Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 419; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii,
p. 74 ; Ball, ibid. p. 198 ; Hume, Cat. no. 33 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 224; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 372; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 288;
Davison, ibid. p. 336 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 32 ; id. Jour. Bom,
N. H. Soc. iii, p. 213 ; Oates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 139.
Pseudaetus bonellii, Hume, S. F. i, p. 158 ; iii, p. 446 ; Adam, S. F.
ii, p. 338.
TJie Crestless Hawk-Eagle, Jerdon; Morangi, H. ; Kundeli SalawaT
Tel. ; Rajali, Tarn.
Coloration. Adult. Upper parts dark umber-brown, bases of
feathers white ; feathers of head and mantle inconspicuously
dark-shafted ; lores whitish, eyebrow streaked with white ; sides
of face white, the cheeks and ear-coverts streaked with brown ;
quills black, mottled with white on inner webs towards the base ;
upper tail-coverts with whitish margins ; tail-feathers dark grey
above, whitish below, with imperfect black cross-bands and a
broad black terminal one, the inner webs mottled with white, the
extreme tip whitish ; lower parts white, with black shaft-stripes
varying in breadth ; wing-lining blackish brown, except near the
edge of the wing all round, where the feathers are partly white ;
thigh-coverts and lower abdomen whity brown or pale brown,
still with black streaks ; under tail-coverts with pale rufous-
brown cross-bars. Some old birds are buff or tawny beneath in-
stead of white, and not unfrequently the thighs and abdomen are
darker brown.
Young birds are paler above and have pale edges to the crown
and nape-feathers, and the latter are sometimes rufous ; the sides
of the head and neck and the lower parts, including the wing-
lining, light rufous or rufous-buff, with narrow dark stripes ; the
quills and tail banded almost throughout, the latter white at the
base ; no broad terminal band to the tail.
Bill bluish grey, black towards the tip ; cere and gape dingy
yellow ; irides bright yellow or brownish yellow ; feet pale dingy
whitish brown with a yellow tinge (Hume).
Length of male 27; tail 10; wing 19; tarsus 3'7; bill from
gape 2-15 : of a female— length 29 ; tail 11 ; wing 20.
'344 PALCONID^E.
Distribution. Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and South-
western Asia, ranging throughout the Indian Peninsula but not
farther East. This bird has been only once obtained in Ceylon,
but is not rare in the more hilly and jungly districts of Southern
India. In the Punjab and NYW. Provinces, including the Hima-
layas, and in Sincl it is generally distributed.
Habits, <$fc. This splendid Eagle lives on mammals and birds of
its own killing, and is never known to touch carrion. Jerdon
mentions that it is particularly destructive to pigeons. It is much
seen on the wing sailing at a considerable height, at other times it
perches on a high tree or rock. It breeds on cliffs and on trees,
the former perhaps by preference, makes a large nest of sticks,
.and lays two eggs on a lining of green leaves. The eggs are
greenish white, unspotted or faintly blotched and streaked with
brown ; they measure about 2'78 by 2*1, and are usually laid in
the latter half of December, in January or in February.
1208. Hieraetus pennatus. The Booted Eagle.
Falco pennatus, Gmel Syst. Nat. i, p. 272 (1788).
Spizaetus milvoides, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L, S. x, p. 75 (1839).
Hieraetus pennatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 28 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 241 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 182 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 11 ; Davidson $
Wend. S. F. vii, p. 74 ; Hume, ibid. p. 198 ; id. Cat. no. 31 ; id. S.
F. x, p. 335 ; xi, p. 9 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 30 ; Butler, 8. F. ix,
p. 372 ; Siuinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 99 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 287 ;
Reid, ibid. p. 450 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 30.
Cat. i, p. 43 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 63 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 246 ; A. An-
derson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 74 ; 1875, p. 24 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 387 ;
Butler, S. F. vii, p. 174 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152.
Nisaetus pennatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 253 ; Hume, S. F. iii,
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 41 ; Scully, ibid. p. 420 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 189 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 144.
The Dwarf Eagle, Jerdon ; Bayhati Jumiz, Gilheri Mar, H. ; Udatal
Gedda, T. ; Punja prandu, Tarn. ; Rajaluja, Cing.
Coloration. Adult. Forehead and lores whitish ; a narrow black
superciliary streak ; head and neck above and on sides fawn-
colour or tawny, feathers with black shaft-stripes that are broader
on the nape and broader still on the crown ; cheeks and ear-
coverts darker ; upper parts brown ; upper back, larger scapulars,
and rump dark umber-brown ; tertiaries, smaller scapulars, and
wing-coverts brown, with broad whity-brown edges and darker
shafts; larger coverts darker but pale-edged; quills blackish,
-secondaries with pale ends ; upper tail-coverts fawn or rufous-
brown ; tail-feathers greyish brown above, greyish white beneath,
with traces of dark bars, the last one much broader, and pale tips ;
lower parts, including wing-lining, buffy white, with black longi-
tudinal streaks often fringed with ferruginous, these are thickly
marked on the chin, more thinly on the throat and breast,
LOPUOTEioncnis. 345
generally disappearing on the abdomen, and replaced by faint
rufous bars on the thigh-coverts and vent in very old birds ; a few
black spots beneath the wings.
Some birds are dark brown throughout, and although these may
be young in general, the dark plumage appears in some cases to be
retained for a long time, as individuals certainly breed in it.
Young birds usually have the head and neck rufous-brown or
dull rufous, sometimes dark brown ; the upper plumage brown as
in adults, but with dark shaft-stripes ; tail-coverts whitish ; lower
parts either dark brown or pale rufous with blackish streaks,
except on the lower abdomen ; tail greyish brown above, paler
below, more or less distinctly banded and pale-tipped.
Bill pale blue at base, blackish at tip ; irides pale brown ; cere,
gape, and feet yellow (Hume}. Blyth says that Indian birds have
sometimes a rudimentary crest.
Length of male about 29 ; tail 8-5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2-4 ; bill
from gape 1-4 : of a female — length 21-5 ; tail 9 ; wing 15-75.
Distribution. Southern Europe, great part of Africa, Western
and Central Asia, and throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma,
though rare in the two latter.
Habits, fyc. This is a highly predatory species, living on squirrels,
rats, and other small mammals, doves, pigeons, &c. It frequently
carries away fowls, and Jerdon remarks that Kites are often un-
justly credited with the depredations of this little Eagle on
pigeons and poultry. It frequents both woods and cultivated
ground, and is often found about towns and villages. As a rule
the Booted Eagle is a winter visitor to India, and breeds farther
north ; but a nest was taken on a banyan tree by Mr. Theobald,
in 1869, near Salem. The nest in Europe is, as usual, of sticks,
with a lining of green leaves under the eggs, which are two in
number, greenish white, with in general but few coloured markings.
Genus LOPHOTRIORCHIS, Sharpe, 1874.
This genus, although resembling Spizaetus in the plumage of
the young and in the crest, is distinguished by its longer wings,
with the primaries projecting beyond the secondaries by more
than the length of the tarsus, by its shorter tail, and its much
longer toes and more powerful claws, the claw of the third toe
being longer than the culmen beyond the cere. The adult colo-
ration too is peculiar, black above, and the abdomen chestnut.
The typical species is Indian ; another species referred to the
genus is American. No others are known.
1209. Lophotriorchis kieneri. The Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle.
Astur kieneri, Sparre, Mag. Zool. 1835, Aves,ioL 35.
Spizaetus albogularis, Tickell, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 456 (1842).
Spizaetus kieneri, Blyth, Cat. p. 26 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 34 ; Hume,
Itnuah Notes, p. 216; id. S. F. i, p. 311 ; Hume $ Inylu, S. F. v,
p. 9 ; Blanf. ibid. p. 483; Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 374.
346
Limnaetus kienerii, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 74; Godw.-Aust. J. A. 8. B.
xliii, pt. 2, p. 152 ; Legge, S. F. iii, p. 198 ; Gttrney, Ibis, 1877,
p. 432 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 35.
Lophotriorchis kieneri, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, pp. 255, 458 ; Hume fy
Bourdillon, S. F. vii, p. 33 ; Ball, ibid. p. 198; Hume, Cat. no. 37 ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 42 : Hume, S. F. ix, p. 273 ; xi, p. 30 ; Bligh,
Ibis, 1886, p. 299.
Coloration. Adult. Upper parts and sides of head and neck
black and glossy ; quills dark brown ; tail-feathers brownish, barred
darker ; the quills and tail-feathers are light ashy grey beneath
with dark bars except at the ends of the quills, the tail has a
broadesubterminal black band ; chin, throat, and breast white, with
a few'lanceolate black shaft-stripes on the breast, the white passes
into the ferruginous chestnut with black shaft-lines of the abdo-
men, lower tail-coverts, thigh-coverts, and wing-lining. Sometimes
the chin, throat, and breast are tinged with ferruginous red.
Toung birds are brown above, some of the feathers darker
than others, and many of them with pale edges ; pure white
below ; the tail barred throughout. This plumage has apparently
not been observed in Himalayan birds; but I described one
obtained by Mr. Mandelli some years since, with the upper parts
brownish and the lower buff, a little ferruginous only on the
thigh-coverts and lower tail-coverts. In young birds the ear-
coverts are rufous-brown with black streaks.
Bill black, plumbeous at base ; cere and feet yellow ; irides dark
brown (Legge). The crest is about 2*5 long, not pointed.
Length of male about 21 ; tail 8-25 ; wing 14 ; tarsus 2'8 ; bill
from gape 1*4 : length of female about 24 ; tail 9'5 ; wing 16 ;
tarsus 3 ; bill from gape 1*5. Himalayan birds appear larger than
Malayan.
Distribution. A rare bird. The recorded localities are Eastern
Himalayas, Assam ranges, Cachar, Manipur, Singhbhoom, Travan-
core, Ceylon, Malay Peninsula, and some of the Malay Islands.
JSTo specimen is known to have been obtained as yet in Burma.
Habits, fyc. According to the very few recorded observations,
especially those of Hume and Hartert, this is a bold courageous
bird, with a flight and mode of attack somewhat resembling a
falcon's, and much exceeding in power and dash the movements
of the Spizaeti. It lives in forests. Nidification unknown.
Genus ICTINAETUS, Jerdon (1843).
Bill rather small, the edge of the upper mandible almost or
quite straight ; nostrils oval, nearly round, oblique ; wing long,
5th quill longest, the feathers broad ; tail long, slightly rounded ;
tarsus feathered. The foot is very remarkable : the toes are short,
the inner toe thicker than the middle toe and nearly as long;
outer toe very short ; all the claws much less curved than in other
Eagles, and the inner claw longest, longer even than the hind
claw. Plumage in adults black throughout.
ICTINAETUS. 347
The generic name Neopus, used generally for this Eagle, was
published in 1844 (Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81), whilst Jerdon's name
Ictinaetus dates from a year earlier, having been published by
Blyth (J. A. S. B. xii, p. 128) in a note to the paper in which
Hodgson gave the name Heteropus, which had to be discarded on
account of previous use (Ibis, 1894, p. 289).
A single species.
1210. Ictinaetus malayensis. The Black Eagle.
Falco malayensis, Reinw., Temm. PI. Col. pi. 117 (1824).
Aquila pernigra, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 227 (1836).
Heteropus perniger, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. xii, p. 127.
Ictinaetus ovivorus, Jerdon, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 128 (1843).
Nisaetus ovivorus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, p. 157 (1844).
Ictinaetus malaiensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 7; id. Cat. p. 28;
Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 221.
Neopus malayensis, Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 381 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 65 ;
Beavan, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 396, pi. 34 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 187 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 257 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 253 ; Hume
Sf Bourd. ibid. p. 355 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 423 ; Hume 8f Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 11 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 198 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 47 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 32 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 372 ; Davison, S. F. x,
j). 335; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 190; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed.
iii, p. 145 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 9 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 31.
Neopus malaccensis, C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 407.
Laknongbong, Lepcha ; Hiigong, Bhotia ; Adam nalla gedda, Tel.
Fig. 87.— Left foot of /. malayensis,
Coloration. Adult. Brownish black or black almost throughout ;
lores whitish ; tail-feathers, except near the tips, and inner webs
of quills towards the base, with mottled bars of grey above and of
white below ; lower parts sometimes browner.
Young birds are browner, and some have the head more or less
buff or pale tawny, especially on the sides ; the feathers of the
crown, hind-neck, and sides of neck, in some, with tawny terminal
spots; and the feathers of the lower parts with long drops or
broad median stripes of pale ochreous brown ; in one specimen
they are ochreous with black shaft-stripes and edges. These
348 FALCOKEDjE.
specimens, however, appear strangely rare : out of 20 Himalayan
specimens in the British Museum only one has a spotted head and
none are striated beneath, though one from the Nilgiris shows both
markings. Probably the young are often similar to adults, or else
the immature plumage is quickly lost.
Bill greenish horny, black at the tip ; cere, gape, and feet deep
yellow ; irides dark brown (Jerdon).
Length of a male 27 ; tail 13 ; wing 21-5 : of a female — length
31 ; tail 14 ; wing 24 • tarsus 3*5 ; bill from gape 2.
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Chamba,
and along the "Western Ghats as far as Cape Comorin ; also in
Ceylon ; very rare in the peninsula away from the Sahyadri,
though Jerdon says he saw this species in the Eastern Ghats and
in Central India (? Bastar), and Ball thought he saw it in Chutia
Nagpur. It is found in the ranges south of Assam, and is very rare
in Burma, but is not met with in the Malay Peninsula and islands.
Habits, fyc. The Black Eagle is usually seen on the wing, soaring
over forests with a steady graceful flight, which both Jerdon and
Hume compare to that of a Harrier. It lives largely on the
young and eggs of birds, and was observed by Mr. Bourdillon to
carry off nests and examine their contents. It also occasionally
feeds on reptiles. The eggs were obtained by Hume from Kulu
and Bashahr, and were said to have been taken early in January
from nests on cliffs. They were greyish white, more or less
speckled or blotched, and measured about 2-6 by 1-95. Three eggs
were obtained in one nest.
Genus SPIZAETUS, Vieillot, 1816.
Bill short, high at the base ; culmen compressed, much curved,
a prominent festoon to the margin of the upper mandible ; nostril
rounded ; wings short and rounded, 5th quill longest, the primaries
exceeding the secondaries by less than the length of the tarsus in
the closed wing. Tail rather long, nearly square. Tarsus long,
slender, feathered throughout ; toes large but not long, unequal,
outer toe without claw longer than inner toe similarly measured ;
claws strong, unequal, well curved, hind claw largest. A crest
generally present.
This is a forest genus found in America and Africa as well as
throughout the Oriental region. The Oriental forms are distin-
guished by some writers as Limnaetus, but they only differ from
the African and American species in having slightly longer wings.
Several Indian kinds have been described, of which I distinguish
five.
Key to the Species.
a. Feathering of tarsus does not extend to divi-
sion of toes.
a'. A distinct crest, 4-6 long, always present. . . S. cirrhatus, p. 349.
b'. No crest, or a rudimentary one & limnaetus, p. 351.
SPIZAKTUS. 349
b. Feathers extend on to basal portion of middle
toe.
c'. Large : wing 17-18'5.
a". White bands on abdominal feathers in-
terrupted at shafts S. nepalewis, p. 352.
b" . White bands go completely across abdo-
minal feathers S. kelaarti, p. 354.
d'. Small : wing about 9*5 S. albiniger, p. 354.
1211. Spizaetus cirrhatus. The Crested Hawk-Eagle.
Falco cirrhatus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 274 (1788).
Falco ceylanensis, Gmel. t. c. p. 275 (1788).
Falco cristatellus, Temm. PL Col pi. 282 (1824).
Nisaetus cristatellus, Elliot, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 234 ; Jerdon, III.
Ind. Orn. text to pi. 1, p. 7.
Spizaetus cristatellus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 306; Horsf. £ M.
Cat. i, p. 33.
Spizaetus cirrhatus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 242 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 206 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 446 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 269 ; Fair-
bank, S. F. iv, p. 253; Hume fy Bourd. ibid. p. 356; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 147.
Spizaetus sphynx, Hume, S. F. i, p. 321.
Limnaetus cirrhatus, Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 429; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 198 ; Hume, Cat. no. 35 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 30 ; Butler, ibid.
p. 373; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 288; Hume, ibid. p. 336; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 33 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii. p. 214.
Limnaetus ce3flonensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 430 ; 1878, p. 85 ;
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 511 ; id. Cat. no. 35 bis.
Spizaetus ceylonensis, Legye, Birds Ceyl. p. 65, pi. ii ; Parker, S. F.
ix, p. 476.
Limnaetus sphynx, Hume, Cat. no. 34 quat.
Shah Baz, II. ; Jutu Bhyri, Tel. ; Rajaliya, Cing.
Fig. 88.— Head of S. cirrhatus, J.
Coloration. Adult. Feathers of head and neck above and at the
sides blackish brown, with pale or rufous edges ; occipital crest
4 to 6 inches long, black, and, except in very old birds,
350 FALCONIDJE.
white ; upper parts generally umber-brown, not uniform, some
feathers having darker centres or shafts and paler border ; quills
brown above, light grey or white below7, with blackish bars and
tips, inner webs white towards the base ; tail brown above, light
grey beneath, usually with 5 blackish cross-bars, more rarely 4,
the first concealed by the coverts, the last broadest, followed by
a whitish tip ; pale interspaces as a rule broader than dark bars,
and last pale interspace much broader than the others ; chin and
throat white, streaked with black, the black streaks generally
forming three longitudinal stripes, one median and two lateral ;
breast white with large spots, elongate, black, and generally fringed
with rufous ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts umber- brown, thighs
generally more rufous, and tarsus whitish, the feathers dark-
shafted as a rule throughout, especially on the legs ; smaller under
wing-coverts dull rufous, brow*n-shafted; greater lower wing-coverts
white with brown cross-bands ; axillaries greyish brown with dark
shafts.
Young birds have the head and neck rufous-buff to buffy white,
generally but not always with dark centres or shaft-stripes to the
feathers, which in some very young birds have white tips ; feathers
of upper plumage brown, generally pale-edged; quills and tail
with more dark bands than in adults, there being 7 on the tail
including the subterminal one ; lower parts white or buff or pale
rufous, generally with a few rufous-brown spots, darker at the
shafts ; as a rule the flanks, lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, lower
tail-coverts, and tarsal feathers are banded with pale rufous and
white ; traces of this banding are often found in older birds.
Bill dark plumbeous, black at the tip ; cere dark leaden in adult,
yellow in young birds ; irides leaden grey, pale straw-colour, or
golden yellow ; feet yellow. The feathers of the tarsus do not
extend quite to the base of the toes.
Length of a male about 26 inches ; tail 11 ; wing 16 : of a
female — length 29 ; tail 12 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 4 ; bill from gape 1'8.
Ceylonese and some South Indian birds are considerably smaller
and measure : tail 9 to 1O5, wing 13-5 to 15-2. They have been
distinguished as Spizaetus ceylonensis, and form a well-marked race,
but differing only, like so many animals from the e'xtreme south
of India and Ceylon, in size, and therefore I think not to be
separated as a distinct species. S. sphynoc of Hume, from Travan-
core, is an old bird of this Southern variety with, as often happens
in old birds, no white on the crest.
Distribution. The Peninsula of India and Ceylon in well-wooded
tracts. Only an occasional straggler is found on the great Indo-
Gangetic plain of Northern India, as in the case of a specimen
obtained by Hume at Etawah ; as a rule the northern limit of this
bird from Mount Abu to Midnapore in Bengal is the edge of the
hilly country.
Habits, 6fc. Very similar to those of other Indian Spizaeti. This
is a forest bird, usually seen on trees, often, as Jerdon says, " on
the top of a high tree, where it watches for hares, partridges,
SPIZAETUS. 361
young pea-fowl, jungle-fowl, &c., on which it pounces." It also
feeds on squirrels, lizards, &c. It but rarely soars, and is more
often seen flying through the trees than hovering above them. It
has a peculiar prolonged note, like other species of the genus.
The habits of the Ceylon race in captivity have been well described
by Legge. The nest, placed on a high tree, is a huge structure
of sticks, and is lined with green leaves, on which a single egg is
laid at some time from December to April. The egg is dull
greenish white, unspotted, or faintly streaked at the larger end
with reddish brown, and measures on an average 2*67 by 2*03.
1212. Spizaetus limnaetus. The Changeable Hawk-Eagle.
Falco limnseetus, Horsfeld, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 138 (1821) : Temm.
PL Col. pi. 134.
Falco caligatus, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 278 (1822).
Falco niveus, Temm. PL Col. pi. 127 (1823).
Limnaetus horsfieldi, Vigors, Mem. Raffi. p. 649 (1830) ; Gurney,
Ibis, 1877, p. 428 ; Hume, S. F. vi, p. 11, note ; id. Cat. no. 34 A ;
Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 246.
Nisaetus pallidus, Hodf/s. J.A.S. B. vi, p. 361 (1837), descr. nulla.
Spizaetus limnaetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 24 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 32 ;
Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 272 ; Blyth, f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 63 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 11 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 192 ; id. in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 149.
Spizaetus caligatus, Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 33 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 241 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 198 ; Hume 8f Oates, S. F. iii,
p. 26 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 297 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 9.
Falco limnaetus, Bernstein, J.f. Orn. 1860, p. 419.
Limnaetus niveus, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 70 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 93.
Spizaetus andamanensis, Tytler, P. A. S. B. 1865, p. 112 ; Beavan,
Ibis, 1867, p. 315 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 203 ; Ball, S. F. i,
p. 52 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 142 ; iv, p. 280.
Limnaetus caligatus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 246 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1877,
p. 425 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 198; id. Cat. no. 34 j Bingham, S. F.
ix, p. 143 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 10.
Limnaetus andamanensis, Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 127 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 34 bis.
Sadal, H., Bengal ; Morhaita, Garhwal.
Coloration. Very similar to that of S. cirrhatus, from which the
present bird differs in having no crest or only a rudimentary one ;
the plumage is generally paler, the lower parts in young birds
much more commonly pure white, and the head white with brown
shaft-stripes ; whilst even in the oldest birds some traces of white
bars remain on the brown feathers of the thighs, vent, and lower
tail-coverts ; and the gular and moustachial stripes and the dark
spots on the breast are better defined. Soft parts and measure-
ments as in S. cirrhatus., and the feathers of the tarsus, as in that
species, terminate at or above the division of the toes, and do not
cover the base of the middle toe as in S. nepalemis.
Besides the ordinary form, there is a dark or melanistic variety,
the original Falco limnaetus (or Limnaetus horsfieldi}. This is
352 FALCONJDJE.
blackish brown throughout, the basal half of the inner webs of the
quills and the lower surface of the rectrices near their base being
grey. Some specimens are chocolate-brown, not blackish, and in
these the three black gular stripes— one median, and one at each
side — can be recognized. The bill and cere are black. This dark
form, at first supposed to be distinct, has for many years by most
writers been regarded as identical with the ordinary variety
(S. caligatus v. niveus], and has been by several naturalists described
as the old bird. But in several cases blackish nestlings, the pro-
duce of dark-coloured parents, have been observed, in Java by
Schlegel and Bernstein, and in Bengal by Cripps ; and whilst it is
certain that the dark coloration is not due to age, the question
has again arisen whether this dark S. limnaetus is not a distinct
species. Both Gurney and Hume are doubtful as to whether the
two phases belong to the same species ; but until further evidence
is forthcoming I prefer to keep the two together, as in Buzzards
a similar melanistic phase is common. Whitehead, in Labuan,
shot from the nest a female in ordinary plumage, paired with a
black male (Ibis, 1889, p. 71).
A small insular form (S. andamanensis, Tytler) occurs in the
Andaman Islands, precisely resembling ordinary S. limnaetus in
everything except size (length in a female 25*5 ; tail 1O25 ; wing
14-25 ; tarsus 3-6).
Distribution. Throughout the sub-Himalayan forests as far west
as Kumaun and probably to Kashmir; throughout Lower and
Eastern Bengal, Assam, and the Burmese countries, the Malay
Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and Flores. The dark variety
has been found in Lower Bengal, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra,
Borneo, and Java. The supposed occurrence of S. limnaetus in
the Indian Peninsula is doubtless due to specimens of S. cirrhatus
in moult having been mistaken for it.
Habits, tyc. Precisely similar to those of S. cirrhatus, except
that the breeding-season is from February to June, chiefly in
April and May.
1213. Spizaetus nepalensis. Hodgson's Hawk-Eagle.
Nisaetus nipalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 229, pi. 7 (1836) .
Nisaetus nipalensis & pulcher, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 361 (1837).
Spizaetus pulcher, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 305 ; xiv, p. 175.
Spizaetus nipalensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 24 ; Horsf. 8c M. Cat. i, p. 381 ;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 210 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 267 ; Hume,
S. F. ii\, p. 446 ; v, p. 125 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 145.
Limnaetus nipalensis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 73 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 246 ;
Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 431 ; Hume, Cat. no. 36 ; Davison, S. F.
x, p. 336.
The Spotted Hawk-Eagle, Jerdon ; Kanda-panthiong, Lepcha.
Coloration. Adult. Above dark brown, the scapulars and some
other feathers with a coppery gloss ; crown and crest-feathers
black, the latter 3 to 4 inches long and tipped white ; sides of head
spizAfirus. 353
also black, especially the broad cheek-stripes ; ear-coverts streaked
with brown; feathers of hind-neck dark brown with very pale
edges ; median and larger wing-coverts lighter brown than small
coverts ; quills brown above, pale grey below, with distant dark
bars ; inner webs mottled with white near the base ; traces of
dark bars are found on the scapulars and of white on the larger
and median coverts ; rump and upper tail-coverts barred brown
and white. Tail-feathers alternately barred black and brownish
grey above, pale grey beneath, the black bands the broader and
usually 5 in number, one being concealed by the coverts, extreme
narrow tips whitish ; chin and throat white, with a broad black
band down the middle, and bordered by black on each side ; fore-
neck light brown with large black drops ; rest of lower plumage
brown, generally chocolate-brown not very dark, with white spots
or imperfect bars interrupted at the shaft on each feather.
Young birds have the head and neck above and at the sides
buff or whitish, with larger or smaller brown centres to the
feathers, white tips on the mantle and quills ; tail with 6 or 7 dark
bars ; lower parts white or rufous-buff, sometimes with a few
blackish-brown spots, chiefly on the breast. The crest is often
small or wanting. In a further stage the buff and whitish edges
to the upper plumage diminish, and there are large black-brown
drops on the lower parts ; the thigh-coverts and vent sometimes
pale rufous, sometimes brown, and more or less barred with white.
Occasionally the tail is without bars. There is a gradual passage
to the adult plumage.
The feathering of the tarsus extends to part of the basal
phalanx of the middle toe. Bill black ; cere hoary black ; irides
yellow ; feet dirty yellowish white (Hume}.
Length of a male 27'5 ; tail 12-5 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 4'2 : of a
female— length 29 ; tail 13-5; wing 18-5 ; bill from gape 1-9.
Distribution. The Himalayas, from Kashmir to Bhutan. This
bird visits the plains of Northern India in the cold season, and has
been found as far south as Seoni and Pachmarhi, but reports of its
occurrence in Southern India and Ceylon probably all refer to the
next species. Blyth described a specimen (as S. pulcher) received
from the Khasi hills ; but this species has not since been observed
in the hills south of Assam, nor in Burma. It occurs, however,
in China and Japan.
Habits, fyc. A forest Eagle, feeding on pheasants and other game-
birds, and on hares and other small mammals. It breeds in India
only, so far as is known, in the Himalayas, from January to early in
May. The nest, a coarse structure of sticks, is placed in a large
tree in dense forest or growing from a cliff ; and the eggs, two in
number, are greenish white, sparingly spotted and streaked with
reddish brown and pale purple, and measuring about 2*7 by 2-2.
VOL. m. 2 A
1354 FALCONIDjE.
1214. Spizaetus kelaarti. Legye's HawTc-Eagle.
Spizaetus nipalensis, apud Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 98 ; Blyth,
Ibis, 1866, p. 242, pt. ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 33.
Spizaetus kelaarti, Legge, Ibis, 1878, p. 202 ; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 51,
pi. 1.
Limnaetus kelaarti, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 511 ; id. Cat. no. 36 bis.
This species is very closely allied to S. nepalensis, but adults are
•distinguished by being less dark, the feathers of the head having
pale edges, by the malar and gular black stripes being much less
developed, by the lower parts from the breast being paler brown,
and especially by the white cross-bars on the feathers of the
breast and abdomen extending right across the feathers and
including the shafts. The feathering of the tarsus extends to the
base of the middle toe. The feet are said by Legge to be more
robust and the claws larger, the hind claw measuring in a straight
line from base to point 2*1, whilst in S. nepalensis it never exceeds
1-9.
Young plumage imperfectly known : an immature male is brown
above, the feathers with white edges, crown-feathers with broad
buff margins; chin white unstriped, throat and fore-neck white
with a few brown drops ; breast and abdomen light brown with
white cross-bars.
Length of female 31 ; tail 12'5 ; wing 19 ; tarsus 4*5 ; bill
from gape 2.
Distribution. Mountains of Ceylon and Southern India. I find
in the British Museum two skins, collected by Mr. Bourdillon at
Mynall in Travancore, that agree perfectly with Legge's descrip-
tion, except that the claws are not larger than in Himalayan birds,
and Hume has already suggested (S. F. x, p. 336) that a skin from
the Nilgiris may also have belonged to S. Kelaarti.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of S. nepalensis. Nidification
unknown.
1215. Spizaetus albiniger. Blyttis Hawk-Eagle.
Nisaetus alboniger, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 178 (1845).
Spizaetus alboniger, Blyth, Cat. p. 26; id. J. A. S. B. xix, p. 335;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 271 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 63 ; Hume
$ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 12 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 191.
Limnaetus alboniger, Hume, Cat. no. 34 ter.
Coloration. Adult. Above black, growing browner on the lower
back and wings, black crest 2 to 2-75 inches long ; quills brown
above, whitish below, with a few distant blackish bars and broad
black tips, inner webs paler towards the base ; tail blackish brown
above, with one very broad pale band about 2 inches from the end,
and the tip pale ; chin and throat white, with black stripes forming
a median gular band ; breast white, with very large black spots ;
abdomen, flanks, and rest of lower parts banded black and white,
the bands narrower on the legs.
At an earlier age, the sides of the head and the neck all round
CIBCAETUS. 355
are rufous-brown, black-shafted, the breast rufous with smaller
black spots; the abdomen banded rufous-brown and white; the
tail with 4 blackish cross-bars, the basal one concealed by the
coverts, the last subterminal.
In young birds the upper parts are pale brown ; the head and
neck pale fawn-coloured, all feathers with whitish edges ; the crest
alone black, tipped with white ; quills as in adults ; tail with 4
blackish cross-bands, but narrower than in adults and less defined;
lower parts buff.
Bill dull black, base plumbeous; irides yellow; feet yellow
(Davisori). The feathers of the tarsus come down to the basal
portion of the toes, farthest on the middle toe as in S. nepalensis.
Length of a male 21-8 ; tail 9-5 ; wing 12*5 ; tarsus 3 ; bill
from gape 1'4.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, ranging into the extreme south
of Tenasserini and to Borneo. Nothing particular is known of the
habits.
Genus CIRCAETUS, VieiUot, 1816.
Head large; bill moderate, much hooked, culmen rounded;
nostril oval, oblique, overhung by bristles from the lores ; wings
long, 3rd or 4th quill longest ; primaries much exceeding second-
aries ; tail rather long ; tarsi naked, except near their upper
extremities, clad with small rounded or subhexagonal imbricate
scales all round. Toes short ; mid-toe without its claw about
half the length of the tarsus, inner and outer toes without claws
subequal; claws short, not much curved, subequal.
This genus comprises five species, four exclusively African and
one ranging to Europe and Asia and occurring in India.
1216. Circaetns gallicus. The Short-toed Eagle.
Falco gallicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 259 (1788).
Circaetus gallicus, Blyih, Cat. i, p. 19 ; Horsf. $• M. Cat. i, p. 51 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 76 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 217 ; id. N. $ E. p. 39 ;
McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 207; A. Anderson, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 77; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 280; Dresser, Birds Eur.
v, p. 563, pis. 349, 350; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 446; v, p. 217; ix,
p. 373 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv. p. 253 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 146 ;
Davidson # Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 74 ; Ball, ibid. p. 199 ; Doig,
ibid. p. 503; Hume, Cat. no. 38; Reid, S. F. x, p. 8 ; Davidson,
ibid. p. 288; Taylor, ibid. p. 455; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 86;
Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 150.
The Common Serpent Eayle, Jerdon ; Sampmar, H. ; Sapmaril, Beng. ;
Malpatar, Can. ; Pamula gedda, Tel. ; Pambu prandu, Tarn. ; Rawal,
Wagri ; Kondatele, Yerkli.
Coloration. Adult. Forehead, lores, cheeks, and chin whitish,
with black bristles ; eyelids covered with white down ; ear-coverts
brown with fine black lines ; upper parts generally brown ; shafts
on head, back, and wing-coverts blackish; longer scapulars,
primary and some secondary quills blackish brown outside, the
2A2
356
quills white inside except at the tip and the primaries for some
distance up each border ; all quills except first primaries with dark
cross-bands ; tail brown above, white-tipped, whitish below, with
dark cross-bands, generally 4 in number, the first concealed by the
coverts ; the inner webs of all rectrices except the middle pair
Pig. 89.— Left foot of C.
partly white ; chin, throat, and upper breast brown like the backr
with dark shafts, some white at the base of the feathers generally
showing ; lower breast, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts white, with
a few brown subdistant spots or bars ; lower wing-coverts and
axillaries barred brown and white.
In young birds the upper parts are paler; the head whitish
with dark shafts, and the white bases of the feathers conspicuous ;.
lower parts white, with brown shaft-streaks on chin, throat, and
upper breast, and a few scattered spots of light brown or rufous on
the lower breast and abdomen. Birds of the second year have
the upper parts like adults, broad brown stripes on the throat
and breast, and more numerous brown spots than the nestlings on
the abdomen.
Bill pale greyish blue, tip blackish ; cere whitish ; irides bright
orange-yellow ; legs and feet pale earthy greyish brown (Hume).
Length of a male 26 ; tail 1 1'5 ; wing 21 : of a female — length
28 ; tail 13 ; wing 22 ; tarsus 375 ; bill from gape 2-3.
Distribution. Central and Southern Europe, Northern Africa,
Central and South-western Asia, extending east to Northern
SPILOBNIS. 357
.China, and all over India in suitable tracts from the base of the
Himalayas and from Sind to Lower Bengal, but not in Ceylon
nor the countries east of the Bay of Bengal. A resident species.
Habits, $c. The Short -toed Eagle is chiefly found in open
country and cultivated ground, and is sometimes seen perched on
a tree, but more frequently circling in the air or beating over the
ground and bushes like a Harrier. Both Jerdon and Hume notice
its habit of hovering like a Kestrel, and dropping softly on its
prey, not with a rush. It feeds chiefly on snakes, lizards, and
frogs, but will eat rats, crabs, or large insects. It breeds on trees
(very rarely on cliffs), and lays a single egg between January and
May, in a loosely constructed nest of sticks, sometimes lined with
grass or green leaves. The egg is a broad oval, bluish white,
'without spots, and measures about 2*9 by 2*3.
Genus SPILORNIS, G. E. Gray, 1840.
This genus is distinguished from Circaetu* by having a broad
nuchal crest covering the whole nape, and by peculiar coloration,
brown above and below in adults, with numerous rounded white
spots or ocelli on the lower parts. The bill is rather elongate
and well hooked at the end, the festoon on the edge of the upper
mandible small or wanting; nostrils oval, oblique; lores nearly
naked. The wings are short and rounded, the 4th or 5th quill
longest ; tarsus, toes, and claws as in Circaetus.
Spilornis ranges throughout the Oriental region and comprises
6 or 7 species, of which three are found within our limits.
Key to the Species.
*#. Pale wing-bar near tips of quills broader than
adjoining dark interspace.
a'. Dark brown on back, with metallic gloss;
wing 15-21 S. cheela, p. 367.
b'. Earthy brown on back, little or no gloss;
wing 11-12 S. minimus, p. 361.
b. Last pale wing-bar narrower than dark inter-
space in front of it S. efyini, p. 361.
1217. Spilornis cheela. The Crested Serpent-Eagle.
Falco cheela, Latham, Ind. Orn. i, p. 14 (1790).
Hgematornis undulatus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 170.
Circseetus nipalensis, Hodgson, As. Res. xviii, pt. 2, pi. p. 17 (1833).
Hzematornis cheela, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 180; id. Cat. p. 19;
ume, iwuqn notes, p. z.^ ; u-wu-«/.-^x-i*«t,. «/. -n.. »^. .**. A^AIA.
pt. 2, p. 93 i A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 77 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
c\an . in. .11. S. Jir^M J) ti.fi a /.',,,•», T» ftfi • ffum/> fr Oat PA.
. Birds Burm. p. 60 ; Hume $ Ofttes,
358
Ibis, 1884, p. 407 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 193 ; id. in Hume's N. #:.;#.-
2nd ed. iii, p. 153 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 37 ; Salvadori, Ann.
Mm. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 571 j Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. If. Soc. i,
p. 195.
Spilornis undulatus, Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 90.
Spilornis rutherfordi, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1870, p. 85; Blyth 8f Wald.
Birds Burm. p. 60; Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 28 ; v, p. 10 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 14 ; id. Cat. no. 39 ter ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 144 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 194 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 156 ;
Crippsj S. F. xi, p. 11.
South-Indian and Ceylonese Race.
Falco albidus, Cuv. Temm. PL Col. pi. 19 (1824).
Buteo melanotis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, p. 166 (1844).
Hajmatornis spilogaster, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxi, p. 351 (1852);.
Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 100.
Spilornis spilogaster, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 243 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B.
xl, pt. 2, p. 270 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 512 ; id. Cat. 39 bis A ; Legge,
Birds Ceylon, p. 61 ; Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 182 ; Oates in Hume's
N. # E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 157.
Spilornis bacha, apud Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 335 ; Holdsivorth, P. Z. S.
1872, p. 412.
Spilornis minor, Hume, N. $ E. p. 42 (1873).
Spilornis melanotis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 289 ; Hume 8f Bourd.
S. F. iv, p. 358 ; Fairbank, S. F. v, p. 392 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1878,
p. 97 ; Davidson 8f Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 74; Ball, ibid. p. 199;
Hume, ibid. p. 340; id. Cat. no. 39 bis; Tidal, S. F. ix, p. 32;
Butler, ibid. p. 373 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 337 ; Oates in Hume's N.
$ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 156 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 37.
Andaman Race.
Hsematornis cheela, Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 314; Ball, J. A. S. Br
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 240.
Spilornis bacha, apud Hume, Rough Notes, p. 230, pt.
Spilornis davisoni, Hume, 8. F. i, p. 307 (1873) ; ii, pp. 147, 491 ;
iv, p. 281; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 98 ; Hume, Cat. no. 39quat.
Spilornis rutherfordi, apud Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 298.
Furj baj, Dogra Chil, H. (Saharanpur) ; Tilai baj, Sabchur, B. ; Nalla
pamula gedda, Tel ; Botta Genda, Gond ; Goom, Can. ; Murayala, Mahr. ;
Rajaliya, Cing. ; Kadumbien, Tarn. (Ceylon) ; jDoun-zoon, Burmese.
Coloration. Adult. Crown and nape with full crest black, basal
half or more of the feathers white ; nape-feathers generally tipped
with brown ; lores nearly naked, bearing a few black bristles only;
ear-coverts blackish ashy ; upper parts dark brown with a rich
purple or ruddy gloss; smaller wing-coverts blackish, generally
with small white spots ; quills blackish, with three bars brown
above, whitish below, that farthest from the base of the feathers is
by far the broadest, and is 3 or 4 inches from the tips, the basal
two are sometimes confluent ; upper tail-coverts tipped white,
as are sometimes the back-feathers, scapulars, and secondary
quills ; tail brown at the base, thence almost black, with one broad
white or whity-brown bar, tip pale; lower parts brown, some-
times dark umber, sometimes pale and tawny, sometimes rufous ;
359
chin and throat more or less tinged or streaked with black or ashy ;
fore-neck and upper breast, as a rule, closely barred with pale
brown ; lower breast and abdomen, flanks, under wing-coverts,
and axillaries ornamented with ocelli that are white surrounded
with dark brown, these spots passing into dark-edged cross-bars,
more or less broken, on the vent, thigh-coverts, and lower tail-
coverts. The variation in the coloration of the lower parts and
in size is unusually great in this Eagle.
In young birds the crown and nape-feathers are white, with
black and brown tips ; the upper plumage of various shades of
brown, the ends of the feathers generally darker, and the base
white, many feathers with white tips ; lower parts, including the
wing-lining, white with dark shafts or shaft-stripes on the breast ;
the whitish bars on the wings and tail are more numerous than in
adults, generally there are "2 well-marked pale bands on the tail
beyond the coverts.
Fig. 90. — Head of S. cheela, f.
As the bird grows older bars and ocelli appear on the lower
parts. When nearly adult, there is still much white on the wing-
lining, and remains of the second pale tail-bar may often be traced
even in full-grown birds. In the intermediate stage the chin is
very black, there are still dark shaft-stripes to the barred breast-
feathers, and sometimes a few small white ocelli on the upper
breast.
Bill plumbeous, bluish black at tip and on culmen ; cere, skin of
lores, and gape bright, or in some dingy lemon-yellow ; irides
intense yellow ; legs and feet pale dingy yellow.
Distribution. Throughout the Oriental region in suitable places,
ascending the Himalayas to 4000 or 5000 feet. Very rare in the
north-west of India, but I have seen this bird even in the Sind
hills. There are several well-marked races so different in size and
coloration as to have been generally kept distinct ; these are : —
(1) Typical S. cheela. This is the largest form — length about
29 inches ; tail 13 ; wing 20 ; tarsus 4 ; bill from gape 1/9 : male
rather smaller than female in general, but there is no constant
difference. The breast and fore-neck are closely and distinctly
barred, sometimes the throat also, the chin and throat are often
black, and in adults there is a single broad whitish band on the
tail. This form is found in Northern India from Sind and Kashmir
360 FALCONID^E.
to Bengal, especially at the base of the Himalayas, and stragglers
have been met with throughout the Peninsula, there being one
from Mysore in the Hume collection.
(2) The race found in Assam, Cachar, and Burma is by Hume,
rightly, I think, identified with the Hainan S. rutherfordi. The
breast is generally barred, though less distinctly than in typical
S. cheela, and the barring becomes less distinct in many Southern
specimens. The chin and throat are dark ashy grey. As a rule,
there is a second pale tail-bar, less distinct than the posterior one,
just beyond the coverts; wings 17 to 18 inches long in Assamese and
North-Burmese birds, in Tenasserim specimens the whole length
is 23 to 28, tail 9-5 to 11, wing 15-25 to 18, tarsus 3'5 to 3'62.
(3) The Andaman race S. davisoni, specimens of which have
also been obtained in the Mcobars. This is simply a miniature of
.S. rutherfordi. Length 22 to 24, tail 10, wing 15, tarsus 3'7, bill
from gape 1*7. Some Tenasserim specimens seem undistinguishable.
Further south, in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo, is another small form, S. pallidus, Walden (Ibis, 1872,
p. 363 ; Cat. B. M. i. p. 290, pi. ix), without any bars on the
breast ; wing about 14.
(4) The common form throughout the Indian Peninsula differs
from typical S. cheela in wanting the barring on the breast, or
only exhibiting the merest trace of it, in rarely having any black
on the chin, and in often having two bands on the tail, the upper
band being more or less indistinct. To the northward this race
is but little smaller than S. cheela, and has a wing of about 18,
but to the southward and in Ceylon the wing varies from 14'5
to 17. This form is S. melanotis; the Ceylon race has been
distinguished as S. spilogaster. If we had only this race and
typical S. cheela to consider they might well be separated, but
some small South-Indian and Ceylonese birds are, as Grurney has
shown, not distinguishable from specimens from the Malay
Peninsula and Sumatra, and these pass gradually into the large
northern S. cheela through S. rutherfordi. This case is therefore
similar to that of Caprimulgus macrurus (p. 189). Probably
Spilornis cheela offers the most remarkable instance in Indian
birds of the diminution of size to the southward.
Habits, fyc. This Eagle is usually found on trees near water,
especially the fine trees along irrigation-channels and canals in
Upper India, and along stream-beds in the lower Himalayas and
in the Central Provinces and Southern India. It may also be
seen soaring and may be at once recognized by the strongly
marked bars on its wings and tail, and by its loud plaintive cry,
which it frequently utters on the wing. It feeds on snakes,
lizards, and frogs, occasionally on small mammals, on birds, and
on insects. It breeds on trees in March, April, and May, making
a nest of sticks about 2 feet in diameter, lined with a pad of green
leaves. It lays usually one egg, sometimes two, more or less
densely streaked and spotted with brownish red and purple, and
measuring about 2-78 by 2-2.
• SPILOENIS. 361
1218. Spilornis minimus. The Little Nicobar Serpent-Eagle.
Spilorais minimus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 464 ; ii, p. 149 ; iv, p. 282 ; id.
Cat. no. 39 sept. ; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 101.
Coloration. Adult. Crown and nape black, the feathers white at
the base and for more than half their length ; upper parts dull
umber-brown, with little or no metallic gloss ; quills blackish at
the end, then a broad bar pale brown below, brown above, next a
blackish bar narrower than the pale one, then another pale band,
inner webs above this mostly white ; tail blackish brown, with two
paler brown bars ; ear-coverts and lower parts brown, but paler
than back ; upper breast without bars ; lower breast, abdomen,
and thigh-coverts with broad white spots, the borders of the spots
scarcely darker than the spaces between ; inner wing-coverts
chiefly white.
Young very similar to that of S. clieela.
Bill light blue, dark horny at tip ; cere, gape, orbital skin, and
irides bright yellow ; legs and feet also yellow (Hume).
Length about 19; tail 8; wing 11-5; tarsus 3; bill from
gape 1*6.
Distribution. The Nicobar Islands, whence several specimens
were obtained by Mr. Hume.
1219. Spilornis elgini. The Andaman Serpent-Eagle.
Haematornis elgini, Tytler, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 87 (1863) ; id.
Ibis, 1863, p. 118 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 314.
Spilornis bacha, apud Hume, Rough Notes, p. 230, pt. ; Ball, J.A.S. B.
xli, pt. 2, p. 275 ; id. S. F. i, p. 52 ; nee Daudin.
Spilornis elgini, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 299 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 144 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 291 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 101 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 39 sex.
Coloration. Lores and space round eye naked, more so than in
jS. cheela, only bearing a few scattered whitish hairs ; crown and
nape black, the feathers more or less fringed with brown and
their basal two-thirds white ; plumage above and below dark
chocolate-brown, with a slight ruddy gloss above ; a few minute
white specks of irregular form on the upper wing-coverts and
upper tail-coverts, and frequently on the back and scapulars, and
larger round white spots on the breast (in many cases extending
to the upper breast), abdomen, under tail- and wing-coverts,
flanks and axillaries ; no barring on the breast ; moustachial band
and ear-coverts blackish ; quills blackish brown, with from 3 to 5
narrow broken cross-bars, pale brown above, whitish below, some-
times almost obsolete ; tail black, with two pale cross-bars, whity
brown above, whitish below, the posterior the broader, but less
than an inch wide.
Young birds appear only to differ in being rather paler, with
the feathers of the head, above and below, mostly white ; the
crown and nape with brown subterminal bands, and the chin with
362 FALCONIDjE.
brown streaks. There are three pale cross-bands on the tail, that
in front the narrowest. In a very large series now in the British
Museum, not one has white underparts like the young of S. cheela.
Bill pale horny, bluish horny, or fleshy, darker on the culmen ;
cere, lores, and orbital region bright or lemon yellow ; irides bright
yellow ; feet and legs yellow (Hume).
Length about 22 ; tail 9-25 ; wing 14 ; tarsus 3-25 ; bill from
gape 1-6.
Distribution. The Andaman Islands ; there is also one specimen
in the British Museum from the Nicobars.
Genus BUTASTUR, Hodgson, 1843.
This is a genus that was at one time placed amongst the
Buzzards, but, despite some resemblance in habits, the differences
in the characters of the tarsus and in the eggs show that the
alliance is not real. In the two characters named, the members
of the present genus, or Buzzard-Eagles, as they have been termed,
come nearest to Circaetus, from which, however, they differ in size
and plumage, shape of wing, and proportions of toes.
In Butastur (Poliornis of Kaup) the size is small, scarcely ex-
ceeding that of a Crow. The bill is compressed and the culmen
curved from the base; the commissure generally has a festoon,
sometimes a well-marked one ; the nostrils are oval and oblique.
The wings are long, reaching nearly to the end of the tail, which
is slightly rounded ; the 3rd quill is longest, the 4th nearly equal
to it, the 2nd and 5th considerably shorter and not very different
in length, the first four emarginate inside. Tarsus naked, without
transverse shields, covered with imbricate scales that are rather
larger in front ; toes short. There is no difference in size between
the sexes.
Tour species are known, one of which is African, the other three
occur in India or Burma.
Key to the Species.
a. Tail more or less rufous, with narrow dark cross-
bars or none.
a'. Quills chiefly brown above J5. teesa, p. 362.
V. Quills chiefly rufous above B. liventer, p. 364.
b. Tail not tinged with rufous, and with broad dark
cross-bands broader than the interspaces in
adults B. indicus, p. 365.
1220. Butastur teesa. The White-eyed Buzzard-Eagle.
Circa teesa, Franklin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 115.
Astur hyder, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 79.
Buteo teesa, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. 2nd. Zool. ii, pi. 30 ; Jerdon,
Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 76.
BUTASTUE.
363
Butastur teesa, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. xii, p. 311 ; Sharpe, Cat B. M. i,
p. 295 ; B lanf. Eastern Persia, ii, p. 113 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi,
p. 19 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 370 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 48 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 33 ; Butler, ibid. p. 374 ; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 10 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 195 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed.
"ii, p. 158; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 44; St. John, Ibis, 1889,
). 153.
in,
P-
Poliornis teesa, Kaup, Class. Sdugth. Vog. p. 122 (1844) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 21 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 40 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 92 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 286 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 78 ; 1875,
p. 25 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 159 ; iii, p. 31 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 447.
The White-eyed Buzzard, Jerdon ; Tisa, II. ; Buda-mali gedda, Tel. ;
Yellur, Yerkli.
Coloration. Adult.
rufous, the feathers
Upper parts brown, often tinged with
with dark shafts; a white nuchal patch
formed by the bases of the feathers;
narrow forehead and lores white ; median
wing-coverts much mottled and some-
times barred with white ; quills brown
above, whitish beneath, pure white to-
wards the base, generally with dark bars
towards the tips ; the primaries with
blackish ends ; upper tail-coverts usually
more rufous than back; tail-feathers
either rufous or brown, with a rufous
tinge above, whity brown below, each
with a subterminal blackish patch, and in
most birds with narrow subch'stant black-
ish bands, which apparently grow indis-
tinct with age and disappear in old birds ;
chin and throat white, with three dark
brown stripes, one median, two others
forming a border to the white on each
side; sides of head and neck and breast
brown; the breast-feathers dark-shafted,
becoming spotted and banded with white
on the lower breast and abdomen, and passing into white, more or
less banded with pale rufous, on the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts,
and lower tail-coverts.
In the young the feathers of the crown and nape have rufous or
buff edges, or the head is buff or white with dark shaft-stripes on
the crown ; there is a broad buff or white supercilium ; the ear-
coverts are partly or wholly brown; wing-coverts much mixed
with white ; and the lower parts are white or buff, with dark shaft-
stripes on the throat, breast, and upper abdomen. Gular stripes
wanting or very narrow. The passage into the adult plumage is
gradual, in one stage arrow-head markings replace the stripes on
the lower plumage.
Cere, gape, and base of lower mandible orange, terminal portion
of both mandibles black ; irides pale yellowish white in adults,
brown in young birds ; legs and feet dingy orange-yellow.
Fig. 91.— Left foot of
B. teesa, |.
364
Length about 17 ; tail 7 ; wing 11 '5 ; tarsus 2-3 ; mid toe without
claw 1-3 ; bill from gape 1/3.
Distribution. Common throughout the greater part of India, in
open plains and cultivated country, in low scrub and occasionally
in high jungle, but not in hill-forest ; rare in Malabar and Lower
Bengal and in Southern India generally, and wanting in Ceylon
and in the Himalayas ; not rare in the desert regions of Western
India and in Baluchistan ; to the eastward this species is found
throughout Pegu and probably Northern Burma generally, extend-
ing to Northern Tenasserim.
Habits, $c. This is a bird with a quick flight, compared by
Jerdon to that of the Kestrel. It may generally be seen seated
on trees or bushes or the ground, and it feeds on small mammals
and reptiles, frogs, crabs, and insects. It has a peculiar plaintive
cry. The nest is of sticks, without lining, and placed in a thick
tree, very often a mango : 3 eggs, or sometimes 4, are laid about
April ; they are, as a rule, nearly white, but spotted eggs have
occasionally been found. The eggs measure about 1*83 by 1*53.
1221. Butastur liventer. The Rufous-iuinged Buzzard-Eagle.
Falco liventer, Temm. PL Col. pi. 438 (1827).
Poliornis liventer, Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 37 ; Hume, N. fy K
p. 50 ; id. S. F. i, p. 319 ; iii, p. 31 ; Blyth fy Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 61 ; Armstrong S. F. iv, p. 299.
Butastur liventer, Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 296 ; Oates, S. F. v,
p. 142 ; vii, p. 40 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 21 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 48 ter ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 196 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd
ed. iii, p. 161.
Coloration. Adult. Head and neck all round ashy brown ; chin
and throat more or less white ; back and wing-coverts rufescent
brown ; a variable amount of white or pale rufous mottling and
barring on the wing-coverts ; rump and upper tail-coverts dull
rufous-brown ; all the feathers of the upper surface dark-shafted ;
quills bright rufous outside, the tips and the outer web towards
the end brown, white inside, whity brown near the end, with
narrow dark bars on the secondaries and the terminal portion of
the primaries ; tail bright rufous above, whitish below, crossed by
4 or 5 narrow dark bars, the last broader and subterminal ; these
bars disappear with age ; lower parts greyish brown, the breast
dark-shafted ; abdomen with spots and bars of white increasing
posteriorly ; vent, lower tail-coverts, and wing-lining pure white.
Axillaries light rufous-brown barred with white.
Young birds are browner, without grey on the head, neck, or
breast ; there is a whitish supercilium, and the white bases of the
feathers show on the nape ; the crown is light brown or rufous
with dark shaft-stripes ; indeed the shaft-stripes are conspicuous
throughout the plumage ; the upper tail-coverts show sometimes
pale bands ; the chin and throat are white, with dark median and
lateral stripes ; and the brown of the breast is often barred with
white or buff.
BUTASTUR. ;>,;;,
Bill and cere orange, the tips of both mandibles brown ; iris
yellow ; legs yellow ; claws dark horny (Oates).
Length 15-5; tail 5-75; wing 11; tarsus 2-4; bill from
gape 1-35.
Distribution. Probably throughout Burma ; common in Pegu,
rare or wanting in Southern Tenasserim, found also in Siain
Borneo, Java, and Celebes.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of B. teesa, this species in-
habiting open country and the banks of rivers, and feeding on
snakes and crabs (freshwater). The nest has been described by
Oates and Eeilden, who found it on trees in March ; both nest and
eggs precisely like those of B. teesa.
1222. Butastur indicus. The Grey -faced Buzzard-Eagle.
Falco indicus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 264 (1788).
Fcilco poliogenys, Temm. PL Col pi. 325 (1825).
Buteo pygmaeus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 177 (1845) ; id. Cat. p. 29.
Poliornis poliogenys, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 245 { Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 290.
Butastur indicus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 297 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 19 ; Hume, Cat. no. 48 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 197.
Poliornis indicus, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 61.
Coloration. Above brown, dark-shafted; the head, neck, and
back greyish; sides of forehead and lores white, with black
bristles ; sides of head more ashy, the white bases of the feathers
showing slightly on the nape ; wing-coverts and outer webs of
secondaries tinged and mottled with rufous to a varying extent ;
quills brown above, the inner webs rufous-brown, whitish below,
white towards the base, subdistantly barred with dark brown;
tips of primaries blackish; upper tail-feathers tipped and barred
white ; tail brown above, whity brown below, with usually 4
(rarely 3 or 5) distinct broad blackish cross-bars, nearly or quite
as broad as the interspaces, the first bar partly concealed by the
tail-coverts, the last not quite at the tip ; the bars are indistinct
or wanting on the outer pair of tail-feathers ; throat white, with
three dark stripes, one median, two lateral, sometimes indistinct ;
breast and abdomen rufescent ashy brown, a few white spots on
the upper breast, which become irregular bars on the lower breast
and abdomen, the brown bars growing narrower on the lower
abdomen and thigh-coverts ; under tail-coverts white.
In the young the feathers of the crown and nape have rufous
edges and conspicuous white bases, there is no grey on the head
or back, and the lower parts are buffy white with rufous-brown
longitudinal streaks ; the dark marks on the tail are much nar-
rower than the spaces between and often indistinct.
End of both mandibles black ; base of bill, cere, and gape orange-
yellow ; irides bright yellow ; legs and feet the same.
Length about 17; tail 7'5; wing 13; tarsus 2-1; bill from
gape 1*3.
Distribution. Eastern Asia from Japan and China to the
366 FALCONIDjE.
Malayan Peninsula and islands as far as the Philippines, Celebes,
and New Guinea. In Tenasserim this bird has been found,
though not common, as far north as Amherst. Very little is
known of the habits, which apparently are similar to those of
other species of Butastur.
Genus HALIAETUS, Savigny, 1810.
Bill stout ; culmen straight at the base, then greatly curved ;
festoon generally well marked but variable. Nostrils rounded.
Wings long ; 3rd quill generally longest, 4th and 5th but little
shorter. Tail rounded or cuneate at the end. Tarsus stout, of
moderate length, its upper third feathered in front, middle third
or more scutate in front. Toes scutate above ; claws moderate in
size, not very unequal, grooved beneath.
This genus contains the Sea-Eagles proper, and is found on most
tropical and temperate sea-coasts, except those of South America.
Three species are Indian, and they differ somewhat in structure,
so that each has been made the type of a distinct genus.
Key to the Species.
a. Wing less than 24 inches long.
a'. A well-marked ruff of lanceolate feathers ;
tail slightly rounded ; a white band across
middle of tail in adults H. leucoryphus, p. 366.
b\ No distinct ruff; outer tail -feathers at least
1 inch shorter than middle pair ; head,
lower parts, and end of tail white in adults. H. leucogaster, p. 368.
b. Wing 24-26 inches ; tail wedge-shaped, white
in adults H. albicilla, p. 369.
1223. Haliaetus leucoryphus. Pallas' s Fishing-Eagle.
Aquila leucorypha, Pall. Reis. Russ. Reichs, i, p. 454 (1771).
Halisetus fulviventer, Vieill Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxviii, p. 283
(1819).
Falco macei, Temm. PL Col. pis. 8, 223 (1824).
Haliaetus macei, Blyth, Cat. i, p. 30 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i,p. 55 ; Irby,
Ibis, 1861, p. 222 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 45 ; id. S. F. i, p. 159 ; Adam.
8. F. i, p. 368 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 447.
Haliaetus unicolor, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 19 (1830-
32) ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 336.
Haliaeetus albipes, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 228 (1836).
Cuncuma albipes, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. 367.
Haliaetus fulviventer, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 82 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 265.
Haliaetus leucoryphus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 244; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 242 ; id. Cat. no. 42 : A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 77 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. i, p. 308 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 454 ; Hume $ Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 17 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 249 ; Scully,
S F. viii, p. 224 ; Doig, ibid. p. 370 ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 9 ; Oates,
B. B. 11. p. 200 ; id. in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd. ed. iii, p. 163 ; Barnes,
HALIAETUS. 367
Birds Bom. p. 40 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 12 ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss.,
Aves, p. 8.
The Ring-tailed Sea-Eagle, Jerdon ; Machurang, Machmanga, Dhenk,
Patras, H. ; Koral, Machkoral, Bala, Beng. ; Kankam, Nepal ; Kokna,
Ugus, Kol.
Fig. 92.— Head of H. leucoryphu*, £.
Coloration. Forehead whitish ; crown, nape, and hind-neck fulvous,
passing on the upper back into the dark brown of the back, wings
above and below, rump, base and end of tail ; the brown with a
slight purplish gloss in fresh plumage ; sides of head and neck with
the chin and throat whitish, rest of lower parts brown, darker on
the lower abdomen and flanks ; a white band about 4 inches wide
across the tail, about 3 inches from the end.
Young almost uniformly brown above, quills and tail-feathers
very dark brown ; ear-coverts dark ; lower parts paler and greyer
than upper.
Bill dark plumbeous, cere and gape light plumbeous ; irides
greyish yellow; legs and feet dull white ; claws black (Oates).
There is a distinct ruff of long lanceolate feathers around the
neck, the outer tail-feathers are not much shorter than the middle
pair, and the wings nearly or quite reach the end of the tail.
Lower fourth of the tarsus not scutate in front.
Length of a female about 33 ; tail 12 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 4-2 ;
bill from gape 2-9. In males the wing is 1 to 2 inches
shorter.
This bird is the type of Cuncuma of Hodgson, a name wrongly
applied by some writers to H. leucogaster. It is a question whether
the present form is not entitled to generic distinction.
Distribution. Probably throughout Southern and Central Asia
as far west as the Persian Gulf, the Caspian and the Black Sea.
Common in Northern India and in Burma, but wanting in Southern
India and Ceylon.
Habits, $c. This is a river and marsh haunter in India, and does
not appear to have been observed on the coast in Northern India
and Burma ; it is common about large rivers, tidal creeks, lakes, and
the large marshes or jheels of the alluvial plains through which the
Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, and other rivers flow.
It kas a loud shrieking call-note, and it feeds principally on fish,
but also on water-birds, snakes, frogs, &c. The breeding-season
extends from November to February; the nest, a huge platform of
368
sticks, is placed in the fork of a tree ; and the eggs, usually 3 but
sometimes 2 or 4 in number, are greyish white and unspotted, very
dark green when looked through against a light, and about 2-77 long
by 2-17 broad.
1224. Haliaetus leucogaster. The White-bellied Sea-Eagle.
Falco leucogaster, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 257 (1788).
Falco blagrus, Daudin, Traite, ii, p. 70 (1800).
Halieeetus blagrus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 65.
Ichthyaetus cultrunguis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 110 (1842).
BlagTus leucogaster, Blyth, Cat. p. 30 ; id. Birds Burma, p. 64.
Haliaetus leucogaster, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 56 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 84 ;
Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt.' 2, p. 276 ; id. S. F. i, p. 53 ; vii, p. 199 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 307 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 17 ; Gurney,
Ibis, 1878, p. 45.3 ; Hume, Cat. no. 43 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 32 ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 67 ; Simson, Ibis, 1882, p. 90 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 199 ;
id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 161 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 42.
Cuncuma leucogaster, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 259; id. N. fy E.
p. 48 ; id. S. F. ii, p. 149 ; iv, pp. 423, 461 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv,
p. 298.
The Grey-backed Sea-Eagle, Jerdon ; Kohassa, H. ; Samp-mar, in Orissa ;
Ala, Tarn, and Tel.; Loko-rajaliya, Cing. ; Kadal-Ala, Tarn, in Ceylon.
Coloration. Head and neck all round, lower parts, and terminal
third of tail white, sometimes with narrow dark shafts on the neck
and breast ; back and wings dark ashy tinged with brown, quills
and basal two-thirds of tail blackish.
The young are brown above, many of the feathers with fulvous
edges, broadest and whitish on the head ; ear-coverts dark ; lower
parts fulvous or rufous white, more or less mixed with brown, the
upper breast all brown ; tail white or whitish, with the terminal
portion brown but pale tipped.
Bill dark leaden ; cere paler ; irides hazel-brown ; legs and feet
whitish (Legge). There is no ruff around the neck; the wings
extend to (or according to Jerdon beyond) the wedge-shaped
extremity of the tail. Tarsus scutate in front almost to base of
toes, and a patch of irregular broad scutes behind.
Length of female about 28, tail 11, wing 22-5, tarsus 3*7,
bill from gape 2*3 ; male smaller, wing 21.
Distribution. Coasts of India, Ceylon, and Burma, from near
Bombay to the Malay Peninsula, and throughout the Malay
Archipelago to Australia, Tasmania, and "Western Polynesia.
Reports of the occurrence of this species in Africa have not been
confirmed.
Habits, $c. This is the Sea-Eagle of the Indian Seas, very
common on the coasts and especially on islands, rare inland, though
it occasionally appears to stray up the rivers and has been found
breeding at Dacca by Simson, whilst Ball records it from Chutia
Nagpur. It lives chiefly on fish and sea-snakes, which it captures
from the water, but it will also eat dead fish or crabs, and it not
POLIOAETUS.
unfrequently robs the Osprey of its prey. It has a loud clanging
cry, chiefly uttered in the breeding-season from October to February.
It lays two whitish eggs, deep green when held before a light,
and measuring about 2-81 by 2-07, in the usual large nest of sticks,
placed on a tree and lined with green leaves, the same nest being
used for many years in succession.
1225. Haliaetus albicilla. The White-tailed Sea-Eagle.
Vultur albicilla (errore albiulla), Linn. St/st. Nat. p. 123 (1766).
Haliaetus albicilla, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. $c. B. M. (1816) p. 9 ;
Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 438 ; 1871, p. 404 : 8. F. i, p. 159 ; vii, p. 341 ;
id. Cat. no. 42 bis ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 336; Blyth, Ibis, 1872,
p. 87 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 78; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i,
p. 302 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 83 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 40.
Haliaetus pelagicus, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 253 ; nee Pallas.
Haliaetus brooksi, Hume, Bough Notes, p. 255 (1870) ; id. Ibis, 1870,.
p. 438.
Coloration. Upper plumage brown ; the head, neck, and smaller
coverts paler, sometimes almost whity brown, with narrow dark
shaft-stripes ; quills blackish ; lower parts paler than upper, palest
on the chin, throat, and fore-neck, many feathers with pale tips ;
tail white except at the extreme base.
The young are brown, sometimes very dark, sometimes pale ; the
basal portion of all feathers fulvous or white, and usually exposed,
on the lower parts especially ; tail-feathers white, more or less
mottled and edged with brown.
Cere and bill yellow in adults ; cere yellowish brown, bill black in
young birds ; iris yellow (brown in the young) ; feet yellow.
There is a slight ruff of lanceolate feathers, far less distinct than
in H. leucoryplms, and the end of the tail is wedge-shaped, the
middle feathers being considerably longer than the outer.
Length of a female 34 inches ; tail 13 ; wing 26 ; tarsus 4*5 ; bill
from gape 3. Males are rather less, wing 24-5.
Distribution. All Europe and Northern Asia, also Greenland.
In India this bird appears to be a cold-weather visitant to the
Punjab, North-west Provinces, and Sind.
Habits, <Sfc. Very similar to those of other fishing Eagles. In India
this species has been observed to haunt large marshes. It feeds
mainly on fish.
Genus POLIOAETUS, Kaup, 1847.
Bill shorter than in Haliaetus, culmen arched from the cere, fes-
toon prominent, nostrils oval ; wings rounded, 4th and 5th quills
longest ; tail moderate, slightly rounded. Tarsus feathered in front
for one third of its length or rather more, the rest covered in
front and behind with large rectangular scutse, the sides reticu-
lated ; the toes with broad scales above and pointed scales beneath :
the outer toe partially reversible, but not completely, as in the
Osprey ; claws strong, much curved, rounded beneath.
VOL. III. 2 B
370 FALCONIDJS.
This genus has been classed with the Ospreys, but it agrees with
other Eagles in anatomy, and the feathers have an aftershaft. There
are two species, both Indian. They are inland birds, and prefer
rivers to the sea.
Key to tlie Species.
a. Basal three-fourths of all tail-feathers white
in adults, mottled in younpr P. ichthyaetus, p. 370.
b. Middle tail-feathers brown throughout P. humilis, p. 371.
1226. Polioaetus ichthyaetus. The Large Grey-headed
Fishing-Eagle.
Falco ichthyeetus, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 136 (1821).
Ichthyaetus horsfieldi, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 110 (1842).
Pontoaetns ichthyaetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 30 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xii, p. 101.
Pandion ichthyaetus, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 52.
Polioaetus ichthyaetus, Kaup in Jardine's Cont. Orn. 1850, p. 73 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 81 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 243 ; 1872, p. 88 ;
Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 265 ; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 239; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 336 ; Hume, N. *# E. p. 43;
8. F. iil, p. 28 ; v, pp. 10, 129 : xi, p. 11 ; id. Cat. no. 41 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. p. 452 ; Legge, 8. F. iii, p. 362 ; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 72 ;
Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 298 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 16 ;
Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ; Cripps, 8. F. vii, p. 248 ; xi. p. 11, note ;
Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 456 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 191 ; ix, p. 144 ;
Reid, S. F. x, p. 8 ; Gates, B. B. p. 221 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 39 ;
Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 183 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 167.
The White-tailed Sea-Eagle, Jerdon ; Madhuya, H. ; Machmoralt
Beng. ; Rajaliya, Cing.
Coloration. Head and neck all round ashy grey, with more or
less distinct whitish shaft-stripes, crown of head and nape brownish ;
back and wings, rump, upper tail-coverts, and terminal 2 to 3
inches of tail dark brown, the upper back a little paler ; breast
rather lighter brown than back, abdomen and basal two-thirds of
all tail-feathers white.
Young birds are light brown, with pale edges to the feathers,
those of the head, neck, upper back, and lower parts with whitish
shaft-stripes ; the quills are barred, and the basal portion of the
tail mottled brown and white.
Bill dark brown, basal two-thirds of lower mandible bright
plumbeous ; cere and iris brown ; legs and feet china white ; claws
black (Oates). Iris clear yellow, sometimes tinged with reddish and
mottled with brown (Legge}.
Length about 29 ; tail 11 ; wing 19 ; tarsus 3-7 ; bill from gape
2 : males rather less. Ceylon and Malacca birds are rather smaller
than those from Northern India and Burma.
Distribution. Throughout the greater part of the Peninsula of
India, in suitable localities, from the base of the Himalayas, but
POLIOAfiTUS. 371
not west of Delhi, nor in Sind, and rare to the southward. This
species occurs also in Ceylon, throughout Burma, and in the Malay
Peninsula and Islands as far as Java, Celebes, and the Philippines.
Habits, $c. This Fishing-Eagle haunts wooded rivers, large
lakes, and backwaters, but is seldom found on the sea-coast. It
has a peculiar deep resounding call, repeated three or four times.
It lives chiefly on fish, which it swoops upon in its flight, not
pouncing down on them like an Osprey, but it will, Jerdon says,
occasionally carry off a wounded bird. Legge says that it seldom
soars or takes long flights ; it is commonly seen perched on a tree
near water. It breeds from December to March, builds an
immense nest of sticks, and lays two or three greyish-white eggs,
measuring about 2*68 by 2'09.
1227. Polioaetus humilis. Hodgson's Fishing-Eagle.
Haliaetus plumbeus, Hodys. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 367 (1837), descr.
nulla.
Falco humilis, Mutter # Sclileg. Verhandl, Aves, p. 47, pi. 6 (1839-
44).
Ichthyaetus nanus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 202 (1842) ; xii, p. 304.
Pontoaetus nanus, Blyth, Cat. p. 30.
Pandion humilis, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 54.
Polioaetus plumbeus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 336 ; Hume, N. 8? E.
p. 43; A. Anderson, S. F. iii, p. 385; id. P.Z.8. 1876, p. 777,
pi. Ixxxii ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 192 ; Brooks,
Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 8.
Polioaetus humilis, Brooks, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 73 ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. i, p. 454; Hume, S. F. v, p. 130 ; ix, p. 244 ; xi, p. 11 ;
id. Cat. no. 41 ter; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 223.
Haliaetus humilis, Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 17.
Coloration. Head and neck all round ashy, browner on the
crown and nape ; remainder of upper parts dark brown, the quills
blackish; the middle tail-feathers brown throughout, generally
darker on the last third and with pale tips ; of the other tail-
feathers the basal two-thirds are mottled brown and white,
especially on the inner webs, and lighter beneath ; breast ashy
brown, more ashy in older birds ; the feathers of the head, neck,
upper back, and breast more or less distinctly dark-shafted;
abdomen and lower tail-coverts white.
Young birds are paler brown ; they want the grey on the head,
and the breast-feathers have white shafts and ends.
Upper mandible blue-black; cere, gape, and lower mandible
leaden blue ; irides bright yellow ; legs and feet white, washed with
leaden blue ; claws black (A. Anderson).
Length of a Himalayan female 24-5 ; tail 9*2; wing 17-5; tarsus
3-1 ; bill from gape 1/7. Males very little smaller. Specimens
from Assam and Cachar have generally a wing of 16 to 17 inches ;
Malay birds are much smaller.
372
Distribution. Along the base of the Himalayas from Kashmir to
Assam, ranging into the plains as far as Delhi and Etawah in
winter ; in Assam and Cachar, probably throughout Burma, but
rare there ; in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and Celebes^
The Himalayan race, the wing of which sometimes measures
19 inches, but generally 17 to 18, has been distinguished as
P.plumbeus from the Malay race P. humilis, with a wing from
13-5 to 15-5 ; but there is no difference except size, and Cachar
birds have intermediate dimensions.
Habits, $c. Similar to those of P. ichthyaetus. The nest is a
huge structure of sticks in a high tree ; the eggs, two or three in
number, are white and unspotted, measuring about 2-75 by 2-12.
The birds breed in the Himalayas between January and May.
y
Genus HALIASTUR, Selby, 1840.
Bill rather large, compressed, slightly curved towards the base,
but sharply bent over near the tip : festoon distinct ; nostril a
broad rounded oval, the longer axis oblique. Wings very long,
extending beyond the end of the tail, 4th primary longest ; tail
of moderate length, slightly rounded at the end. Tarsi short,
feathered above, the naked portion with broad transverse scutes in
front, and hexagonal scales behind and at the sides ; toes covered
with transverse scutes above, rough and pointed scales beneath,
lateral toes unequal ; claws well developed and curved.
The well-known Brahminy Kite is the sole Indian repre-
sentative and the type of this genus, which inhabits the Oriental
and Australian regions. Haliastur has been classed alternately
with the Sea-Eagles and with the Kites, and is allied to both.
1228. Haliastur Indus. The Brahminy Kite. (Eig. 79, p. 312.)
Ealco indus, Bodd. Tabl PL Enl. p. 25 (1783).
Falco pondicerianus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 265 (1788).
Haliastur indus, Blyth, Cat. p. 31 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat, i, p. 57 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 101 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 316 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 16 ; xli, pt. 2, p. 230 ; King, J.A.S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2,
pp. 210, 213; Godiv.-Aust. J.A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 93 ; Hume.
N. 8f E. p. 51 j id. S. F. i, p. 160 ; Rainey, ibid. p. 496 ; A. Anderson,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 79 ; Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 405 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. i, p. 313 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 448 ; ix, p. 374; Fair-
bank, S. F. v, p. 392 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 22 ; Davidson
$ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 75 ; Ball, ibid. p. 200 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 251 ;
Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 460 ; Hume, Cat. no. 55 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 227 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 76 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 34 ; Bingham,
ibid. p. 145 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 12 ; Damson, ibid. p. 340 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 201 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 90; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 54 ; Hume, S. F. xi. p. 15 ; Oates, in Hume's N. fy E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 170.
The Maroon-backed Kite, Jerdon; Brahmani Chll, Sankar Chil,.
Dhobia-Chll, Ru-mubdrik, H. ; Khemankari, Sansc. ; Garuda, Can..;.
HALIASTUB. 373
•Garud-alawa, Garuda mantaru, Tel.; Clem Prandu, Tarn (Ceylon);
Shemberrid, Yerkli ; Pis Genda, Gond. ; Zoon-koun-byoo, Burm.
Coloration. Adult. Whole head, neck, and lower parts down to
the middle of the abdomen white, each feather with a dark brown
shaft-line ; primaries black, except the basal portions of the inner
webs, which, like the rest of the plumage above and below, are
chestnut, paler and duller on the lower surface of the quills,
greater under wing-coverts, and tail-feathers ; the shafts of the body-
feathers and upper and lower wing-coverts sometimes, not always,
dark brown or black ; end of tail whitish. There are sometimes
indistinct narrow black cross-bars on the inner webs of some of the
tail-feathers and secondary quills.
Young birds are brown above, the crown and hind-neck paler
.and with pale tawny shaft-stripes near the ends, and pale ends to
the back-feathers and wing-coverts ; ear-coverts dark brown ;
primaries black, secondaries and tail-feathers very dark brown;
lower parts rufous-brown, throat and abdomen paler ; breast-
feathers with tawny shaft-stripes, abdomen and lower tail-coverts
with black shafts.
In the next plumage, assumed in autumn apparently without
any complete moult, the head, neck, and breast are pale brown,
tinted rufous and black-shafted ; the rest of the upper plumage
brown, mixed with some white on the wing-coverts and secondary
quills ; lower abdomen dull rufous. From this plumage the birds
moult into the adult dress in winter.
Bill bluish horn ; cere yellowish ; iris brown ; legs and feet
greenish yellow (Leyge).
Length of female about 19 ; tail 8-5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2 ; mid-
toe without claw 1-5 ; bill from gape 1'4. Males very little less.
Distribution. Throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, common on
the sea-coast, and near rivers, marshes, and large tanks, rare in the
drier parts of the country and in hill forest. This bird does not
range further to the westward ; eastward it is found in China,
Cochin-China, Siam, and the Malay Peninsula ; and closely allied
forms or subspecies known as //. intermedius and H. gerrenera
with the dark stripes very narrow in the first and wanting
in the second, are found throughout the Malay Archipelago and
Northern Australia.
Habits, fyc. The Brahminy Kite shows considerable resemblance
to the Common Kite in its flight and habits, especially in seizing
its food in its claws during a swoop, but it is rarely seen away
from water. It abounds in Calcutta and many other ports,
perching on the rigging of ships and feeding on refuse thrown
overboard. It also picks small fish off the surface of the water
with its claws, and captures frogs or crabs in paddy-fields and
marshes. At other times it feeds on insects, or robs Crows or
Kites. Small birds are seldom assailed by it unless sickly or
weak, but Mr. Eainey saw a Brahminy Kite kill and eat a King-
fisher (Alcedo ispida) that had carried off a small fish on which
the Kite was in the act of stooping. The cry is Kite-like, &
374
peculiar squealing sound, uttered on the wing. The breeding-
season is from December to February to the southward, later in
Northern India, and two eggs, or occasionally three, are laid in a
stick-nest placed on a tree and sometimes lined with leaves or
other material. The eggs are greyish white, unspotted or scantily
speckled or blotched with reddish brown, and measure about 2-02
by 1-65.
The name of Brahminy Kite is due to the association of this
bird with Vishnu.
Genus MILVUS, Cuvier, 1800.
The true Kites belong to the present genus, and are all birds of
moderate size, with a long forked tail. The bill is rather weak,
the culmen straight at the base, then curved, the festoon generally
small, the cere well developed, and the nostril oval and oblique.
Wings long and pointed, but not extending quite to the end of
the tail ; 3rd and 4th quills longest. Tarsus short, feathered for
about half its length, the naked lower portion with broad shields
in front, reticulated behind and at the sides ; toes short, scuteilate
above, lateral toes uneven ; claws moderate, middle claw dilated on
the inside.
Five or six species are known, inhabiting Europe, Africa, Asia,
and Australia : one of these is amongst the commonest of Indian
birds, a second has a wide range in India, but is rare, whilst the
third just comes within the empire to the westward.
Key to the Species.
a. Head tawny or rufous with black streaks in
adults.
a'. Wing rf 1675 to 18'5 inches ; $ 17 to
19-5 M. govinda, p. 374.
V. Wing tf 19-20-5 ; £ 19-25-21-5 M. melanotis,^. 377.
b. Head whitish with black streaks in adults . . M. miyrans, p. 378.
1229. Milvus govinda. The Common Pariah Kite.
Milvus govinda, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 81 ; Layard, A. M. N. H.
(2) xii, p. 103; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 30; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 104 ;
Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 248 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 16 :
xli, pt. 2, p. 231; Hume, Hough Notes, p. 320; Godw.-Aust.
J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 93 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 43 ;
A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 79 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 160 ; ii, p. 150 ;
iv, pp. 282, 462 ; Sharpe, Cat, B. M. i, p. 325 ; Blyth, Birds Burm.
p. 64 ; Brooks, 8. F. iii, p. 275 ; iv, p. 272 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 385 ;
Butler, 8. F. iii, p. 448; ix, p. 374; Wardl. Hams. Ibis, 1877,
p. 454; Oates, 8. F. vii, p. 44; Ball, 8. F. vii, p. 200; Hume,
Cat. no. 56 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1879, p. 76 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,
p. 191 ; Scully, ibid. p. 227 ; id. Ibis, 1881, p. 422 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 80; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 34; Damson, S. F. x, p. 340;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 54; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. 8oc. i, p. 41 ;.
St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 153 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii,.
p. 173.
MILVUS.
Milvus cheela, apud Jcrdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 71 (1839) ; nee
Falco cheela, Lath.
Milvus ater, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 31 ; nee Falco ater, Gm.
. S.
Milvus affinis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 140 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 400 ; uingnam, at. f. ix, p. 140 ; uates, tf. 4. x, p. J
B. B. ii, p. 202 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 176.
Milvus palustris, Anderson, P. A. S. B. 1873, p. 143 ; id. P. Z. S.
1875, p. 25.
Chil, H. ; //, at Chamba ; Malta gedda, Tel. ; Paria prandu, Kalu
pi'andu, Tarn. ; Genda, Mhari ; Rajaliya, Cing. ; Zoon, Burm.
Fig. 93.— Head of M. govinda, f .
Coloration. Adult. Above brown, median wing-coverts lighter
and dark-shafted, the crown and hind-neck paler, tawny or rufous,
not whitish, with blackish shaft-stripes ; a patch behind the eye,
including the ear-coverts, uniform dark brown ; first five primaries
and larger primary-coverts blackish, later primaries and second-
aries coloured like back; all the quills more or less mottled with
whitish on the inner webs towards the base, and banded with
blackish-brown cross-bars ; tail brown above, whity brown below,
with numerous darker cross-bands, faint and obsolete in some
(probably old) birds ; lower parts rather paler than upper, whitish
at the chin, and generally, but not always, becoming tinged with
nifous on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts, and always dark-
shafted throughout, with pale or rufous stripes on each side of the
dark shaft-lines ; lower wing-coverts like breast, except the larger
coverts, which are ashy brown with pale bands.
Young birds have broad buff or white shaft- stripes to the
feathers of the head (except the ear-coverts), neck, and lower
surface, and buff or whitish tips to the feathers of the back, wing-
coverts, scapulars, secondaries, and tail-feathers.
Bill black ; cere and gape yellow in old birds, greenish grey in
the young ; irides brown ; legs and feet yellow, pale greenish grey
in young birds ; claws black (Hume).
Length of females about 24 : tail 12 ; wing 18-5 ; tarsus 2*1 ;
mid-toe without claw 1*6 ; bill from gape 1*7 : males are smaller —
length about 12-5 ; wing 17'5. But birds from Southern India,
.376 FALCONIDJS.
Ceylon, and Burma run smaller (wing in females about 16*5 to
17*5), and those from Australia are smaller still.
It will be seen from the synonymy that I do not separate
M. affiniS) the Australian bird, found also in India, and distin-
guished by smaller size and by the absence of any white mottling
at the base of the inner webs of the primaries. Every gradation
may be found in India between birds with a large white patch
beneath the wing (M. palmtris, Anderson) and those without any
white, and the latter, if of small size, are identical with Australian
specimens. Burmese birds are, as a rule, darker than Indian,
both above and below, but the character is not constant, and
Australian birds resemble those of India, not those of Burma,
in colour.
Distribution. Throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, chiefly near
human habitations, and throughout the Oriental region to Australia.
On the Himalayas this Kite may be found to an elevation of about
12,000 feet, but is uncommon above about 8000.
Habits, fyc. In this case, as with the other familiar birds of India,
it is very difficult to improve upon Jerdon's admirable description
of the habits. He writes : " It is one of the most abundant and
common birds in India, found at all elevations up to 8000 feet at
least, especially near large towns and cantonments, and its vast
numbers and fearlessness are among the first objects that strike
the stranger from England, where birds of prey are so rare.
Every large town, cantonment, and even village has its colony of
Kites, which ply their busy vocation from before sunrise to some
time after sunset. Every large camp, too, is followed by these
useful scavengers, and the tent even of the single traveller is
daily visited by one or more, according to the numbers in the
neighbourhood. As is well known, Kites pick up garbage of all
kinds, fragments of meat and fish, and generally the refuse of
man's food. When a basket of refuse or offal is thrown out in
the streets to be carted away, the Kites of the immediate
neighbourhood, who appear to be quite cognizant of the usual
time at which this is done, are all on the look-out, and dash down
on it impetuously, some of them seizing the most tempting
morsels by a rapid swoop, others deliberately sitting down on the
heaps along with crows and dogs, and selecting their scraps.
On such an occasion, too, there is many a struggle to retain a
larger fragment than usual, for the possessor no sooner emerges
from its swoop than several empty-clawed spectators instantly
pursue it eagerly, till the owner finds the chase too hot, and drops
the bone of contention, which is generally picked up long before
it reaches the ground, again and again to change owners, and
perhaps finally revert to its original proprietor. On such occasions
there is a considerable amount of squealing going on.
" The vast numbers of these Kites in large towns can hardly
be realized by strangers. They are excessively bold and fearless,
often snatching morsels off a dish en route from kitchen to hall.
At our seaports many Kites find their daily sustenance among
MILVUS. ;J77
the shipping, perching freely on the rigging, and in company with
the Brahminy Kite, which rarely enters towns, snatching scraps
of refuse from the surface of the waters. The food of the Kite
is usually devoured on the wing, or, if too large, carried to the
nearest house or tree.
" The flight of the Indian Kite is bold, easy, and graceful when
once mounted aloft, though somewhat heavy on first taking wing,
and it soars slowly about, in greater or less numbers, in large circles.
" Mr. Blyth notices their collecting in numbers without any
apparent object, especially towards evening. This I have fre-
quently observed at all large stations, where the whole Kites
of the neighbourhood, before retiring to roost, appear to hold
conclave. They are said to leave Calcutta almost entirely for
three or four months during the rains " [this is perfectly correct].
"I have not noticed this at other places. As remarked by
Buchanan Hamilton, they may often be seen seated on the
entablatures of buildings, with their breast to the wall and wings
spread out, exactly as represented in Egyptian monuments."
In various parts of India Kites have been found breeding by
Mr. B. Aitken and others at all times of the year, but the
principal breeding-season is from January to March or April.
The pairing is accompanied by much squealing, and the common
Indian name, " Chil " or " Cheel," is derived from the bird's cry.
The nest, a clumsy mass of sticks and twigs, mixed or lined with
rags, grass, &c., is generally on a tree, more rarely on a building.
The eggs are generally 2, sometimes 3 or 4, in number, pale
greenish white, variously spotted or blotched with brown or red
and measure about 2-19 by 1'77.
1230. Milvus melanotis. The Large Indian Kite.
Milvus melanotis, Temm. fy Schleg. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 14, pis. v, v b
(1846-50); Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 114; Blanf.
J. A. S. E. xli, pt. 2, p. 153 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii,pt. 2,
p. 152; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 324; A. Anderson, S. F. iii.
p. 387 ; Ball, S. F. v, p. 412 ; vii, p. 200 ; Anders. Yunnan
Exped., Aves, p. 574 ; Hume, Cat. no. 56 bis ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 228; Gurnet/, Ibis, 1879, p. 80; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 375;
Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 422; Oates, B. B.n,v. 203; id. in Hume'*
N. S( E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 176; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 57; Hume,
S. F. xi, p. 15 ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 8.
Milvus, sp., Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 167.
Milvus major, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 326 (1870) ; id. Ibis, 1870,
p. 439 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 342 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872,
p. 79 ; 1875, p. 25 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 54 ; id. S. F. \, p. 160 ; iii.
pp. 35, 229, 448 ; iv, p. 414; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 253.
Mflvus govinda, apud Brooks, S. F. iii, pp. 229, 275 ; iv, p. iTi* :
viii, p. 406; id. Ibis, 1884, p. 238; 1885, p. 3rf6; Biddulph £
G. F. L. Marshall, Ibis, 1881, p. 44.
This Kite is chiefly distinguished from M. yovinda by larger
size, the coloration being almost identical ; but the present species
may generally be recognized by the amount of white on the inner
378
webs of the quills near the base, forming a conspicuous white
patch below the wing, as in Buzzards. As a rule, too, the lower
abdomen and under tail-coverts are much paler in M. melanotis
than in M. govinda. Some birds, however, appear almost to form
a passage between the two.
Bill bluish ; cere yellowish white ; irides hazel-brown ; legs dull
china white ; claws blackish (Oates).
Length of male about 25 ; tail 13 ; wing 19 to 2O5 ; tarsus 2-2 ;
mid-toe without claw 1*6 ; bill from gape 1*75 : females are larger
— length 27 ; wings 19-25 to 21 '5 ; tail 13'5.
Distribution. A migratory bird in India, appearing in the
Peninsula as far south as Bombay and the Grodavari valley, and in
Burma as far as Eangoon, in the cold season. I obtained one near
Badrachellam on the Grodavari as late as April. This Kite is
found in the Himalayas and throughout Eastern and Central
Asia, ranging as far north as Japan and Southern Siberia in
summer.
Habits, $c. Generally a shyer bird, keeping more to jungles
and marshes, than the common Indian Kite, though I have seen
and killed the large kind from my tent-door, and I shot another
sitting on a tree in a small village. The flight is heavier, but
otherwise the habits are similar. M. melanotis breeds in the
Himalayas from January to May — the nest and eggs being
precisely similar to those of M. govinda, except that the eggs are
slightly larger, averaging about 2*31 by 1*8.
1231. Milvus migrans. The Black. Kite.
Falco migrans, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl p. 28 (1783).
Falco ater, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 262 (1788).
Milvus migrans, Strickl. Orn. Syn. p. 133 ; Blanf. East. Pers. ii,
p. 114 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 344 ; id. Cat. no. 56 quat. ; Barnes,
S. F. ix, pp. 215, 452 ; C. Swinhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 100 ; St. John,
Ibis, 1889, p. 153.
This is distinguished from M. govinda by having the edges of
the feathers on the crown and nape whitish instead of light brown
or rufous, and by the more distinctly ferruginous colour of the
abdomen. As a rule, too, there is in the present form little or no
mottling or banding on the basal portion of the quills in adults.
Length of female about 23 ; tail 11 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 2-1 ; bill
from gape 1-65. Males are rather smaller.
Distribution. Africa, Southern Europe, and South-western Asia.
The Black Kite only comes within our area, so far as is known, in
Southern Afghanistan around Quetta. Capt. Barnes found it
breeding about the [Khojak, between Quetta and Kandahar, in
March and April.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of M. govinda, and this bird haunts
towns in the Levant as M. govinda does in India. Similarly in.
former times M. ictinus acted as scavenger in London and other
European cities.
ELANUS.
Genus EL ANUS, Savigny, 1810.
Bill small, wide at the base, compressed towards the end ;
culinen curved sharply from the cere ; festoon distinct ;
nostrils oval, nearly horizontal, protected by long loral bristles.
Wings long and pointed, exceeding the tail when closed; 2nd
quill longest; tail moderately long, square at the end. Tarsi
short and stout, feathered in front for more than half their length ;
naked parts reticulated throughout. Toes strong, reticulated above,
except close to the claws, lateral toes subequal in length ; middle
claw keeled, the others rounded beneath.
This is a genus of small birds allied to the Kites and comprising
five species, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropical
countries of the world. One species is Indian.
1232. Elanus caeruleus. The Black-winged Kite.
Falco cseruleus, Desf. Mem. Acad. Sc. 1787, p. 503, pi. 15.
Falco melanopterus, Daud. Traite, ii, p. 152 (1800).
Elanus melanopterus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 71 ; Blyth, Cat,
p. 18 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 28 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 112 ; Hume.
Rough Notes, p. 338 ; id. S. F. i, pp. 21, 163 : id. N. $ E. p. 56 ;
A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 80 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 369 ; Sutler,
S. F. iii, p. 449 ; Blyih $ Wald, Birds Burm. p. 60 ; Hume, S. *.
iv, p. 462 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 16.
Elanus cseruleus, Strickland, Orn. Syn. p. 137 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
i, p. 336 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 26 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 200 ;
Cripps, ibid. p. 252 ; Hume, Cat. no. 59 ; Davidson, S. F. viii, p. 415 :
. . .
p. 59 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 219 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889,
p. 154.
Kapassi, H. ; Masunwa, in Oude ; Chanwa, Nepal. ; Adam Ramadaw,
Tel. ; Argellur, Yerkli ; Ukussa, Cing.
Fig. 94.— Head of E. ceruleus, \.
Coloration. Adult. Forehead, anterior lores, a streak over the
eye, sides of the head, the whole of the lower parts, and all tail-
feathers, except the middle pair and the outer webs of the next two
pairs, white ; upper parts light ashy grey, the tail-feathers paler ;
median and smaller upper wing-coverts, a narrow superciliunu
380 FALCONIDJE.
and the posterior lores black ; primaries grey above, blackish
beneath. In many specimens the fore-neck and flanks, and some-
times more of the lower parts, are pearly grey.
Young birds are brownish ashy above, with pale edges to the
feathers ; the quills and tail-feathers are tipped white ; breast
tinged or streaked with fulvous.
Bill black ; cere and gape pale yellow ; irides crimson in adults,
yellow in the young ; legs and feet deep yellow ; claws black.
Length about 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 10-5 ; tarsus 1-3 ; mid-toe
without claw 1 ; bill from gape 1*1.
Distribution. Throughout Africa, locally in Southern Europe
and in South-western Asia, and in India, Ceylon, and Burma, but
not, so far as is known, farther east, nor in Southern Tenasserim.
Hume obtained specimens at the Laccadive Islands. In India,
from the base of the Himalayas to the extreme South, in Ceylon,
and in Arrakan and Pegu, this Kite is pretty generally distributed,
but is not often abundant.
Habits, <$[c. Locally this is a migratory bird, wandering from one
place to another with the seasons. It occurs most commonly in
well-wooded cultivated districts and in thin jungle, avoiding both
open plains and dense forests. It lives chiefly on insects and
small mammals, and either watches for its prey from a perch or
beats over grass or bushes, sometimes hovering like a Kestrel. It
varies much in its time of breeding, eggs having been taken, at one
place or another, at all seasons, and it appears sometimes to breed
twice in the year. The nest, a loose structure of twigs, as a rule
unlined, sometimes lined with grass, is placed on a tree, and
contains 3 or 4 eggs, usually densely blotched with brownish red
and measuring about 1*53 by 1*21.
Genus CIRCUS, Lacepede, 1801.
General form slender. Bill moderate or weak, compressed, the
culmen curving from the margin of the cere to the hooked tip ; the
margin of the upper mandible slightly festooned ; nostril large,
oval, in the anterior part of the cere, overhung and partly con-
cealed by the bristles of the lores. A ruff of small, soft, closely-
set feathers, much more conspicuous in some species than in others,
extends across the throat and up each side of the neck behind the
ear-coverts. Wings long and pointed ; tail long, even at the tip or
rounded. Tarsi long and slender, feathered at the base only, with
transverse shields in front and smaller polygonal scales behind ;
toes moderate ; claws much curved and sharp.
The Harriers are a well-defined group of Hawks, easily recog-
nized by their flight and appearance. All Indian species are
migratory, and, with rare exceptions, cold-weather visitants, though
one kind doubtless breeds in Northern India, and another may do
so occasionally. They make nests on the ground or amongst reeds
in marshes, and lay bluish-white eggs, generally unspotted, but
-occasionally with a few brownish-red spots.
CIRCUS. 381
Species of Circus are found in almost all tropical and temperate
countries. Six are met with in India and Burma.
Key to the Species.
a. Outer web of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quills,
but not of 5th, notched.
a'. Tarsus more than 2*5 long- C. macrurus, p. 381.
b' . Tarsus less than 2*5 long C. cineraceus, p. 383.
b. Outer web of 5th quill notched.
c'. Straight from end of cere on culmen to
tip of bill measures less than 075.
a". Upper parts ashy C. cyancus, tf ad., p. 384.
b". Upper parts to rump black C. melanoleucus, tf ad.,
c". Upper parts brown, more or less [p. 385.
edged with buft' or rufous.
a3. Upper tail-coverts pure white . . C. cyaneus, £ ad., p. 384.
63. Upper tail-coverts not entirely
white.
o4. Coverts along forearm white or
buff C. melanoleucus, $ ad.,
b*. Coverts along forearm brown. [p. 38o.
a5. Abdomen buff, with darker
shaft-stripes C. cyaneus, young, p. 384.
b5. Abdomen rufous-brown . . C. melanoleucus, young,i
d'. From cere on culmen to tip of bill [p. 385.
is more than 075.
d". Abdomen white unstriped or buff
with dark shaft-stripes C. spilonotus, p. 388.
e". Abdomen dark or rufous-brown, or
rufous with dark stripes C. ceruginosus, p. 387.
1233. Circus macrurus. The Pale Han-ier.
Accipiter macro urus, S. G. Gmel. N. Comm. Petrop. xv, p. 1:5- >.
pis. viii, ix (1771).
Circus swainsoni, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Jour, i, p. 384 (1830) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 20 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 25 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 96 ; Godw.-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 265 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 298; id. S. F. i, p. 408; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 61 ; Butler,
S. F. iii, p. 447; v, p. 226; Hume % Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 372 ;
A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 78 ; 1876, p. 314.
Circus pallidus, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 80; Hume, S. F. i, p. 160.
Falco herbfficola, Tickell, J. A. S. B. b, p. 570 (1833) ; Walden, Ibis,
1876, p. 342.
Circus macrurus, SJiarpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 67 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ;
Cripps, ibid. p. 249 ; Scully, S. F. viii. p. 226 ; Hume, Cat. no. 51 ;
Leffge, Birds Ceyl. p. 17 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 33; Biddulph, Ibisr
1881, p. 43 ; Scully, ibid. p. 421 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 10 ; IMf*,
ibid. p. 338 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 175 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 13 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 45.
Dastmal, Girgit Mor, Pattai, II. ; Pandoum, Beng. ; TeI/» rhappu
gedda, Pilli gedda, Tel. ; Puna prandu, Tarn. ; Kurrulu-goya, Uktusa,
Cing.
Coloration. Adult male. Upper parts pah- ashy grey, generally,
except in very old birds, more or less tinged with brown on tin-
382 FALCONID^E.
crown, back, scapulars, and quills ; lores whitish ; forehead and
above and beneath the eye white ; ear-coverts pale grey streaked
with white ; the ruff behind the ear-coverts differing in texture,
but scarcely in colour ; primaries ashy grey, 3rd, 4th, and 5th
black or blackish brown on part of the terminal half, some black
on the 2nd and 6th, the basal portion of all quills white ; upper
tail-coverts banded grey and white, middle tail-feathers grey
unbarred, the others white with grey bars ; lower parts white,
throat and upper breast with a faint grey tinge.
Fig. 95. — Head of C. macrums, $ , f .
Adult female. Above brown, feathers of head and hind-neck
broadly margined with rufous or buff, and the smaller wing-
coverts with broad pale rufous borders ; forehead whitish, a buffy
white supercilium and patch below the eye ; moustachial stripe
and ear-coverts brown ; a well-marked ruff of small white or buff
feathers with broad brown shaft-stripes all round the neck, behind
the ear-coverts, and across the throat ; quills brown above, buff or
whitish below, with blackish-brown cross-bands on both sides;
upper tail-coverts white, with brown shaft-stripes or other
markings; middle tail-feathers brown, outer feathers buff or
rufous-white, all with dark-brown cross-bands. Lower parts
white, with rufous-brown shaft-stripes, broadest on the breast ;
in old birds these stripes become very narrow, especially on the
abdomen and lower tail-coverts.
Young birds resemble the female above, except that the feathers
have, at first, rufous edges throughout, there is a white nuchal
patch with brown shaft-stripes, and the ruff is unstreaked or
almost unstreaked buff and very conspicuous ; the upper tail-
coverts are white, the lower parts throughout are rufous-buff with
faint shaft-stripes. There is a gradual passage from this plumage
into that of the adult ; nearly adult males are often found with
patches of brown on the crown and brown shaft-stripes on the
breast.
Bill black ; cere greenish ; iris yellow in adults, brown in the
young ; legs yellow.
Length of females about 19-5 inches ; tail 10 ; wing 14-5 ;
tarsus 2-9 : length of males 18 ; tail 8-75 ; wing 13'75 ; tarsus 27.
CIRCUS. 333
Distribution. A migratory bird, found throughout the greater
part of India, Ceylon, and Burma in suitable localities from Sep-
tember till April, and ranging over Eastern Europe, nearly all
Asia and Africa. It has not been observed in Tenasserim nor
further south, and it is very rarely seen amongst hills or in forests,
but is common on stony plains, grassy or bushy undulating tracts'
and on cultivated ground ; it is also found near water.
Habits, $"c. This and the next three species are usually seen
flying slowly over the ground just above the surface, now and
then dropping noiselessly on their prey, which consists of lizards
and insects, and occasionally of mice and young or sickly
birds. Harriers usually sit on the ground, rarely on trees ;
and Jerdon notices that they are sometimes surprised and killed
at night by foxes and jackals. This Harrier does not breed in
India.
1234. Circus cineraceus. Montagu's Harrier.
Falco cineraceus, Montagu, Orn. Diet, i, sheet K 2 (1802).
Falco cinerareus, Montagu, Trans. Linn. Son. ix, p. 188 (1808).
Circus cinerascens, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 2, p. 41 (1826) ; Bluth,
Cat. p. 20; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 105; Horsf. $ M.
Cat. i, p. 27.
Circus cineraceus, Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 97 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 16; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 303; Blyth, Birds
Burm. p. 61 ; Wardl. Ratnsay, Ibis, 1875, p. 351 ; A. Anderson,
P. Z. S. 1876, p. 314 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 249 ;
Doig, ibid. p. 503 ; Hume, Cat. no. 52 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 12 ;
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 43 ; Scully, ibid. p. 421 ; Cripps, S. F. xi,
p. 13 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 49.
Circus pygargus, apud Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 64 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 173 ; nee Falco pygargus, L.
Dastmal, Grirgit Mor, Pattai, H. ; Pandouvi, Beng. ; Telia chappa
gedda, Pilli gedda, Tel. ; Puna prandu, Tarn. ; Kunda-goya, Ukussa,
Cing.
Coloration. Adult tnale. Upper plumage, sides of head and
neck, chin, throat, and breast ashy grey, much darker than in
C. macrurus, and more or less tinged, except in very old birds,
with brown on the back, scapulars, and tertiaries; upper tail-
coverts white, barred or shaded with ashy ; first 5 or 6 primaries
black, the tips grey, and the amount of grey gradually increasing
on the inner feathers ; secondaries grey above, with a blackish
transverse band, beneath white, with grey tips; middle tail-
feathers grey, outer white, with transverse rufous and grey bars ;
lower parts from breast white, with chestnut shaft-stripes ;
axillaries white, with chestnut bars and drops.
Females resemble those of C. macrurus, but the ruff is very
indistinct, the upper parts are rather darker, and the edges of the
head- and neck-feathers and of tke wing-coverts more rufous ; the
general colour of the lower parts is buff or dull rufous, with
rufous-brown shaft-stripes.
384 FALCONIDjE.
The young of C. cineraceus are distinguished by the ruff being
indistinct and streaked throughout in place of the conspicuous
buff ruff of C. macrurus ; the lower surface, too, is darker and more
distinctly streaked. At all ages C. cineraceus may be recognized by
its short tarsus, and by the notch or emargination on the outer
web of the second primary being about an inch beyond the ends
of the greater coverts, whilst in C. macrurus the notch is close to
them.
Bill black ; cere greenish yellow ; iris yellow, brownish yellow
in the female ; legs and feet yellow.
Length of females about 19 ; tail 9'25 ; wring 15-5 ; tarsus 2*4 :
length of males about 17 ; tail 9 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2'3.
Distribution. The greater part of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Montagu's Harrier is migratory, and is found locally throughout
India and Ceylon from October to April. It occurs in Assam,
but is very rare in Burma, though it is said to be found there. It
is not known in Tenasserim, but has been doubtfully recorded from
the Malay Peninsula (Ibis, 1881, p. 368).
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of C. macrurus, but this bird
is more local and avoids the dry stony plains and scrub-jungle
more than the Pale Harrier does.
1235. Circus cyaneus. The Hen-Harrier.
Falco cyaneus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 126 (1766).
Circus cyaneus, Blyth, Cat. p. 20; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 95; King,
J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 213 ; Blanford, J.A.S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2,
p. 166 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 293 ; id. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 114 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 341 ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. \. p. 52 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 50; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 226; Biddulph, Ibis,
1881, p. 42 ; Scully, ibid. p. 421.
Coloration. Adult male. Similar to that of C. macrurus, except
that the ashy grey of the upper plumage is somewhat darker and
extends over the chin, throat, and upper breast, there is a
distinct white nuchal patch with brown shaft- stripes, the terminal
half of the first six primaries is black, and the upper tail-coverts
are pure white.
The adult female is distinguished from that of C. macrurus by
having the margins of the head- and neck-feathers more rufous, by
the rufous markings on the wing-coverts and scapulars being
larger and more in the form of spots, by the white around the eye
being more sullied, and the moustachial stripe and ear-coverts
being rufous with dark streaks instead of nearly uniform brown,
and by the upper tail-coverts being pure white. The ruff is
well marked.
Young birds have the lower parts buff or pale rufous, with
distinct broad shaft-stripes, and the ruff, though distinct, is always
striated.
At all ages this species is distinguished from C. macrurus and
C. cineraceus by having the 5th primary notched on the outer web,
CIRCUS. 385
and generally by having the 4th primary longest, and the 2nd
shorter than the 5th.
Bill black ; cere yellow ; iris yellow, brown in the young, and
according to some observers in females ; legs and feet yellow.
Length of male about 18 inches ; tail 9 ; wing 13 ; tarsus 275 :
length of female 21 ; tail 1O5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 3.
Distribution. Europe, Northern and Central Asia, and Northern
Africa. In India this species is fairly common in the Himalayas
and in winter along their base, a few stragglers being found in
Northern India as far south as the Central Provinces at that season.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of the last two Harriers. This
species is not known to breed in the Himalayas, but has been
observed to do so at Tso Morari in Tibet.
1236. Circus melanoleucus. The Pied Harrier.
Falco melanoleucus, Forster, 2nd. Zool. p. 12, pi. ii (1781).
Circus melanoleucus, Bli/th, Cat. p. 21 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 26 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 93 ; iii, p. 870 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 246; King,
J. A. S. B. xxx vii, pt. 2, p. 213 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxviii, p. 167 ;
Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, p. 114 ; id. Rough Notes, p. 307 ; Godw.-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, p. 266 ; xlv, p. 67 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 341 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 61 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 33; v,
p. 11 ; vii, p. 34; xi, p. 13 ; id. Cat. no. 53 ; Blyth $ Wold. Birds
Burm. p. 61; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 225; 1876, p. 130; A. An-
derson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 315 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 299 ; Hume
fy Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 21, 497 ; Anderson, Yunnan JExped., Aves,
p. 572, pis. xlv, xlvi; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 199; Cripps, S. F. vii,
p. 250 ; x, p. 327 ; xi, p. 13 ; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 191 ; ix,
p. 145 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 226 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 9 ; Reidr
S. F. x, p. 11'; Davison, S. F. x, p. 339 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 172;
Salvadoriy Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, pp. 375, 428.
Pahatai, II. ; Ablak Petaha, Nepal; Thane-Kya, Burmese.
Coloration. Adult male. Head and neck all round, breast, back,
median upper wing-coverts, and a band from them to the bend of
the wing, with the first six primaries, glossy black ; a nuchal patch
where the white bases of the feathers show; scapulars partly
black, partly grey ; smaller wing-coverts white, larger coverts,
later primaries, and secondaries silver-grey, the latter tipped and
bordered inside with white, tertiaries black ; rump white ; upper
tail-coverts white, with broad lunate grey bands ; tail grey, white
at the tips and inner edges of the outer feathers ; lower parts
from the breast pure white.
Adult female. Above dark brown, the feathers of the crown and
neck with rufous edges, those of the nape broadly bordered with
white ; a well-marked ruff of small white or buffy-white feathers
with brown shaft-stripes ; around eyes whitish ; cheeks and ear-
coverts dirty white or pale rufous with brown streaks ; smaller
coverts along the forearm white (in younger birds rufous) with
blackish-brown shaft-stripes, median coverts brown with grey or-
white spots and bars, larger coverts dusky grey with a broad
subterminal blackish band and another near the base ; primaries-
VOL. in. 2 c
386 FALCONIDJE.
•outside blackish brown ; secondaries grey, with blackish cross-
bands, beneath all are greyish or whitish with dark bands ; upper
tail-coverts white, sometimes with rufous-brown drops or bands ;
tail grey, with dark brown cross-bands ; lower parts white, with
dark brown shaft-stripes, broad on the throat and breast, narrower
and sometimes disappearing on the abdomen.
Young birds are more uniformly brown above than the adult
female, and have no grey on the wings or tail, which are brown
with darker bands ; the ruff is ill-marked at the sides, but there is
a large white brown-streaked nuchal patch and another patch of
buff-edged brown feathers on the throat ; the lower parts generally
are rufous-brown, faintly streaked darker. The change from this
plumage to that of the adult male appears to take place by moult.
For a long time it was supposed that both sexes in this bird
were pied and similar, but the true facts were gradually traced out
by Mr. Hume. Still one undoubted case *is recorded by Mr. Cripps
in which a female assumed the pied livery of the adult male, and
other probable cases are indicated by the measurements of pied
specimens.
Base of bill bluish, remainder black ; cere dusky yellow ; iris
bright yellow; legs orange-yellow (Oates). Legs in female pale
yellow (Cripps).
Length of male 17 ; tail 8-5 ; wing 13-75 ; tarsus 3 : length of
female 18'5 ; tail 9 ; wing 14*5 ; tarsus 3-2 ; bill from gape 1*2.
Distribuion. A winter visitor to the Eastern half of the Indian
Peninsula and to Burma. Common in Bengal, Cachar, Assam,
and Pegu, and along the base of the Himalayas as far west as
Oude, also along the eastern coast of the Peninsula and for a
considerable distance inland, and in Malabar ; but rare in Ceylon,
and in the N.W. Provinces of India, and, I believe, unknown in
the Bombay Presidency *, the Central Provinces west of Jubbul-
poor and Nagpur, and in North-western India generally. Beyond
Indian limits this species is found throughout a large part of
Eastern Asia, China, Japan, Amurland and Mongolia, Philippines,
Siam, Cochin China, Malacca, &c.
Habits, Sfc. This is essentially a bird of the plains, and especially
of swampy grass and of rice-fields, over which the conspicuous
black and white plumage of the male bird makes it a familiar
feature of the landscape. Its food consists chiefly of snakes,
lizards, frogs, and insects, with birds and mice. Some Pied Harriers
breed in Northern India ; Jerdon noticed several in Purneah in
July, and Cripps twice in April found an egg laid on an apology
for a nest amongst "Ulu" grass (Saccharum cylindricum) close
to the Brahmaputra in the Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam.
* It is included in Barnes's ' Birds of Bombay,' but in this, as in several
other cases, the author has been misled by Jerdon's statement that the species is
found in Central India, by which Jerdon understood South-western Bengal or
Chutia Nagpur. Jerdon also says that C. melanoleucus is rare in the Deccan,
.by which he may mean some part of the Hyderabad territory.
CIRCUS. 387
1237. Circus aeruginosus. The Marsh-Harrier.
Falco seruginosus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 130 (1766).
Circus seruginosus, Blyth, Cat. p. 19 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 27 ;
Jcrdon, B. I. i, p. 99; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 314; id. S. F. i,
p. 160 ; ii, p. 150 ; xi, p. 14 ; id. Cat. n. 54 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
i, p. 69 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 223 ; Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Burm.
p. 61 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 447 ; v, p. 226 ; ix, p. 374 ; Hume 8f
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 22 ; Ball, S. F. vii. p. 200 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 250 :
O 17.. Or f _il: „ Ciao . T _ _ . TV -i x> i . ^T»«»I?T -r-, •
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 52.
Kutar, Kulesir, H. ; Mat-chil, B. ; Safed Sira, Tika Bauri, Mussal-
mans of Bengal ; Kuralayoya, Cing. ; Prandu, Tarn. (Ceylon).
Coloration. Adult male. Head, neck, and breast buff or pale
rufous, with dark brown shaft-stripes, broader on the breast ; back
and most of the wing-coverts dark brown : scapulars still darker,
sometimes grey towards the base ; smallest coverts along the fore-
arm whitish, with dark brown shafts ; outer greater coverts,
primary-coverts, and all quills except first 6 primaries dark silvery
grey, remaining coverts and very often the tertiaries dark brown";
first 6 primaries black with the basal portion white : upper tail-
coverts white, with rufous and brown mixed in various ways ; tail
grey above, isabelline below ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts
ferruginous brown, more or less striped darker.
Females are dark brown except the crown, nape, chin, and more
or less of the throat, which are buff with brown stripes. There is
sometimes a patch of buff on the breast, the wing-coverts and back
have buff edges, and the upper tail-coverts are rufous.
The young of both sexes resemble the female, except that the
buff on the head is sometimes unstreaked and more limited in
extent, being confined in some cases to a nuchal patch or even
wanting altogether.
Bill black ; cere and base of bill greenish yellow ; iris yellow,
brownish yellow in females and young ; legs and feet rich yellow
(Hume).
Length of males 21 ; tail 9-5 ; wing 16 ; tarsus 3-4 : length of
females 22'5 ; tail 975 ; wing 16-5 ; tarsus 3'5.
Distribution. Common in suitable localities throughout India,
Ceylon, and Burma from September or sometimes earlier, till April
or May. Beyond Indian limits the Marsh-Harrier ranges over the
greater part of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Habits, fyc. The Marsh-Harrier is commonly found about
swampy plains or on the edges of large pieces of water, sometimes
it may be met with hunting over dry grass plains. Though a more
powerful bird its movements are very similar to those of the
smaller Harriers, but it occasionally flies at considerable elevations
like a Buzzard. It lives on frogs, fish, insects, small or weakly
birds, and eggs, and often carries off wounded snipe or teal, or
makes a meal off a wounded duck that is too heavy for it to carry
2c2
388
away. This bird, though migratory as a rule, appears occasionally
to breed in India : eggs believed to belong to this species were
obtained by Mr. Ehodes Morgan in the Kurnool district, and
other writers have noticed the bird in Northern India in the hot
season and rains. Like other Harriers, it makes its nest of grass
or straw on the ground or amongst reeds, and lays 4 or 5 eggs,
which are either pure white or slightly spotted and measure about
2 by 1-5 inches.
1238. Circus spilonotus. The Eastern Marsh-Harrier.
Circus spilonotus, Kaup in Jardine's Conti\ Orn. 1850, p. 59 ;
Swinhoe, Ibis, 1863, p. 213, pi. v ; Skarpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 58 ;
id. Ibis, 1876, p. 30 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 225 ; Hume, S. F. xi,
p. 14.
Coloration. Adult male. Very like old females of C. melano-
leucus ; above blackish brown, the feathers of the head and neck
with broad white or rufous edges ; ruff indistinct ; back-feathers
and wing-coverts with irregular grey or rufescent white spots and
patches ; the smaller coverts along the forearm white, sometimes
with dark shaft-stripes ; primary- coverts and outer surface of
secondaries grey, terminal portion of primaries blackish, bases of
all quills white ; upper tail-coverts white, with grey or brown bars ;
tail grey above, whitish below, unbarred ; lower parts white with
blackish shaft-stripes, broad on the throat and upper breast, narrow
or wanting on the abdomen.
Adult female. Brown above, the feathers throughout with pale
rufous edges ; tail-coverts white and rufous ; tail with about six
dark cross-bands, which disappear in old individuals ; lower parts
buff, with broad rufous-brown shaft-stripes. The quills are dark
brown but become greyish in old birds.
Young birds so closely resemble those of C. ceruginosus as to be
indistinguishable at times. The pale head and neck-feathers are
always striated in C. spilonotus, but the body, wings, and tail are
uniformly brown or variegated with buff on the wing-coverts, back,
and breast. Generally, though not invariably, traces of bars will
be found on some of the tail-feathers of C. spilonotus, but this
occasionally happens in 0. ceruginosus also.
Length of male 20 ; tail 9-25 ; wing 15-5 ; tarsus 3'5 : tail of
female 10 ; wing 16'5 ; tarsus 3'7.
Distribution. Southern China, extending far inland, it is said,
even to Dauria, also the Philippines, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo.
A young bird obtained by Capt. Wardlaw Earn say at Toungngoo
was referred to this species by Mr. Gurney, but on comparing it
with young birds of both this Harrier and C. melanoleucus, I am
inclined to assign it to the latter. Hume was convinced he saw
C. spilonotus in Manipur, and I have very little doubt he was
right. Latterly Mr. T. A. Hauxwell has shot a fine adult male
near Moulmein on the Attaran, and has been so good as to send it
to me for examination.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of C. ceruginosus, but more kite-like.
BUTEO. 389
Genus BUTEO, Cuvier, 1800.
The true Buzzards, to which the next two genera belong, are, as
Blyth and Jerdon long ago pointed out, closely allied to Eagles,
from which, indeed, they chiefly differ structurally by their less
powerful bills and claws. By far their most distinctive character
is one on which very little stress had been laid by ornithologists,
though it has not escaped Prof. A. Newton, and consists in the
want of any distinct immature garb ; all Buzzards, so far as is
known, assuming the adult plumage at once from the downy
stage. It is true that a slight change is believed to be produced
by age> the bars on the tail gradually disappear, and in some
species there is a tendency to barring on the lower surface in old
birds. The coloration, despite the want of a distinct immature
phase, is exceedingly variable — pale, rufous, and melanistic forms
being found in several species. These colour variations were,
until recently, attributed to age, but, so far as I can ascertain,
wrongly. A series of moulting specimens*, for instance of
B. ferox, would afford valuable information, it being borne in
mind that the plumage which is being shed is always faded.
In the genus Buteo the bill is small or moderate, the culmen is
curved from the cere, the commissure nearly straight, the festoon
being only slightly developed ; the nostrils are oval and oblique ;
the wings ample and long, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills subequal,
the 4th generally a little the longest, the first four quills deeply
notched on the inner web ; tail moderately long, rounded at the
end ; tarsus long, partly or wholly feathered in front, naked and
more or less covered with transverse scutellae behind ; toes short,
lateral toes and claws very unequal.
Buzzards are comparatively sluggish birds, with a heavy flight,
and less given to soaring than Eagles are, though occasionally they
may be seen far up in the air. They feed on small mammals,
reptiles, and insects, which they seize on the ground. They make
nests of sticks, lined with grass or other soft material, on rocks or
trees, and their eggs are greenish white, deeply blotched with
brownish red.
This genus ranges throughout a great part of the world,
but only occurs in parts of India, and is unknown in Burma, the
Malayan countries, and Australia. The forms found in India
may be classed in three species.
Key to the Species.
/*. Wing more than 16 inches.
a'. Tarsus half-feathered, naked part in front
scutellate B.ferox, p. 390.
6'. Tarsus two-thirds feathered, naked part in
front reticulated B. leueocephalus, p. 392.
b. Wing less than 16 inches B. desertorum, p. 393.
* In selecting specimens for museums and private collections, it has been
generally the practice to pick out the fine freshly moulted skins and to reject the
comparatively ragged specimens that were moulting when shot ; both, however,
Are needed for study.
390 FALCONIDJE.
1239. Buteo ferox. TJie Long-legged Buzzard.
Accipiter ferox, S. G. Gmel Nov. Com. Petrop. xv, p. 443, pi. x
(? 1770).
Falco rufinus, Cretzschm. in Hupp. Atlas, Vogel, p. 40, pi. 27 (1826).
Buteo canescens, Hodgs. Beng. Sport. Mag. viii, p. 180 (1836) ; Blyth,
J.A.S. B. xii, p. 308,- id. Ibis, 1863, p. 20 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 88 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 16.
Buteo longipes, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 75 (1839).
Buteo rufinus, Blyth, Cat. p. 28; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 61.
Buteo ferox, Jerdon, B. L iii, p. 869 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 244 ;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 274 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 25 ; Jerdon, Ibis,
1871, p. 338 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 78 ; Stoliczka, J. A.
lank, S. F. iv, p. 253; Davidson $ Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 74;
Scully, S. F. viii, p. 225 ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1880, p. 47 ;
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 42 ; Scully, ibid. p. 420 ; Barnes, S. I. ix,
p. 452 ; id. Birds Bom. p. 42 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 450 ; Oates in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 125.
Buteo fuliginosus, Hume, Ibis, 1869, p. 356 ; nee Sclater.
Buteo desertorum, apud Hume, Rough Notes, p. 268, partim ; nee
Daud.
Chuhumar, H.
Fig. 96.— Eight foot of Buteo ferox,
Coloration very variable : there are two principal phases — dark
and pale, with numerous varieties of both.
In the pale or rufous form the crown, nape, hind-neck, upper
back, scapulars, and wing-coverts are brown, with broad light
rufous edges and white bases, the rufous borders wearing off and
the white bases becoming more conspicuous in worn plumage, the
brown sometimes reduced to shaft-stripes on the crown and nape ;
sides of head generally paler than crown, often buff or white, with
dark shaft-stripes ; lower back and upper tail-coverts brown, the
latter with rufous edges; quills tipped with blackish brown,
BUTEO. 391
extending up the first primaries to the notch on the inner web,
basal portion of quills white, the primaries silvery grey on the
outer web externally, and the secondaries mottled and barred with
brown ; tail pale rufous, bases of feathers, especially near the
shafts, white, the rufous, especially on the outer web, sometimes
passing into grey ; traces of a broad penultimate dark band often
occur, and frequently several other bands are more or less distinct ;
throat and breast white or buff, with dark shaft-stripes ; abdomen
usually brown or rufous-brown, more or less mixed with white,
not unfrequently white with dark elongate spots in the middle ;
flanks and thigh -co verts brown or rufous-brown, the latter
occasionally edged or banded with rufous or buff. Sometimes the
lower parts are almost entirely white.
In the dark plumage the general coloration is brown, the head,
neck, and breast generally rendered paler or more rufous by the
margins of the feathers, which, however, are not so broad as in the
pale birds ; occasionally the head and neck are whitish with dark
shafts ; the quills as in the pale form, except that the white bases
to the quills are often mottled with brown ; tail, with rare excep-
tions, barred throughout or towards the end, the bars dark brown,
the interspaces pale brown, grey or rufous, the last or subterminal
bar generally, but not always, much broader than the others, and
the other dark bars sometimes as broad as the interspaces, some-
times much narrower, occasionally broken and irregular.
The dark phase passes into a uniformly dark chocolate-brown
or even blackish-brown bird (B. fuliyinosus}, with only the bases to
the primaries white, and pale or sometimes whitish bars on the tail.
All these plumages vary and pass into each other. There is no
distinctively young plumage. Sharpe (I. c.) and Hume (S. P. iv,
p. 363) describe the pale form as young, the dark form as older,
the blackish-brown bird as very old. The last, however, is cer-
tainly not necessarily aged, for Wardlaw Ramsay obtained a
nestling covered everywhere with very dark feathers not fully
grown, there are no rufous edges, and the tail is barred ; whilst
Dresser in the 'Birds of Europe' describes another nestling dark
rufous and brown with a barred tail. He also records a moulting
bird with a worn banded tail, and one new feather pale creamy
rufous and unhanded. Ghirney (Ibis, 1876, p. 367) regards the
barred tail as a sign of immaturity.
It is evident that the dark birds are a melanistic form, and that
the colour is not due to age. Such birds are common in the
Himalayas, the Northern Punjab, and in Sind, rare elsewhere, and
almost unknown out of India. Hume's darkest specimens were
all males, but an equally dark female was shot by Capt. Butler at
Hyderabad, Sind, and is now in the national collection.
Bill brownish plumbeous, tip black ; cere yellowish green ; hides
brownish yellow; legs dingy pale lemon-yellow (Hume).
Length of female about 24 inches ; tail 10'5 ; wing 18 to 19'25 :
tarsus 3-75 ; mid-toe without claw 1*65 ; bill from gape 2 : length
of male 22 ; wing 16-25 to 17'9.
.392 FALCONIDJ5.
Distribution. S.E. Europe, N.E. Africa, S.W. Asia, and Western
Central Asia. In India this Buzzard is found throughout the
Himalayas as far east as Sikhim and, in the cold season, abun-
dantly in the N.W. Provinces, Oudh, Rajputana, Sind, and the
Punjab, but only an occasional straggler finds its way farther east
or south. There is, however, one skin in the Hume collection
from llaipur, and a few occurrences are recorded from the Deccan.
Habits, <$fc. Migratory, visiting North-western India from
October to March, and very abundant in desert and semi-desert
tracts, where it lives mainly on the Indian Desert Gerbille
{Gerbillus hurriance). It is also common in marshy ground, and
it feeds on frogs, rats, mice, lizards, and large insects. It is a
sluggish bird, solitary, by no means shy, and generally to be seen
perched on a low tree, or bush, or the ground during the day ; it
flies about very often in the evening and, according to Mr. A.
Anderson, has somewhat crepuscular habits. Many breed in the
Himalayas and Central Asia, a few in the Northern Punjab, about
March and April ; the nest is a loose structure of sticks lined
with wool, rags, or dead leaves, placed either on a tree or on a
cliff. The eggs, 2 to 4 in number, are broad regular ovals,
greenish white richly blotched with reddish brown, and measure
about 2-3 by 1-8.
1240. Buteo leucocephalus. The Upland Buzzard.
Butaquila leucocephala, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844),
descr. nulla.
Buteo leucocephalus, Hodgs. P. Z. 8. 1845, p. 37 ; Gurney, List
Diurn. Birds of Prey, pp. 62, 134 ; Hume, Cat. no. 46.
Buteo aquilinus, Hodgs., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 176 (1845) ; xv,
p. 2; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 90; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 339; Hume Sf
Senders. Lah. to Yark. p. 175 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 366.
Buteo hemilasius, Temm. fy Schl. Faun. Japon., Aves, p. 18, pi. vii
(1845-50) ; Schleg. Mus. P.-B. ii, Buteones, p. 3 ; Sharpe, Cat.
B. M. i, p. 182 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1876, p. 369.
Buteo asiaticus, Lath, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 244 ; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 283.
Buteo ferox, apud Sharpe, Cat. B. M. p. 178, pt., pi. viii ; nee Gmel.
Nearly allied to B. ferox, but larger, and as a rule greyer above ;
the bill and feet larger and the claws more powerful ; the tarsus is
feathered in front for two-thirds of its length, and the naked
terminal third is covered with small or moderate-sized scales, not
with transverse scut* ; the tarsus is generally scutellate behind,
but less than in other Buzzards, and is sometimes reticulated
throughout.
Coloration above rather pale greyish brown, with more or less
rufous on the feathers of the nape and upper back, scapulars,
wing-coverts, and upper tail-coverts ; white bases of feathers often
conspicuous on the head and neck, which are sometimes white
streaked with brown ; quills as in B. ferox, but there is no grey
on the outer webs of the primaries ; tail brown above, with dark
BUTEO. 393
bars, paler below, whitish near the shafts and towards the base,
sometimes bordered with rufous ; lower parts white, the throat
streaked with brown ; upper breast and abdomen with large brown
spots irregularly distributed, sometimes edged with rufous ; lower
breast as a rule white ; the upper breast, flanks, and thigh-coverts
often entirely brown, and sometimes, as in Hodgson's type, the
whole breast and abdomen. No rufous or fuliginous phase is
known.
Bill bluish horny ; irides white ; legs and feet wax-yellow
(Henderson) : cere greenish yellow ; irides light buff (Shanghai
Mus. label).
Length of a female 25-5 ; tail 10-75 ; wing 19-20 ; tarsus 3-5 ;
mid-toe without claw 1*8 ; bill from gape 2.
Distribution. Eastern Siberia, Japan, and China, a few stragglers
finding their way into the Himalayas. There are two Himalayan
specimens in the Hume collection — one, from Native Sikhim, closely
resembling Hodgson's original specimen ; the other, obtained by
Dr. Henderson in November on the Pir Panjal range, south of
Punch, in Kashmir. At first Hume looked on this bird as a
variety of B. ferox, but he subsequently recognized its distinctness.
1241. Buteo desertorum. The Common Buzzard.
Falco buteo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 127 (1766).
Falco desertorum, Daud. Traite, ii, p. 162 (1800).
Buteo vulgaris, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mam. Birds B. M. p. 10 (1816) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 29 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 87 ; iii, p. 869 ; Blyth, Ibis,
1866, p. 244; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 261; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 337 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 186 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 450.
Buteo desertorum, VieilL Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. iv, p. 478 (1816) ;
Gurnet/, Ibis, 1862, p. 362 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 268, partim ;
Jerdon, Ibis, ^71, p. 338; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 179; Hume,
S. F. x, p. 159 ; Damson, ibid. p. 338.
Buteo plumipes, Hodgson, P. Z. S. 1845, p. 37 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.
xv, p. 2 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 91 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 21 ; 1866,
p. 245 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 285; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 340;
Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 41 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 180,
pi. vii, fig. 1 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 358 ; v, p. 347 ; xi, p. 12 ; id. Cat.
"~ ~ ~ ~ \ p. 369; id. S. ~
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 18; Scully, S. F, viii, p. 225; Lecjge, Birds Ceyl.
no. 47 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1876, p. 369 ; id. S. F. v, p. 65 ; Hume $
p. 31 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 42 ; Scully, ibid. p. 421 ; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 10 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 184.
Buteo rufiventer, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, p. 165 (1844) ; id. Ill
Ind. Orn. pi. 27.
Falco buteo japonicus, Temm. fy Schl. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 16, pis. vi,
vi b (1845-50).
Buteo japonicus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 337 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 30.
The Common Buzzard and The Harrier Buzzard, Jerdon ; Dang-pang-
ti-ong ; Pang-ti-ong-nok, Lepcha.
Coloration variable. The upper plumage is brown, paler or darker,
the feathers more or less dark-shafted and, except on the lower
back, generally tipped or edged with rufous, especially on the
394 FALCONIDJS.
crown, nape, and some of the wing-coverts ; the white bases of the
feathers on the head and nape are less conspicuous in general than
in B. ferox ; sides of head paler than crown, usually more or less
streaked brown, the streaks generally forming a dark or blackish
moustachial stripe from the gape, and frequently another streak
running back from the eye ; primary-quills with long dark brown
or blackish ends, all the remainder white beneath the wing, brown
on the outer web above, rufous or white on the inner and more or
less barred and mottled ; secondaries chiefly brown outside, inner
webs partly white or rufous, whitish inside, and with dark cross-
bands ; tail brown or sometimes rufous above, whitish below, more
or less distinctly barred, the bars variable in number and breadth,
the last generally but not always broadest. Lower parts white or
buff or (rarely) rufous, the throat with dark streaks, and the breast
and abdomen somewhat irregularly spotted or marked with brown ;
the flanks and thigh-coverts and sometimes the abdomen all brown,
or the two latter brown with more or less indistinct white or buff
bars.
Typical B. plumipes is dark smoky or chocolate-brown through-
out, except the bases of the quills, which are white or whity-brown
mottled and barred darker, and the tail, which is banded with
lighter brown. There are also in some skins a few partly con-
cealed white spots on the feathers of the abdomen. Some specimens
have the head, neck, and breast rufous-brown, and some are inter-
mediate in colour between the fuliginous phase and the ordinary
colouring.
Bill black, bluish grey towards the base; cere yellow; irides
brown ; legs and feet yellow ; the tarsus feathered in front from
halfway down or rather less to two-thirds, generally scutellate in
front below the feathering, but occasionally reticulate.
Length of female about 20 ; tail 9 ; wing 15-5 ; tarsus 2'8 ;
mid-toe without claw 1*5; bill from gape 1*47: males are less,
wing 14*5.
As a rule Eastern Asiatic and Himalayan birds (B. plumipes or
japonicus) are distinguished from European (B. vulgaris) by having
the tarsus feathered farther down in front, and often by being
more rufous ; whilst African specimens (B. desertorum) are smaller
and on an average decidedly more rufous. The feathering of the
tarsus, however, was shown by Hume to be very variable; coloration
in these Buzzards affords no constant distinction; and some Southern
Indian birds are even smaller than African, as Hume has shown,
and have a very naked tarsus. In fact there is no distinct character
by which B. vulyaris, B. desertorum, and B. plumipes can be dis-
tinguished ; they are mere races imperfectly differentiated, and all
three are represented by typical examples amongst Indian collec-
tions. I do not think they should be regarded as separate species.
Distribution. The greater part of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
This Buzzard is found throughout the Himalayas, and in the
Nilgiris and other high ranges of Southern India ; it is probably
resident on the Himalayas, but, so far as is known, only a cold-
ARCHIBUTEO. 395
weather visitor to the Peninsula of India. In winter it has
occasionally been met with in Ceylon, and also at Thayet Myo in
Pegu and at Thatone in Tenasserim.
Habits, <Sfc. Very similar to those of B. ferox, except that the
Common Buzzard is chiefly found in the open parts of woodland
hilly countries. The nest has not been taken within Indian limits ;
both nest and eggs are very similar to those of B. ferox.
Genus ARCHIBUTEO, Brehm, 1828.
Precisely the same as Buteo, except that the tarsus is feathered
in front throughout to the base of the toes, though naked and
with large transverse scutellaa behind. The distinction is convenient,
but is scarcely of generic importance.
Pour nearly allied species are recorded, of which one occurs
occasionally in the higher Himalayas.
1242. Archibuteo henriptilopus. The Himalayan
Hough-legged Buzzard.
HemiaBtus strophiatus, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844),
descr. nulla.
Archibuteo strophiatus, Gray, Cat. Mamm. fyc. Coll. Hodq s. p. 39
(descr. nulla); Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 340 j Sharpe, Cat. *B. M. i,
p. 199, pi. vii, fig. 2 ; Brooks. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 242 ; id.
S. F. iv, p. 272.
Archibuteo hemiptilopus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 1 (1846) ; id. Cat.
p. 28 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 383 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 94 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 292 ; id. S. F. i, p. 315 ; iv, p. 369 ; id. Cat. no. 49;
Gurney, Ibis, 1876, p. 370 ; 1879, p. 178.
Archibuteo cryptogenys, Hodgson, Calc. Jour. N. H. viii. p. 96, pi. 3,
fig. 1 (1848).
Archibuteo leucoptera, Hume, S. F. i, p. 318.
The Brown Eagle Buzzard, Jerdon.
Coloration very similar to that of Buteo leucocephalus. Upper
parts brown, feathers of nape and upper back broadly edged with
rufous, a few of the wing-coverts the same in some specimens ;
upper tail-coverts with rufous or buff tips and bars, bases of nuchal
feathers white ; quills as in Buteo ferox ; tail brown above, sometimes
pale rufous in part, whitish below, barred darker; lower parts
brown, with or without rufous, or white with brown spots on the
throat and breast ; flanks and thigh-coverts always brown. When
the lower parts are brown, the middle of the breast is often white
or rufous.
One specimen is dark chocolate-brown throughout, there is
scarcely any white even on the bases of the primaries, and pale
bands only on the basal portion of the tail. Another described by
Mr. Gurney was rufous on the tail and lower parts, the lower
breast and abdomen transversely barred with rufous and dark
brown.
FALCONIDJE.
Bill dusky horn-coloured, yellowish laterally at base of mandible;
toes and naked part of tarsus livid waxy, claws horny black
(Blyfh).
Length 28 inches?; tail 11; wing 20; tarsus 3'25; mid-toe
without claw 175 ; bill from gape 1*9.
Distribution. A rare bird, of which a few specimens have been
obtained at high elevations in Sikhim, Nepal, and Kulu. It has
also occurred near Shanghai in China. Nothing is known of its
habits.
Genus ASTUR, Lacepede, 1801.
This and the next two genera contain the typical Hawks, which
are distinguished from Falcons, Eagles, Buzzards, Harriers, and
Kites by having proportionally shorter and more rounded wings,
and from all except the Harriers by having the tibia and tarsus
nearly equal in length.
The true Hawks are chiefly found in forest or well-wooded tracts,
and they always breed on trees. The sexes are very different in
size. " Their flight is often near the ground and is performed by
a few rapid strokes of the wings, alternating with a sailing with
outspread wings. They are more arboreal in their habits than the
Falcons, hunting in woods or on the skirts of woods, or along
avenues and hedgerows, and they generally seize their prey by a
sudden pounce during their flight, not following the quarry to any
distance as the Falcons do." (Jerdon.)
Although the group is here divided into three genera, the
generic distinctions are not very marked, and all the species are by
some naturalists referred to a single genus, whilst Kaup and
Gurney refer each of the six Indian kinds to a different generic
section.
The genus Astur as here admitted has a short stout bill curving
sharply from the cere, with a large festoon ; the nostril is moderate
in size and oval. The wing is short and rounded, extending to
about the middle of the long tail. Usually the 4th quill is longest,
occasionally the 3rd or 5th, the three not differing greatly in length.
Tarsus long, stout, scutellate in front and behind, reticulate on the
sides, only the upper part covered with feathers ; toes and claws
moderate, the bill from the gape measuring j to f the length of
the tarsus and about f the length of the outer toe. The plumage
is grey or brown above, spotted beneath in the young, transversely
barred in adults.
Besides the true Goshawks, the present genus contains a number
of smaller Hawks, two of which are Indian, the others being very
widely distributed. Of the Indian species A. ladius has been dis-
tinguished as Scelospiza or Scelospizias, A. soloensis as Tachyspiza.
The generic name Micronisus employed by Jerdon really belongs
to an African group known as Melierase.
ASTUR. 397
Key to the Species.
a. Fourth quill longest.
a'. Size large wing 12 to 15 A . palumbarius, p. 397.
b'. Size small, wing 7 to 9 A. badius, p. 398.
b. Third quill longest, wing about 7 -5 A. soloensis, p. 400.
1243. Astur palumbarius. The Goshawk.
Falco palumbarius, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 130 (1766).
Astur palumbarius, Cuv. Regne An. i, p. 320; Blyth, Cat. p. 23;
Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 41 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 45 ; Stoliczka, J. A.
S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 13 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 112 ; id. N. $ E.
p. 24 ; id. Cat. no. 21 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 6 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 243 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 95 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 353 ; Biddulph,
Ibis, 1881, p. 40 ; Scully, ibid. p. 419 ; Gates in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 118.
Baz $ , Jarra <$ , H.
Coloration. In adult birds the upper parts are brown, with a
more or less ashy tint, occasionally almost ashy grey ; the crown,
area behind eye, ear-coverts, and sides of neck darker, sometimes
almost black ; forehead, lores, long supercilia, and nuchal patch
uniting them behind streaked and mixed with white ; quills brown
above, whitish below, with dark bars ; tail light brown or brown
mottled with white above, paler below, crossed by four broad dark
brown bars and tipped buffy white ; lower parts white, with
blackish shafts and brown bars, which become narrower and more
numerous in older birds ; lower tail-coverts white unbarred.
Young birds are brown above, most of the feathers edged or
tipped with buffy white ; crown, nape, and hind-neck with broad
buff or pale rufous edges ; quills as in the adult, but with the
barring more distinct above ; tail with 5 dark cross-bars and
tipped with buff ; lower parts buff or pale rufous, with brown
longitudinal oval spots, each having a black shaft-line in the
middle. Nestlings are covered with pure white down.
Length of female 24 ; tail 11 ; wing 14 ; tarsus 3-3 : of a male —
length 20 ; tail 9-5 ; wing 12'5 ; tarsus 3'2.
Bill bluish horny ; cere yellow, with a greenish tinge ; iris and
legs yellow.
Distribution. Europe generally ; Northern and Central Asia.
The Goshawk is found throughout the Himalayas, but not at low-
elevations except occasionally in winter. Hume obtained a
specimen from the Khasi hills. Jerdon thought he had seen
this bird on the Nilgiris, but it has not since been observed there
or elsewhere in the Indian Peninsula.
Habits, fyc. The Goshawk keeps to woods, and preys on
pheasants, partridges, pigeons, and other birds and on small
mammals. It breeds on trees in the Himalayas from March till
June, making a large circular nest of coarse twigs, and laying
3 or 4 eggs, usually nearly pure white, but occasionally spotted
or blotched.
The hen Goshawk is the favourite Hawk for sporting in India ;
many are brought from the Himalayas and Central Asia and
398 FALCONIDJE.
trained to strike Houbara bustard, duck, hares, and sometimes
partridges. It is flown from the hand, and flies directly at the
quarry.
1244. Astur badius. The Shilcra.
Falco badius, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 280 (1788).
Falco dussuinieri, Temm. PI Col pis. 308, 336 (1824).
Accipiter dukhunensis, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 79 ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. x, p. 83.
Astur badius, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 190 ; Davison fy Wend. S. F. vii,
p. 73 ; Ball, ibid. p. 197 ; Hume, Cat. no. 23 ; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 223 ; Doig, ibid. p. 370 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 30 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 23 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 371 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 286 ;
Davison, ibid. p. 335 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 22 j Oates in Hume's
N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 119.
Micronisus badius, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 33; Blyth, Cat. p. 22;
Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 39 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 48 ; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. 117 ; id. N. $ E. p. 24 ; id. S. F. i, p. 157 ; A. Anderson,
P. Z. S. 1871, p. 682 ; 1875, p. 19 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 109 ;
Blyth $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 62 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 40 ;
St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152.
? Astur cenchroides, Severtz. Turk. Jev. p. 113 (1873); id. S. F. iii,
p. 422.
Micronisus poliopsis, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 325 (1874) ; Hume fy Oates,
S. F. iii, p. 24 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 9.
Astur poliopsis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 110 ; Bingham, S. F. v,
p. 81 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 7 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 243 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 23 bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 143 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 179 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 7.
Scelospizias badius, Gurney, Ibis, 1875, pp. 357, 360 ; Scully, Ibis,
1881, p. 419.
Scelospizias poliopsis, Gurney, ibid. p. 361 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus.
Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 571 ; v, p. 557 ; vii, p. 374.
? Astur (Micronisus) sp., Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 108.
Accipiter brevipes, apud St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152 ; nee Sev.
Shikra $, Chipka or Chippak rf,H.; Kathia $, Tunna <$, Nepal;
Jali dega, Tel. ; Chinna wallur, Tain. ; Ukussa, Kurula goya, Cing. ;
Ting-Kyi, Lepcha ; U-cham, Bhot. ; Thane, Burm.
Fig. 97.— Head of A. badius, \.
Coloration^ Adult male. Upper plumage ashy grey, generally
with a brownish or rufescent collar, which, however, is not always
present ; quills blackish at the ends, the inner webs except near
the tip white or buff, marked with blackish bars ; median and
outermost tail-feathers not barred or obsoletely barred, the other
ASTUB.
rectrices with 4 or 5 broadish dark bars, the last subterrainal ;
sides of head and neck paler and more rufescent than crown ;
chin and throat buff or white, with a more or less distinct
median grey stripe, sometimes wanting; breast rufous, varying
from rusty to vinous red, with numerous narrow white bars,
varying in regularity and distinctness, but never wanting; the
red gradually fades on the abdomen, and the vent, under tail-
coverts, and thigh-coverts are white or buff ; wing-lining buff.
Females are browner and less grey above than old males, and
the rufous of the lower surface is deeper and less rusty red, but
the pure grey upper plumage and the rusty red lower surface are,
according to Jerdon, not assumed before the 4th or 5th year.
Young birds are brown above, the feathers at first with rufous
edges, their white bars conspicuous on the head and nape ; all the
tail-feathers are barred, the bars on the outer feathers narrower
and rather more numerous ; the lower parts are white, with large
elongate brown spots, largest on the breast, and there is generally
a median brown stripe on the throat.
Bill bluish dusky at the tip ; cere bright yellow ; irides yellow,
becoming deep orange in old birds ; legs and feet yellow.
Length of females about 14 ; tail 7 ; wing 8-25 ; tarsus 2 ; bill
from gape 0'8 : in males the length is about 12'5; wing 7.
Ceylon and Southern birds are a little smaller, Burmese and Sind
birds larger.
Distribution. Resident throughout India, Burma, and Ceylon,
ascending the hills of the Indian Peninsula to their summits, and
breeding on the Himalayas up to about 5000 feet. This Hawk
ranges westwards into Southern Persia, north (if A. cenchroides be
the same) into Central Asia, and eastwards to Siam, Cambodia,
and Southern China. At Gilgit, according to Scully, the Shikra
is migratory, passing northwards in April, and southwards in
September.
The Burmese Shikra is a well-marked race, and has been
distinguished as A. poliopsis. It is slightly larger on an average,
and the male is paler grey above, without any rufescent collar,
with the sides of the head greyer, and the median gular stripe
faint or wanting. The bars on the lower plumage of adult males
too are deeper rufous and somewhat broader. But all these
peculiarities are to be found in some Southern and Western Indian
birds, though not often in the same individual. A large pale
form from Central Asia, found also in the Punjab, Sind, and
Baluchistan, has been called A. cenchroides by Severtzoff. I at one
time mistook some Quetta skins collected by Sir O. B. St. John,
and belonging to this race, for A. brevipes, Sev., a different species.
Habits, fyc. The Shikra is very common and well known in
India, and, except in thick forest or in desert, may be met with
all over the country. Its general food, as Jerdon says, appears
to be lizards, but it frequently seizes small birds, rats, or mice, and
sometimes does not disdain a large grasshopper. It has been
seen feeding on flying termites or white ants. Its call-note is
400 FALCON ma;.
a double whistle. It is more commonly trained than any other
Indian bird of prey, and is thrown from the hand at quails and
partridges, or more commonly at crows. According to Jerdon it
will attack even young pea-fowl and small herons. It breeds
trees from April to June, making a loosely built nest of twigs
and sticks lined with grass-roots, and laying usually 3, sometimes
4, smooth, bluish-white, glossless eggs, usually unspotted, very
rarely with a few small greyish specks, aud measuring about
1-55 by 1-22.
1245. Astur soloensis. Horsfield's Short-toed Hawk.
Falco soloensis, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 137 (1821).
Tachyspiza soloensis, Kaup, Class. Saug. Voy. p. 116.
Tachyspizias soloensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 365.
Micronisus soloensis, Horsf. $• M. Cat. i, p. 38 ; V. Pelzeln, Reise Nov.,
Aves, p. 12 ; Ball, S. F. i, p. 52 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 141.
Astur soloensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 114, pi. iv, fig. 1 ; Hume,
S. F. v, p. 124 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 8 ; Hume, Cat.
no. 23 ter ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 143 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 180.
Coloration. Adult. Upper parts blackish ashy, basal portions of
scapulars and of inner webs of quills white, the latter more
or less banded ; tail barred as in A. Radius, the middle and outer
feathers unbarred in old birds ; sides of head and neck ashy grey ;
throat huffy white, streaked with grey ; breast and flanks almost
uniform vinous or ferruginous red, passing on the abdomen and
thigh-coverts into white on the lower abdomen and under tail-
coverts ; wing-lining buff. Sexes similar in colour and size.
Young birds very similar to those of A. badius, but darker
above. Birds that have not attained the fully adult plumage
have all the tail-feathers banded and traces of barring on the
breast.
Bill horny plumbeous; cere and orbits light yellow ; irides pale
straw-colour ; legs and feet orange-yellow.
Length of a female 12 ; tail 5*4 ; wing 7*5 ; tarsus 1-6 ; bill
from gape 0'8. The third quill is longest, fourth slightly shorter.
Distribution. Southern China to the Malay Peninsula and Archi-
pelago as far as New Guinea, and in Southern Tenasserim. A
specimen was obtained by Bingham near the Thoungyin Eiver,
almost west of Moulmein, another at Malewoon by Davison, and a
third on Car Nicobar by the ' Novara ' Expedition.
Habits, fyc. A forest bird. The specimen shot by Bingham had
been feeding on lizards and frogs. JSIidification not known.
Genus LOPHOSPIZIAS, Kaup, 1844.
Similar to Astur, except that there is a small crest formed by
the nuchal feathers being somewhat lengthened, and the lower
surface in adults is differently marked. There are two species,
one of which is peculiar to Celebes, the other is Indian.
LOPHOSPIZiAS. 401
1246. Lophospizias trivirgatus. The Crested Gotthawl.
Falco trivirgatus, Temm. PL Col. pi. 303 (1824).
Spizaetus rufitinctus, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 153.
Astur indicus, Hpdgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc.y. 81 (1844), descr.nulla.
Lophospiza trivirgatus, Kaup, Class. Sdugth. Vbg. p. 118; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 116 ; Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 855 ; ix, p. 299.
Astur trivirgatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 23 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 42 ; Beavan,
-r-fc rw rv -\r\nr\ or\ j rvt *~* -»-» -m «- • , .,- •-£
in Hume's N.
Astur
rume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 119 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 22.
jtur (Lophospiza) trivirgatus, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 47 ; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 92 ; Hartert, J.f. O. 1889, p. 375.
Lophospizias trivirgatus, Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 355 ; id. S. F. v,
p. 502 : Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 62 : Salvadori, Ann. Mus.
Civ. Gen. (2) vii. p. 374.
Lophospiza indica, Hume fy Oates, S. F. iii, p. 24 ; Hume $ Inglis.
S. F. v, p. 8.
Lophospiza rufitinctus, Hume, S. F. v, p. 124 ; Hume & Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 7.
Astur rufitinctus, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 197 ; xi, p. 7 ; id. Cat. no. 22 bis.
Gor Besra, Manik Besra, Koteswar, II.; Churinri, Jamal Kathi, Jurye
Nepal ; Kokila dega, Tel.
Coloration. Adult. Forehead, crown, and small nuchal crest
blackish, passing into ashy on the sides of the head and neck, the
feathers dark-shafted ; cheeks and ear-coverts ashy ; upper parts
from the nape dark brown with more or less gloss ; upper tail-
coverts tipped white ; quills with blackish bars, ill-marked above,
distinct below ; tail-feathers with 4 broad blackish bands ; chin and
throat white with 3 blackish stripes, one median and one on each
side bordering the grey cheeks ; breast- feathers rufous-brown,
paler or darker, with white edges, the amount of brown apparently
increasing with age ; abdomen and thigh -coverts transversely
barred white and brown, the bars broader on the abdomen than on
the thighs ; under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts buffy
white with brown spots.
Young birds are brown above, the feathers with pale edges and
the buff basal portions showing on the head and neck ; lower sur-
faces buff, with indications of the three gular stripes, and with
some brown spots on the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts,
and a few dark bars on the thigh-coverts.
Bill dark bluish brown, blackish at the tip ; cere, gape, and eyelids
greenish yellow ; irides golden yellow ; legs and feet dull or pale
yellow.
Himalayan females measure : length about 18 inches ; tail 8-5 ;
wing 1O5 ; tarsus 2'75 ; bill from gape 1*2 : males rather less,
wing 9*3. Birds from Southern India and Ceylon are much
smaller — length of females about 16 ; tail 7 ; wing 8*5 ; tarsus 2'3 ;
bill from gape 1*1 : of males, length 14-5, wing 8. The large race
is L. vufitinctus of McClelland and L. indicus of Hodgson ; the
smaller agrees with typical L. trivirgatus, originally described from
Sumatra. As there is no distinction except size, this is clearly
VOL. m. 2 D
402 FALCONIDJS.
one of the numerous instances in which Northern Indian birds
are much larger than their South Indian, Ceylonese, and Malay
representatives ; and, as Mr. Gurney has shown, both forms vary
in size and pass into each other.
Distribution. The great forests and hilly tracts of India, Ceylon,
and Burma, the Malay Peninsula, Cambodia, Sumatra, Java,
Borneo, the Philippines, Formosa, and probably Southern China
and Siam. In India generally this is a rare bird. It has been
recorded from the Himalayas as far west as Kumaun, and Butler
believed he saw an individual at Mount Abu.
Habits, $c. A forest bird, living chiefly in high trees, and feeding
on small birds and lizards. It has a shrill whistling call. The
nest has been found on a high tree in Sikhim on May 2nd and in
Travancore in April, and contained in one case two eggs, in the
other two young birds. The eggs were pale greenish white and
measured 2 by 1*4 inches.
Genus ACCIPITER, Brisson, 1760.
This genus, to which the true Sparrow-Hawks belong, is separated
from Astur on account of the much greater length and slenderness
of the tarsi and toes. The middle toe is especially long, projecting
far beyond the others. The bill from the gape is about one-third the
length of the tarsus and about one-half the middle toe with the claw.
The genus Accipiter is almost cosmopolitan and comprises about
25 species, of which two are Indian.
Key to the Species.
a. No gular stripe ; 5 or 6 dark bars, one terminal,
on 4th quill in adults A. nisus, p. 402.
b. Generally a dark gular stripe; 7 or 8 dark bars
on 4th quill in adults A. virgatus, p. 404.
1247. Accipiter nisus. The Sparrow-Hawk.
Falco nisus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 130 (1766).
Falco nisosimilis, Tickett, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 571 (1833).
Accipiter subtypicus, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844), descr.
nulla.
Accipiter nisus, Blyth, Cat. p. 21 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 35 ; Jerdon,
B. I i, p. 51 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 243 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 124 ;
id. N. 8f E. p. 25 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 132 ; Hume, S. F. iv,
p. 280; xi, p. 7 ; id. Cat. no. 24; Hume & Dav. S. F. vi, p. 10;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 181 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 122 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom, p. 24.
Accipiter melanoschistus, Hume, Ibis, 1869, p. 356 ; id. Rough Notes,
p. 128 ; Blanf. S. F. v, p. 482 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 333 ; id. Cat.
no. 24 bis ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 41.
The European Sparrow-Hawk, Jerdon ; Basha $ , Bashin * $ , H. ;
Warnapa dega, Tel.
* As noticed by Blyth, J. A. S. B. xix, p. 331, Basha is a masculine noun and,
it may be added, Bashin is feminine. It is not probable that native falconers
mistake the sex of Hawks, as they evidently know those of Falcons.
ACCIPITER. 403
Coloration. Adult male. Upper parts slaty grey, some birds
darker than others, the white bases of the feathers showing more
or less on the nape and supercilia ; feathers of scapulars, rump,
and upper tail-coverts, and sometimes of the back, dark-shafted;
quills dark brown above, whitish beneath, with broad blackish cross-
bands ; tail generally with 4 (sometimes 5) cross-bars on the
middle feathers, 5 or 6 on the outer, the last bar broadest and sub-
termmal, tips of feathers white ; lower parts white or buff, the
feathers more or less distinctly dark-shafted ; breast and flanks
very often suffused with rusty red, the throat with a few dark
shaft-lines; the breast, abdomen, and thigh-coverts rather irre-
gularly barred with rufous-brown, the bars usually as broad as the
interspaces, but in very old birds either rusty red or narrow and
dark brown ; under tail -coverts white.
Adult females are browner above, and less rufous beneath, with
the dark shafts to the feathers of the breast more conspicuous.
Young birds are brown above, the feathers with rufous edges at
first, the white very conspicuous on the nape and supercilia ; lower
parts white, buff, or brownish buff ; feathers of the breast, abdomen,
and lower wing-coverts with dark shafts and spade- or heart-shaped
rufous-brown spots with dark edges ; these spots pass into bars.
Bill bluish grey ; cere, legs, and toes yellow, claws black ; irides
yellow in young birds, orange in old.
Sexes very different in size. Length of female about 15 ; tail 7 ;
wing 9*5 ; tarsus 2*4 ; mid toe without claw 1*6 ; bill from gape
•85 : in the male, length about 13; tail 6-5 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 2-1.
Distribution. Throughout Europe and Northern Asia ; a winter
visitant to the Peninsula of India, China, and Northern Africa.
It is found in the Indian Peninsula in jungly and well wooded
hilly tracts, not in dense forest nor in very open country ; it is
rare in Burma, and has not been hitherto obtained in Ceylon. It
is resident and breeds on the Himalayas ; the Himalayan race, which
is rather large (wing in females 10 to 10*5) and very dark-coloured
above, in females especially, having been distinguished by Hume
as melanoschistus. This form, however, cannot be regarded as more
than a variety.
Habits, $c. The Sparrow -Hawk is everywhere known for its
swiftness and courage ; it keeps principally to woodland tracts and
glides amongst trees and bushes with marvellous ease. It feeds
chiefly on birds and captures them up to the size of a pigeon. It
is easily trained, and the female has been taught to take partridges
and sand-grouse, but is generally used for smaller prey. It breeds
in the Himalayas in May and June, builds a rough nest of sticks
on a tree, or takes possession of a deserted crow's nest, and lays
usually 4 eggs, but sometimes as many as 6 or 7. These are bluish
white, oval, much spotted and blotched with rufous-brown, especially
towards the broader end, and measure about 1'7 by 1'3.
2D2
404 FALCONIDjE.
1248. Accipiter virgatus. The Besra Sparrow-Hawk.
Falco virgatus, Reinw., Temm. PI. Col. pi. 109 (1824).
Accipiter besra, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 84 (1839) ; id. Ill,
Ind. Orn. pis. 4, 29.
Accipiter affinis, Hodgson in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844), descr.
nulla.
Accipiter nisoides, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 727 (1847) ; id. Cat.
p. 22 ; id. Ibis, 1865, p. 28 ; 1866, p. 239 ; 1870, p. 158 ; Stoliczka,
J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 13.
Accipiter virgatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 22 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 37 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 52 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 230 ; Hume,
Rough Notes, p. 132 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 243 ; Holdsivorth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 368 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 141 ;
iii, p. 445 ; iv, p. 280 ; ix, p. 231 ; xi, p. 8; id. Cat. no. 25 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. i, p. 150 ; Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 62 ; Gurney,
Ibis, 1875, p. 480 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. 8. 1875, p. 19; Butler, S. F.
v, p. 226 ; HumeSf £><*»• S. F. vi, p. 10 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 197 ;
Sharpe, S. F. viii, p. 440 ; Gurney, ihid. p. 443 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 26 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 475 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 6 ; Davison,
ibid. p. 335; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 182 ; id. i™ ^me's N. $ E. 2nd ed.
iii, p. 124 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 24.
Astur gularis, Temm. $ Schl. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 5, pi. 2 (1845-50).
Teraspizias rhodogastra, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 62 ; nee Nisus rhodo-
gaster, Schleg. ; Gurney, Ibis, 1876, p. 278.
Besra ? , Dhoti $ , Khand Besra, Khandesra, II. ; Vaishtapa Dega,
Tel. ; Urchitlu, Can. ; Ukissa, Cing.
Coloration. Adult male. Above slaty grey, generally dark, occa-
sionally blackish ; nuchal feathers and scapulars white at the base ;
sides of head paler than crown and rufescent; quills brownish
grey above, whitish below, with broad dark cross-bars almost
throughout, 7 or 8, including the terminal band, on 4th quill ; tail
dark ashy above, paler below, with 4 broad black cross-bands on all
feathers except the outer pair, which have five or six narrower
oblique bars, that disappear in old birds ; throat white, generally
with a broad dark median band, but this is wanting in some aged
specimens ; upper breast rufescent, the feathers in the middle with
dark shafts and white edges ; lower breast, abdomen, and thigh-
coverts banded white and rufescent brown, but generally suffused
with rusty red, especially on the breast and flanks, to such an
extent as partially or wholly to conceal the bars ; in very old birds
the breast becomes pale rufescent or even lavender-grey and the
barring scarcely perceptible ; vent and lower tail-coverts always
white.
Adult females differ in being dark brown above ; the crown and
nape above blackish or dark slaty ; wings and tail browner than
in males ; the throat is white, with a broad dark median stripe :
upper breast mostly rufous-brown, only the sides of the feathers in
the middle of the breast white, and the brown medial parts of the
same often mixed with blackish ; lower breast, abdomen, and thigh-
coverts banded rufous-brown and white, the brown bands growing
very broad and the white narrow in old birds ; a ferruginous suffu-
sion is occasionally found as in males, but appears to be rare.
. PEBNIS. 405
Young birds brown above, the feathers with rufous margins ;
beneath buff or brownish white, a dark brown median band on the
throat, and large brown spots on the breast, abdomen, and thigh-
coverts, most elongate on the breast. The spots on the lower
parts are replaced by bars as the bird grows older.
The Besra is a variable species and undergoes several changes in
coloration before it becomes adult, hence many doubts have arisen
as to whether one or more species are included.
Bill leaden grey, blackish at the tip ; cere pale lemon-yellow; irides
bright yellow, orange in old birds ; legs and feet yellow.
A Himalayan female measures : — length 14*5 ; tail 7 ; wing 8 ;
tarsus 2*15; mid toe 1'5 ; bill from gape *7 : the male is smaller,
tail 5, wing 6'75. In Ceylon, Tenasserim, and Andaman females
the wing is 7 to 7*6 long, in males 5'5 to 6-4. As usual, Northern
birds are larger than Southern, Japan and Chinese specimens
being even larger than Himalayan, according to Gurnev*s measure-
ments. The larger Northern race is A. gularig. Probably the
•Chinese, Malay, and Philippine A. stevensoni is only a variety.
Distribution. A resident throughout the Himalayas, and in the
great forests of the Peninsula and Ceylon, wandering occasionally
into other parts of the country, as young birds have been recorded
•even from Sambhar and Cutch. It has also been found occasion-
ally in Assam and in various parts of Burma, Japan, China, South-
eastern Asia generally, and the Indo -Malay an islands.
Habits, $c. A forest-hawk living on small birds chiefly, but also
on lizards and insects. It is highly esteemed for sporting purposes
by native falconers on account of its speed, courage, and endurance,
and is thought by them superior to A. nisus. Very little is known
of the breeding, but the nest has been taken by Mr. Gammie in
$ikhim and by Mr. H. Parker in Ceylon. Both nest and eggs
resemble those of A. nisus.
Genus PERNIS, Cuvier, 1817.
The Honey-Buzzards are distinguished from all other Accipitrine
birds by having the lores and sides of the head, like the forehead and
chin, covered with small scale-like feathers, without any bristles
or bristly ends. This dense covering probably serves as a protec-
tion against the stings of bees and wasps, the combs and young of
which form the principal food of the genus.
The bill is weak, rather elongate, not much hooked at the end,
and with a small festoon or none ; nostrils long, narrow, and oblique,
the upper margin membranous. Wings long, 3rd and -J
subequal and longest, oth very little shorter. Tail moderately long,
slightly rounded. Tarsus short, stout, plumed halfway down u
front, the naked portion covered all round with small subhexag
non-imbricate scales ; toes long, covered above with bony t
verse shields, all divided except the last two or three ; claws ong,
slightly curved, middle claw somewhat dilated on the inner side.
Honey-Buz/ards occur throughout most parts of Europe, Asia,
and Africa, and one species is Indian. A second, described by
406
Hume as P. tweeddalii (S. F. ix, p. 446 ; x, pp. 122, 573, plate), was
founded on specimens from the Malay Peninsula and was at first
regarded as identical with P. bracJiypterus, the type of which was
sent to Blyth by Captain Berdmore from Mergui. But the de-
scription of P. brachypterus would apply equally well to a young
P. cristatus, and until an unmistakable specimen is obtained from
Tenasserim, P. tweeddalii cannot be included amongst Burmese birds.
1249. Pernis cristatus. The Crested Honey-Buzzard.
Buteo cristatus, CUD., Vieill Tall. Enc. Meth., Orn. p. 1225 (March
1823).
Falco ptilorhynchus, Temm. PL Col pi. 44 (July 1823).
Pernis cristata, Cuv. Regne An. ed. 2, i, p. 335 (1829) ; Jerdon,
Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 73 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 18 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i,
p. 63 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 108 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 330 ; Blyth,
Ibis, 1870, p. 160; id. S. F. i, p. 103 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 80;
Adam, S. F. i, p. 369 ; Brooks, J. A. 8. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 243.
Pernis ptilorhynchus, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 2, p. 44, pi. 35 ;
Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 414 ; Hume, N. fy E. p. 55 ; Butler, S. F*
iii, p. 448 ; Blyth fy Wold. Birds Burm. p. 60 ; Fairbank, S. F.
iv, p. 253 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 23 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 200 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 57 ; Butler, 8. F. ix, p. 375 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1880,
j>. 203 ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 13 ; Damson, ibid. p. 340 ; Oates, B. B.
li, p. 207 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 16 j Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 57 ;
Oates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 181.
Pernis elliotti, Jameson, Mem. Wern. Soc. vii, p. 493 (1838), descr.
nulla ; Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 74.
Pernis brachypterus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxi, p. 436 (1852) ; Hume,
8. F. iii, p. 36 ; id. Cat. no. 57 bis.
Pernis ptilonorhynchus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 347 ; Legye, Birds
Ceyl. p. 89.
Shahutela, Madkdre, H. ; Madhava, Nepal ; Tenu gedda, Tel. ; Ten
prandu, Tarn. ; Jen alawa, Can. ; lutalu, Yerkli ; Malsuwari, Mhari,
All names having reference to honey.
Fig. 98.— Head of P. cristatus, |.
Coloration very variable. The adult plumage most commonly
seen is the following : forehead, lores, sides of head, including ear-
coverts and chin, ashy grey (the extent varies), passing gradually
into the dark brown of the neck, body, and wings ; sometimes there
is a small nuchal crest of black or brown ovate feathers. Blackish
shaft-stripes frequently occur on the crown, neck, back, wing-
coverts, and breast, or on some of them. Primaries brown outside,
whity brown inside, with black ends and two blackish bands. Tail
PERNIS. 407
black or blackish brown ; the narrow tip, a broad band 2 to 3
inches wide about the middle, and a narrower half-inch band just
beyond the coverts pale greyish brown.
The ashy grey of the head is sometimes wanting, the brown of
the upper surface is not always uniform, and the lower surface is
often lighter than the upper, and is in many birds spotted or trans-
versely banded with white ; the throat may be light brown mixed
with white, or mainly white, and is not unfrequently marked with
three blackish longitudinal stripes, generally united behind.
In young birds the crown and nape are light rufous with dark
shaft-stripes and white bases, the latter usually conspicuous \
occasionally the whole head is white with blackish stripes ; the upper
parts are brown, the feathers more or less edged with white ; quills
and tail very irregularly mottled and barred with ashy brown ;
lower parts either pure white with or without dark brown lon-
gitudinal stripes or drops, or pale or dark brown with blackish
shaft-stripes. The crest is generally well developed, but the crest-
feathers are only about | to ^ inch longer than the others.
" In most birds in a transition state the feathers of the lower
parts are banded brown and white, especially on the lower abdomen,
thigh-coverts, &c., and some of these feathers are generally to be
found at all ages " (Jerdon).
Hume has pointed out that the adults may always be known by
the broad pale cross-band on the tail not being barred though it
may be mottled.
Bill blackish, gape and base of lower mandible bluish ; cere deep
leaden colour ; iris golden yellow, brownish yellow, or red ; legs and
feet yellow.
mid-
smaller. _
Ceylon, and Burma are smaller than those from Northern India.
Distribution. Almost throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, in
suitable places ; also in Siam, Cochin China, the Philippine Islands,
the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. This bird is only
found in 'the Himalayas below about 4000 feet, and it is in these
mountains rare to the eastward, though specimens were obtained
by Mandelli in Sikhim ; it occurs in the Punjab, but has not been
observed in Sind. It is most common in well-wooded and well-
watered tracts. It is partially at all events migratory in Ceylon,
and probably in parts of India. It is rare in Tenasserim, but less
so in Pegu and Upper Burma.
Habit*, $c. The Crested Honey-Buzzard lives amongst trees and n
occasionally seen soaring above them. Its flight is direct and
hurried rather than quick, and it seldom flies far, except when soann
It feeds principally on the combs of bees —eating hon.-\ . wax. HI
larrce,— also on bees themselves, on other insects, on r€
and it is said on the eggs and young of small birds,
means a shy bird, and is often found living and even breeding i
well-wooded gardens and in groves around houses. It to
April to July in Northern India, builds a nest of sticks thickly
408
lined with leaves or grass (often with green leaves) on a fork of a
tree, and lays usually two eggs, but sometimes only one, broad oval
in shape, white or buff thickly mottled and blotched with blood-red,
reddish or yellowish brown, and measuring about 2'03 by 1*72.
Genus MACHJERHAMPHUS, Westerman, 1848.
This remarkable genus has been placed by ornithologists gene-
rally near Pernis, which it resembles in its densely feathered lores.
At the same time the peculiar very compressed bill a ad wide gape
.and the long unequal toes and claws show the present to be a very
aberrant and specialized form. It comprises two species — one
inhabiting South Africa and Madagascar, the other a Malay bird
found also in Southern Tenasserim.
The bill is small and excessively compressed anteriorly, so that
the sharply curved culmen forms a narrow keel; cere very thin
and inconspicuous, the feathering of the lores extending almost to
the elongate narrow quasi-longitudinal nostril. Gape very broad.
A nuchal crest present. Feathers of lores dense but not scale-
like, without bristles in the Indian species. Wings long, the 3rd
quill longest ; tail moderate, square, lower tail-coverts long. Tarsus
only feathered at the base in front, naked portion reticulated ; toes
very long, unequal, outer much longer than inner, but the inner
-claw much larger than the outer and nearly equal to the hind claw,
middle claw slightly dilated on the inner side.
1250. Machserhamphus alcinus. The Slender-billed Pern.
Machserhamphus alcinus, Westerm. Bijd. t. d. Dierk. i, p. 30, pi.
(1848) ; Sharps, Cat B. M. \, p. 342 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 269 ;
id. Cat. no. 57 ter ; Hume 8r Dav. S. F. vi} p. 24 ; Gurney, Ibis,
1879, p. 464 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 206.
Coloration. Black more or less tinged with brown, except the
feathers on the upper and lower eyelids and on the throat and middle
•of the breast, which are white : a black stripe from the chin down
the middle of the throat. In some specimens, probably immature,
there is more white on the breast, and indications of bars on the
tail-feathers, and a Malacca skin shows a narrow white collar.
Bill black ; cere very thin (apparently black) ; irides bright
yellow ; legs and feet pale plumbeous (Davison).
Length of a male 18 ; tail 7 ; wing 14'4 ; tarsus 2-4 ; mid-toe
without claw 1-9 ; bill from gape 1*8.
Distribution. Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and New Guinea ; a single
specimen was obtained by Mr. Hough at Malewoon in the extreme
south of Tenasserim. Nothing is known of the habits, but the bird
is very probably crepuscular.
Genus BAZA, Hodgson, 1836.
This is another generic type the relations of which are very
doubtful. It has been referred by different naturalists to the Kites,
to the Falcons, and to the Honey-Buzzards.
BAZA. 409
There is a long nuchal crest of but few feathers. The hili is
stout, the culmen well curved, and the cutting-edge of the uj.|>« r
mandible furnished in adults with two teeth or projecting angles
on each side (in young birds the tooth is often single) ; the cere
is small ; nostrils narrow, slightly oblique, with the upper border
membranous. Wings moderate, the 3rd or 4th quill longest;
tail extending beyond the closed wings, square at the end. Feathers
on anterior part of flanks very long, covering the sides of the
abdomen. Tarsus short, feathered in front for half its length or
rather more, naked parts reticulated ; toes scutellate above ; middle
toe about as long as the tarsus, outer toes subequul.
This genus is found in Africa and Madagascar, the Oriental region
and parts of the Australian. About a dozen species are known, of
which three occur within our limits.
Key to the Species.
a. Upper plumage chiefly black ; 3rd quill longest. B. lophotes, p. 409.
b. Upper plumage brown ; 4th quill longest.
a'. Sides of throat rufous in adults ; wing1 13 . . It.jerdvni, p. 411.
b'. Sides of throat grey in adults ; wing- 12 .... 11. ceylonensia, p. 411.
Fig. 00.— Head of B. lophotes, %.
1251. Baza lophotes. The Black-crested Baza.
Falco lophotes, Temm. PL Col pi. 10 (1824).
Falco lathami, J. E. Gray in Griff. An. King, vi, p. 30 (1829).
Baza syama, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. V, p. 777 (1836) ; vi, p. 362.
Baza lophotes, G. R. Gray, List Gen. B. (1840) p. 4 ; J^don Madr.
Jour. L. S. xiii. pt. 2, p. 117; Blyth, Cat.v. 17; Layard,A.M. N.H.
(2) xii, p. 102 ; Horsf. # to. Cat. i, p. 62 ; Jerdon, B. 1. 1, p. Ill L ;
Hume] Rou<)h Notes, p. 337 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. 8. B. van, pt 2,
p. 93; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 352; Myth, li<r<l* Burm. p. 60;
Inffld, JS. F. v, p. 15 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 24 ; AMM, Cat.
no 58; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 101; ix, p. 145 ; LyeJSMt Ceyl.
p. 98 ; Oates, JS. B. ii, p. 208 ; Hume $ Cripp*, S. F. xi, p. 16;
Hauxwell, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vii, p. -10:'..
Coloration. Adult. Head and neck all round with long nuchal
crest, and upper plumage generally, including the wings
410
black ; the inner portion of the scapulars and a band across the
tertiaries white ; some ferruginous red on the tertiaries and some-
times on the scapulars below the white, also on the outer webs of
the later primaries and earlier secondaries ; lower surface of quills,
of larger under wing-coverts and of tail-feathers ashy, except the
ends of the primaries and subterminal patch on some of the tail-
feathers, which are blackish ; a broad white gorget, followed by a
black band more or less mixed with ferruginous ; lower breast and
long feathers on the flanks buff with ferruginous cross-bars ;
abdomen, posterior flanks, and lower tail-coverts black.
In younger birds there is much more ferruginous red and rather
more white on the scapulars and quills, the upper surface and
throat are duller black, the dark pectoral band behind the white
gorget is mostly ferruginous red, and the red bands on the long
feathers of the flanks are faint or wanting.
Bill horny plumbeous, tipped brownish above and whitish below ;
cere, legs, and feet dull leaden blue ; irides purplish brown ; claws
horny (Bingham).
A. male measures : length about 12-5 ; tail 5*5 ; wing 9 ; tarsus
1*1 ; mid-toe 1*2; bill from gape 1. Females are rather larger:
length 13 ; wing 9-9.
Distribution. The base of the Himalayas as far west as Nepal,
Assam, Cachar, Manipur, Arrakan, Tenasserirn, Cochin China and
the Malay Peninsula, and in Ceylon. This bird is also occasionally
killed near Calcutta (according to Blyth in the rainy season) ; a
specimen was once shot by Jerdon near Nellore. According to
both Blyth and Jerdon, B. lophotes occurs sparingly throughout
India, but it appears doubtful whether it has ever been met with
near the west coast. Ball has not recorded it from Chutia Nag-
pur, and I never saw nor heard of it in the Central Provinces nor
in the Bombay Presidency. It breeds in Assam and Burma ; but
is regarded by Legge as probably a cold-weather migrant in
Ceylon.
Habits, fyc. A denizen of high tree-forest, this, one of the most
beautiful of Accipitrine birds, appears to be nowhere common.
It is somewhat gregarious, has a sharp kite-like cry, and lives
mainly on insects, though a lizard is said in one case to have been
found in its stomach. Very little is known of the nidification :
Mr. Cripps obtained a nest containing two young birds in Upper
Assam on June 21st, and Colonel Bingham saw two adults feeding
a young bird near the Thouiigyin, Tenasserim, on August llth;
but quite recently Mr. Hauxwell obtained a nest with three eggs,
also in the Thoimgyin valley, on April 30th. The nest was
about a foot in diameter, formed of twigs, with a slight central
depression lined with fresh leaves. The eggs were hard-set, chalky
white in colour, and broad ovals, measuring on an average 1-5
by 1-25.
This and other species of Baza, have the habit, when seated, of
erecting their crests almost vertically.
BAZA. J 1 1
1252. Baza jerdoni. BlytKs Baza.
? Falco lathami, apud Tickell, J.A.S. B. ii, p. 569 (1833), nee Gran •
Waldeti, Ibis, 1876, p. 340.
Lophastur jerdoni, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 464 (1842) ; xv, p. 4.
Aviceda sunaatrensis, Lafr. Rev. Zoo/. 1848, p. 210.
Baza jerdoni, Blyth, Cat. p. 18; Sharpe, Ibis, 1893, p. 557.
Baza sumatrensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 357, pi. xi, tig. 1 ; Hwne,
S. F. iii, p. 313 ; vii, p. 198 note ; Hume # Dav. S. F. vi, p. i'.'. ;
Hume, Cat. no. 58 bis; Gttrney, S. F. viii, p. 444; id. Ibis, 1880,
p. 471 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 209.
Baza incognita, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 314 (1875).
Coloration. Adult. Middle of crown and the long Spizactus-\\\n-
crest black ; forehead, supercilia, sides of neck, and hind-neck deep
rufous with black streaks ; lores grey with black bristles ; upper
parts from the neck dark brown ; scapulars and upper tail-
coverts with broad dark ends; quills and tail-feathers lighter
brown, with broad blackish subterminal bands and narrower bands
further up — 4 or 5 altogether, including the last, on the quills,
and 3 on the tail ; lower surface of quills and tail-feathers whitish,
and the dark bands, except the last two on the quills and the last
on the tail, indistinct ; chin, throat, and middle of breast white,
with a narrow median black line on the throat ; sides of throat and
of upper breast rufous ; lower breast and abdomen with broad
alternating cross-bars of dark rufous and white.
Younger birds are paler throughout and have four distinct tail-
bands ; the head and neck are pale rufous above with black shaft-
stripes, the dorsal feathers and upper wing- coverts have pale
rufous edges ; the crest-feathers have a long white tip. Tin-
median dark band to the throat is often wanting ; the throat and
breast are pale rufous with white edges to the feathers, and the
lower breast and abdomen are banded with pale rufous. There is
probably also a still younger (nestling) plumage, described by
Blyth as resembling beneath that of a young Accipiter, and the
" mesial dark streak, flanked with whitish, may be traced almost to
the vent."
Length of a male 18-5; tail 9 ; wing 13; tarsus T45; mid-tot
without claw 1-5 ; bill from gape 1'35.
Bill and cere blackish ; irides bright yellow ; legs and feet white
slightly tinged with blue (//«//").
Distribution. Sikhim, Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra.
If TickelPs Falco lathami was this bird, as is very probable, a speci-
men was once obtained in South-western Bengal (Manbhoom).
This is a very rare species, only one specimen has been recorded
from Sikhira and one from Tenasserim.
1253. Baza ceylonensis. £#/</«'* Baza.
Baza ceylonensis, Ltgge, S. F. iv, p. 247 (187«) ; id. Bird* Op/on,
p. 94, pi. iii; Whyte, S. F. v, p. 202; Hume S. t. vn, p. 151 ;
id. Cat. no. 58 ter ; Gurney, S.t. viii, p. 444; id. Ibu, 1
p. 470 ; Bliyh, Ibis, 1885, p. 362 ; 1887, p. 419.
412 FALCONIDjE.
This bird is closely allied to B. jerdoni, and appears to be dis-
tinguished only by having the upper breast and sides of the throat
in adults rufescent grey instead o£ rufous, and by smaller size.
Young birds (nestlings) have pale rufous imperfect bands on the
lower breast and abdomen.
Bill blackish leaden, cere brownish black ; irides orange ; legs
and feet dull dirty white (BligTi).
Length 16'5 inches ; tail 8 ; wing 12.
Distribution. The forests of the Central Province, Ceylon. A
single young specimen was obtained by Mr. Darling in the
Wynaad in October.
This also is a very rare species. When more specimens are
available for comparison, it is highly probable that the present
will prove to be only a small variety of B. jerdoni.
Habits, $c. Mr. Bligh in Ceylon found a large lizard in the
stomach of one bird, and he observed two others evidently pairing
in April, but they went away without nesting.
Genus PALCO, Linn., 1766.
This genus comprises the typical Falcons,' birds that have, from
time immemorial, been trained to hunt and capture various kinds
of winged game and even mammals. They have great powers of
flight, and are very courageous, most of them readily attacking
and overcoming birds of size superior to their own. Their method
of attack is to gain a higher position by superior powers of flight,
and then to descend, or swoop, on their prey with great rapidity.
The blow is always given with the hind claw, never, as represented
by some painters, with the bill, and a mallard has been found
with its back ripped from end to end by the force of a Peregrine's
blow. The attack of a Falcon, which swoops from above, is quite
different from that of a Goshawk or Sparrow-Hawk, which attacks
from below or by surprise.
The wing in the Peregrine, Shahin, and Barbary Ealcons is
pointed, the second quill longest, the first exceeding the third ; but
in F. jugger and F. feldeggi (the Lanner) the first and third quills
are subequal, and in F. cherrug and F. milvipes the third is longer
than the first. In the Peregrine and its allies the first primary
alone has a notch on the inner web, but the second primary is
occasionally notched in F. jugger and almost always in F. cherrug.
Tn these characters of the wing the Hobbies resemble the
Peregrine.
The bill is stout and strongly toothed inside the hooked tip,
often with a blunt festoon behind the tooth ; the nostril is circular
with a central tubercle. Tarsus about equal to the middle toe
without claw, or a little shorter, the upper part plumed in
front, the naked portion covered with small hexagonal scales : the
toes very long, covered with transverse scales above ; claws curved
and sharp. The tail is of moderate length, well rounded at the
end.
FALCO. 11 :;
Falcons have been variously arranged by different writers. The
Hobbies are by some divided off as fltoofribreftit; and Sharpe has
placed F. cherrug and F. milvi/ies with their allies the Gyrfalcons in
the genus Hierofalco. I should have followed this arrangement
but that F. jugger is exactly intermediate in structure, as it is in
plumage, between the Peregrine group and F. cherrug. The genus
Falco is found over the greater part of the world, and contains
about 30 species, of which 8 are Indian.
Keif to the Species.
a. Larger Falcons with ong toes ; mid-toe
without claw over 17o*.
a'. 1st primary longer than the 3rd; upper
parts ashy grey in adults.
a". Cheek-stripe broader than eye; no
nuchal collar
a3. Crown dark grey, breast very slightly
rufous F. peregrinus, p. 413.
b3. Crown blackish, breast generally deep
rufous F. peregrinator, p. 415.
b". Cheek-stripe narrow, a buff nuchal
collar ; head ashy grey or rufous .... F. barbarw, p. 417.
b'. 1st primary subequal to 3rd or shorter ;
upper parts not ashy grey.
c". Adults not banded above.
A distinct narrow cheek-stripe ;
middle tail-feathers entirely brown
in adults F. jugger, p. 419.
d?. No cheek-stripe ; middle tail-feathers
usually brown, with white spots on
both webs F. cherruy, p. 420.
d". Adults banded with rufous on back,
wings, and tail F. milvijjes, p. 421.
b. Small Falcons with shorter toes; mid-toe
without claw not over 1-6.
c'. Breast white or buff with brown streaks . F. subbuteo, p. 422.
d'. Breast deep rufous, unspotted in adults . . F. severus, p. 423.
1254. Falco peregrinus. TJie Peregrine Falcon.
Falco peregrinus, TunstaU, Ornitk. Brit. p. 1 (1771) ;-Blyfh, Cat.
p 13; Horsf. 8c M. Cat. i, p. 16 ; Jerdon, Madr:Jour. L. S. x,p. /9 ;
id B I i, p. 21 ; Blyth, Ibis, 186(5, p. 234 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
; :49; JerL, his/1871, p.' 237 ; W Radcliffe ibid, p ..MB;
A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 677; 1875, p. 18 : Hume, & 1. i,
p. 151; ii, p. 140; iii, pp. 19, 442 ; iv, pp 279, 460 ; M i> . J;
id. Cat. no. 8; Hume $ Sflt. S. F. vi, ?. 1 ; 8*Uy, S. I . vi.i.
p. 221 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 29 ; Sutler, ibid. p. 3/0; &HK Birds
Ceyl. p. 101 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 39; Scully, ibid. p. 416;
Gumey, Ibis, 1 882, p. 203 ; Hume $ bav. S. F. x, p. 333 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 214 ; Barm*. />'i>'ds Bom. p. 9.
* The mid-toe is always measured from the joint at the distal end of the
tarsus to the base of the claw, not from the division between the toes.
414
Falco communis, Gm. Syst. Nat. p. 270 (1788) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
i, p. 376 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 196.
Falco calidus, Lath. 2nd. Orn. i, p. 41 (1790) ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 7.
Bhyri $, Bhyri bacha <$, H. ; Bhyri dega, Tel.; Dega, Yerkli:
Falcon £ , Tiercel c? , of British Falconers.
Coloration. Adult. Above bluish grey, darker on the head and
nape, pale on the rump and upper tail-coverts; feathers of the head
and nape, the scapulars, and sometimes other parts of the upper
plumage dark-shafted, and all feathers except those of the head
and hind-neck with dark cross-bands ; forehead whitish ; a broad
cheek-stripe from beneath the eye black ; primaries blackish, the
inner webs, except near the end, closely barred with white ;
secondaries ashy grey with darker cross-bands ; tail dark grey or
blackish, with numerous ashy-grey cross-bars, closer together and
paler towards the base, extreme tip and borders near tip whitish ;
lower parts white with a rufous tinge, a few brown or black spots
on the lower breast and middle of the abdomen, and narrow dark
bars on the flanks, lower wing-coverts, thigh-coverts, and under
tail-coverts.
Young birds are very dark brown above, the feathers edged
with rufous, the buff bases of the feathers showing about the nape ;
the tail-feathers with about 6 transversely oval rufous spots on each
web, forming imperfect cross-bars ; primaries as in adults ; cheek-
stripe narrower; lower parts white, buff, or rufescent, spotted,
except on the throat, with broad brown elongate median stripes,
becoming broad spots on the flanks.
After the first moult Peregrines are brownish grey above and
gradually acquire a pure slaty-grey back. The spots and bars on
the lower parts are much broader at first and grow smaller and
narrower with age, the drops on the breast become narrow lines
and ultimately disappear altogether, the bands fade off the under
tail-coverts, and in very old birds only small scattered specks
remain on the abdomen and triangular markings on the thigh-
coverts. The general tint of the lower surface varies from almost
white to light rufous.
Bill bluish, black at tip ; cere yellow ; irides brown ; legs and
feet yellow.
Length of a female about 19 ; tail 7*5 ; wing 14*5 ; tarsus 2'1 ;
mid-toe without claw 2-25 ; bill from gape 1'3. Males are con-
siderably smaller: length about 16 ; wing 12*5.
Distribution. Almost worldwide. The Peregrine is a winter
visitor to Southern Asia, and is found in suitable places during the
winter throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, and even in the
Laccadive and Andaman Islands.
Habits, $c. The Peregrine is seldom found far from water, and
is most common on the sea-coast or near rivers and large swamps,
doubtless from the abundance of its prey, which consists largely
of ducks and waders ; pigeons, partridges, &c., are also captured
by the Peregrine. It is the largest and most powerful of Indian
FALCO. 415
Falcons, and although it is not so much esteemed by Indian
falconers as the next species, it is, or was formerly, trained in
India to strike herons, storks, cranes, and even in some cases
bustards. With one exception, observed by Layard near Jaffna
in Ceylon, the Peregrine has not been recorded as breeding in
India, accounts of its nesting in or near the Himalayas being
doubtful. It generally lays 3 or 4 reddish eggs, speckled or
blotched, in a stick nest on a cliff or sometimes on a tree.
1255. Falco peregrinator. The Shdhin Falcon.
Falco peregrinator, Sundev. Physiogr. Sallskapets Tidsk. i, p. 177,
pi. 4 (1837) ; id. A. M. N H. xviii, p. 454 (1846) ; Blyth, Cat.
y.U;Horsf.$M.Cat.i,ip.l8', Layard, A. 3f . JV. J5T. (2) xii, p. 102 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 25; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 55; A. Anderson,
P. Z. S. 1871, p. 678 ; 1875, p. 18 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 237 ;
Delme Radcliffe, ibid. p. 363 : Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 382 ; Hume,
N. $ E. p. 14 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 58 ; Walden, Ibis,
1876, p. 342 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 500 ; id. Cat. no. 9 ; Hume Sf Dav.
S. F. vi, p. 1 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 73 ; Ball, ibid. p. 196 ;
Legge, Bird* (.'eyl. p. 106; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 370; Reid, S. F. x,
p. 3 : Davison, ibid. p. 333 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 216 ; id. in Hume's
N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 184 ; Swinh. Sf Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 55 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 11 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 209.
Falco shaheen, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 81 (1839) ; id. Itt. Ind.
Om. pis. 12, 28.
Falco sultaneus, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844).
Falco atriceps, Hume, Rough Notes, p. 58 (1869) ; id. Ibis, 1871,
p. 24 ; Jerdon, ibid. p. 237 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 679 :
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 326 ; id. Cat. no. 9 bis ; Gurney, S. F. viii,
p. 423 ; id. Ibis, 1882, p. 291, pi. x ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E.
2nd ed, iii, p. 185.
Shdhin Kohi $ , Kohila c? , II. ; Jawolum, Tel. ; Wallur, Tarn.
Coloration. This Falcon is distinguished from the Peregrine at
all ages by its darker and almost black head and nape, and by the
deeper rufous of the lower surface, especially on the breast,
abdomen, and lower wing-coverts. The colour of the lower parts
varies, however, greatly ; in some birds, especially those from
Southern India, it is deep ferruginous or chestnut, whilst in many
Himalayan birds it is scarcely darker than in some (exceptional)
Peregrines. Except in very old birds there is almost always in
the present species some rufous sprinkled over the nape, owing to
there being a rufous band on the feathers between the black ends
and the white bases. In old birds of F. peregrinator all markings
disappear on the breast and abdomen, very narrow bars remaining
on the flanks alone ; and bars almost disappear on the pale ashy
feathers of the back, rump, and scapulars.
In young birds of the year the whole upper surface is almost
black, the feathers at first having rufous edges, which soon dis-
appear by wear ; there is some rufous on the nape ; and the tail is
marked with transverse oval rufous spots as in the Peregrine, but
they are more numerous ; the chin and throat are pale rufous and
416 FALCONIDJE.
unspotted, the breast and abdomen marked with longitudinal
drops, but the lower abdomen is sometimes unspotted.
The Himalayan birds have been separated by Hume as F. atri-
ceps, chiefly on account of the cheek-stripe being fused, in the type
specimen, into a black cap with the black of the crown and nape.
This, however, is merely an individual character. The Himalayan
race, as already remarked, is generally paler rufous below and the
abdomen is greyer (though by no means so grey as it is represented
in Gurney's figure in the ' Ibis '). The markings on the lower
parts, too, are more persistent.
Bill slaty blue, dark at the tip ; cere, orbits, and legs yellow ;
irides intense brown (Jerdon).
Length of a female about 18 inches; tail 6-5; wing 13; tarsus 2;
mid-toe without claw 2'1 ; bill from gape 1*25 : of a male, length
15 ; wing 11*5.
Distribution. A resident species in forests and well-wooded
tracts throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, but nowhere common
and in general very rare. The original type was captured at sea in
lat. 6° 20' N. between Ceylon and Sumatra, 70 Swedish miles (460
British) from the Nicobar Islands, but no specimens have as yet
been obtained in the Malay countries. West of India the Shahin
is said to be found in Afghanistan, and a rufous Falcon, perhaps
the same, is well known by the name Shahin to falconers in Persia,
Mr. A. Anderson records the capture of a male midway between
Bombay and Aden.
Habits, Sfc. This beautiful Falcon is chiefly found about rocky
hills in or near forest ; it preys on partridges, quails, and other
birds, but especially on pigeons and parroquets. It is somewhat
crepuscular, hunting in the early morning and late in the evening,
and it has been observed to kill bats and goatsuckers. This
is the Falcon most highly prized by Indian falconers, and the
following account of the method of hawking with it is taken from
Jerdon : —
" The Shabin is always trained for what, in the language of
Falconry, is called a standing gait, that is, is not slipped from the
hand at the quarry, but made to hover and circle high in the air
over the Falconer and party, and when the game is started, it then
makes its swoop, which it does with amazing speed. It is indeed
a beautiful sight to see this fine bird stoop on a partridge or
florikin, which has been flushed at some considerable distance
from it, as it often makes a wide circuit round the party. As
soon as the Falcon observes the game which has been flushed, it
makes two or three onward plunges in its direction, and then darts
down obliquely with half closed wings on the devoted quarry, with
more than the velocity of an arrow. The Shahin is usually
trained to stoop at partridges and florikin, also occasionally at
the stone-plover and the jungle-fowl. It will not hover in the
air so long as the Laggar, which, being of a more patient and
docile disposition, will stay up above an hour."
In his description of the Laggar, Jerdon writes :— " Laggars, as
FALOO. 417
well as Shakins, are always caught after they have left the nest
and have had some instruction by their parents, our native
falconers considering them better than when taken from the nest,
contrary, I believe, to the opinion of our English Adam Wood-
cocks " ; and again in the account of F. peregrinator : — " The Shahin
and other Falcons are usually caught by what is called the Eerwan.
This is a thin strip of cane of a length about equal to the expanse
of wings of the bird sought for. The ends of the stick are
smeared with bird-liine for several inches and a living bird is tied
to the centre of it. On observing the hawk, the bird, which has
its eyes sewn up to make it soar, is let loose, and the Falcon
pounces on it and attempts to carry it off, when the ends of its
wings strike the limed twig and it falls to the ground. The birds
usually selected for this purpose are doves."
The" nest of this Falcon, a mass of sticks, is always placed on a
cliff : the eggs are laid about March and April, and resemble those
of the Peregrine ; they are brownish yellow to brick-red in colour,
speckled and blotched with reddish brown, and they measure
about 2 by 1-63.
1256. Falco barbarus. The Barbary falcon.
Falco barbarus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 125 (1766) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1869,
p 184, pi. vi; Hume, S. F. i, p. 19; v, p. 140; id. Cat. no. 12
bis; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 386; Butler, S. F. vii, p. 174; id.
Ibis, 1889, p. 135 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 305; 1887, p. 158; id.
S. F. x, p. 480.
Falco pelegrinoides, Temm. PL Col. pi. 479 (1829).
Falco peregrinoides, Schl., Susemihl, Abbild. Vog. Eur. p. 39, pi. ix,
fig. 1 (1839) ; Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 ; Gray, Cat.
Mam. fyc. Coll. Hodgson, p. 44.
Falco babylonicus, Gurney, Ibis, 1861, p. 218, pi. vii ; Jerdon, B. I.
i p 32 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 79 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 240 ;
belme Radcl ibid. p. 366; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli,pt. 2, p. 230;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 387 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 311,
pi. 23 ; 1878, p. 2 ; Butler, S. F. vii, p. 179 ; Hume, tM*. pp. 196,
329; x, p. 515; id. Cat. no. 12; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 439 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 13 ; Littledale, Jour. Bom . N. H. Soc. i,
p. 194 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 151 ; Philott, Ibis, 1890, p. 467.
The Red-lieaded Lanner, Jerdon ; Skdhm, Safed Shdhin, Ldl-*ir Shdhin,
H. (Punjab).
Coloration. Forehead and lores buff; a varying portion of the
middle of the crown behind the forehead more or less rufous;
remainder of the crown ashy brown ; all coronal feathers with
dark shafts ; feathers round eye and narrow cheek-stripe blackish,
the latter mixed or bordered with rufous; sides of neck buff
broad nuchal collar rufous, often mixed with brown (occasions
nearly the whole crown and nape are light chestnut) ; upper part
ashy grey with dark or blackish cross-bars, the bars broad and
predominating on the upper back and wing-coverts, less broad ,
the scapulars! narrow, and in old birds feint, on ti» rump and
VOL. III.
418
upper tail-coverts ; primaries dark brown, closely banded with pale
rufous on the inner webs except near the tips ; secondaries ashy
grey with dark cross-bands : tail with alternating bars of ashy
grey and blackish grey, the former broader near the root, the
latter near the end, tip whitish ; chin and throat white or rufes-
cent, rest of lower parts pale rufous, depth of tint varying ; the
breast in some with a few narrow dark shaft-lines, and the
abdomen with small spots; the flanks and under wing-coverts
with dark bars, but in old birds all markings on the breast and
abdomen disappear, and only arrowhead-shaped marks remain on
the flanks.
Young birds are dark brown above, the feathers with broad
rufous edges which wear off after a time ; scapulars with rufous
spots ; upper tail-coverts barred with rufous ; forehead, middle of
crown, and sometimes superciliary streaks, with the nuchal collar,
buff or rufous, the collar mixed with brown ; quills brown, barred
as in adults ; tail brown, with equal rufous bars at regular in-
tervals ; lower parts more or less rufous, pale and whitish on the
throat, marked with elongate spots on the breast and abdomen,
and broader spots on the flanks.
Bill bluish, black at the tip ; cere, legs, and feet yellow ; irides
dark brown.
Length of females about 17 inches ; tail 6*5 ; wing 12*5 ; tar-
sus 1*9 ; mid- toe without claw 2 ; bill from gape 1*1 : length of
males 15 ; tail 5'75 ; wing 11.
Distribution. Northern and North-eastern Africa, South-western
and Central Asia, ranging as a winter visitor into North-western
India as far south as the Nerbudda and as far east as Oude. A
single specimen was obtained near Eaipur, O.P., by Mr. Thompson.
The locality Nepal in the British Museum Catalogue is due, as in
many other cases, to all specimens presented by Mr. Hodgson
having been thus labelled. The birds were probably trained
Falcons, brought to Nepal tame.
There is no difference whatever in plumage between F. barbarus
and F. babylonicus, as is clearly shown by the series in the British
Museum, but some (not all) Indian females are larger than the
few N. African specimens of the same sex hitherto measured.
Dr. Sharpe tells me he has already come to the same conclusion
as to the identity of these birds.
Habits, $c. The Barbary Falcon ranks as one of the Peregrine
group and is, for its size, a powerful bird, killing partridges, &c.,
with ease. According to Jerdon it has been trained to take
mallard and other birds. It is found in open dry country and
breeds in cliffs. The eggs resemble the Peregrine's, but are rather
smaller. None have been found in India, but this Falcon breeds
in the ranges west and north-west of the Punjab ; two young
birds were found in a nest in the G-umal Pass near Dera Ismail
Khan on May 13th by Lieut. Philott.
FALCO. 419
1257. Falco jugger. The Layyar Falcon.
Fftlco jugger, J. E. Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool ii, pi. 26 (1833-34) :
Blyth, Cat. p. 13 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 20 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 30 :
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 70 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 680 ;
Stohczka, J. A. S. B. xti, pt. 2, p. 230; Hume, S. F. i, p. 156;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 393 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 443 ; ix, p. 370 ;
Davidson Sf Wend. S. F. vii, p. 73; Ball, ibid. p. 196; Cn'/>/><,
ibid. p. 241 ; Hume, Cat. no. 11 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 222 ; Reid,
S. F. x, p. 3 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 12 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H.
Soc. iii, p. 209 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 3 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 151 ;
Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 186.
Falco Luflgor, Jbttoii, Madr. Jour. L. S. x, p. 80 (1839) ; id. III. Ind.
Orn. pi. xliv.
Falco thermophilus, Hodgson in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81, descr.
nulla.
Laggar $, Jaggar rf, H. ; Lagadu, Tel.
Fig. 100.— Head of F. jugger, |.
Coloration. Adult. Forehead, lores, and supercilia white, with
'dark streaks ; crown and nape brown, with broad rufous edges to
the feathers ; a streak running back above the ear-coverts, and a
moustachial band from the gape sometimes continued to the eye,
with some feathers round the orbit dark brown ; rest of sides of
head white, with a few dark shafts beneath the eye; upper
plumage from the nape brown with an ashy tinge; quills the
same ; inner webs of primaries, except near the end, with broad
white bars ; tail brown, middle feathers unbarred and pale-tipped,
outer feathers with whitish bars on the inner webs and white tips ;
lower parts white, a few dark streaks, wanting in very old birds,
on the breast, and spots on the abdomen ; flanks and outer thigh-
coverts chiefly brown.
Young birds are brown almost throughout, the chin and throat
white, and some white on the forehead, sides of head, breast, and
lower tail-coverts, buff instead of white on quills and inner webs
of tail-feathers. There is a gradual disappearance of the brown
on the lower parts with successive moults.
Bill greyish blue, the tip blackish; cere yellow in adults,
greenish grey in young birds ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet
yellow, pale plumbeous to dull greenish grey in the young (Hume).
Length of female about 18 inches ; tail 8 ; wing 14 ; tarsus 2;
mid-toe without claw 1-8; bill from gape 1-25: of a male, length
16 ; tail 7-5 ; wing 12-5.
420 TALCONID^.
Distribution. Throughout India in suitable (open or cultivated}
country, from the lower Himalayas to Southern Madras, and from
iSind to Cachar. A specimen was obtained by Hume in Manipur,
but this Falcon has not been observed in Assam nor in Burma.
it is found in Baluchistan about Khelat and Quetta, but has not
been met with farther west. It is rare to the southward, and does
not occur in Ceylon. It is seldom met with in forest regions such
as the Malabar coast and South-western Bengal, and is particularly
common in the upper Gangetic plain, and far from rare in parts of
the Punjab and Kajputana.
Habits, fyc. Jerdon says — " Whilst the Bhyri prefers the sea-
coast and the neighbourhood of lakes, rivers, and wet cultivation,
and the Slidhin delights in hilly and wooded regions, the Laggar
on the contrary frequents open dry plains and vicinity of cultiva-
tion." " In a wild state it preys on a great variety of small birds,
often snatching up a chicken, even in the midst of a cantonment."
.formerly it was trained to hunt crows, the smaller herons,
partridges, and florican, but very few Falcons are now trained in
India, and this species is now rarely, if ever, captured for the
purpose. The nest of the Laggar is sometimes on a tree, very
often a pipal (Ficus religiosa), sometimes on a cliff or on a build-
ing, and in many cases the Falcon takes possession of an old nest
of a kite, eagle, or vulture, not even relining it. The breeding-
season is in January, February, and March. The usual number
of eggs is four; they are reddish or brownish, speckled and
spotted all over with a darker and richer shade of the same, and
measure about 2-01 by 1*57.
1258. Falco cherrug. The Saker or Cherrug Falcon.
Falco sacer, apud Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 273 (1788) ; Jerdon, B. I. \,
p. 29 ; iii, p. 869 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 238 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 62; Delme Radcl. Ibis, 1871, p. 365; Hume, 8. F. i', p. 152 ;
id. Cat. no. 10 ; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 778 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881,
p. 416 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 444 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 12 ; nee
Forster, Phil. Trans. Ixii, p. 383 (1772).
Falco cherrug, J. E. Gray in Rardw. III. Ind. Zool. ii, pi. 25 (1833-34).
Hierofalco saker, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 417 ; id. Yark. Miss.,
Aves, p. 149, pis. xvi-xix ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 66.
Chary $ , Chargela J , H.
Coloration. Adult. Crown and nape white (the crown sometimes
pale rufous), with blackish shaft-stripes, which are broader on the
nape ; lores and sides of head white, with scattered dark streaks ;
no cheek-stripe from the eye, but sometimes a broken moustachial
stripe from the gape ; ear-coverts brown, streaked darker ; upper
parts brown throughout, the feathers with rufous or tawny
margins, and frequently a few rufous spots forming imperfect bars
on the scapulars and larger wing-coverts ; quills brown, paler
beneath ; primaries broadly barred with white on the inner webs,
the bars widening and generally coalescing towards the inner
border ; secondaries with smaller white markings, or with spots, or
FALCO. 421
uniformly coloured brown ; tail-feathers brown, witb a whitish
tip, generally with round or oval white spots on both webs, but
.occasionally the middle feathers are unspotted (as in F. jugger),
and sometimes the spots become on the outer rectrices imperfect
bands interrupted at the shaft; lower parts white, with large
elongate brown spots on the breast and abdomen and larger spots
on the flanks and thigh-coverts ; with age the spots grow smaller,
rounder, and more scattered, especially on the breast.
Young birds do not differ greatly from old, except that the
brown spots on the lower plumage are much more developed, and
•cover the greater part of the breast and abdomen ; the head, too, is
sometimes brown, and a moustachial stripe is usually well marked ;
the middle tail-feathers are often unspotted at first.
Bill pearly white, tipped black ; cere, legs, and feet dull yellow
in old birds, greyish green in the young ; irides dark brown, or
'brownish yellow or yellow.
Length of a female about 22 ; tail 9 ; wing 15*5 ; tarsus 2*2 ;
mid-toe without claw 2 ; bill from gape 1*45 : length of a male
19-5; tail 8; wing 14-5.
Distribution. From Eastern and South-eastern Europe, through
•Central Asia to China. This Falcon visits the Punjab in the cold
season, and is common west of the Indus and also in the Sirsa
district, a few birds straying into Sind and the N.W. Provinces.
The locality Nepal, in the British Museum Catalogue, is probably
•due to a mistake, as in the similar case of F. barbcu-us.
Habits, $c. This is distinctly a desert species, and, according to
Jerdon, it feeds in the Punjab very much on Uromastix Tiardwickii,
.a lizard only found in dry and barren regions. Many Saker
Falcons are captured and trained to strike hares and even gazelles,
-cranes, and Houbara bustard, herons, and kites (Milvus govinda).
It may be recollected that in France and Great Britain the Kite
{M. ictinus) was of old the grandest quarry for the best Falcons
(Peregrines). The Saker is not known to breed in India. It
usually nests on trees, and lays four eggs, slightly elongate, but of
the usual Falcon type.
1259. Falco milvipes. TJie Shanghar Falcon.
Falco milvipes, Hodgs. in Grays Zool M isc. p. 81 (1844), descr.
nulla ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 240; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 445.
Falco hendersoni. Hume, Ibis, 1871, p. 407 ; Hume and Hender*.
Lah. to Yark. p. 171, pi. i; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 530; viii, p. 186;
id. Cat. no. 10 bis; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 117 ; Brooks, S. F. v, p. 48.
Hierofalco hendersoni, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 327.
Hierofalco milvipes, Sharpe, Yark. Mm., Aves, pp. 11, lc
Coloration. Adult. Crown brown, the feathers with broad
rufous margins, still broader and mixed with buff on the nape ;
.cheek-stripe black, ill-defined ; lores and forehead whitish. Upper
plumage and tail brown, with rufous cross-bars throughput (some-
what as in a female Kestrel); inner webs of primaries mostly
covered by confluent white bars, except near the tips of the
422
feathers ; lower parts buff or white, with spots on the breastf
abdomen, and flanks, those on the breast and middle of the
abdomen disappearing in old birds.
In young birds the rufous bars are irregular and ill-marked, and
those *on the tail more or less imperfect. In this stage F. milvipes
is very like F. cherrug, but may generally be distinguished by some
of the bars going quite across the tail-feathers. A nestling from
Tibet in the Hume collection, attributed to this species, has,
however, the tail absolutely unbarred.
Bill bluish, black at the tip ; cere, legs, and feet yellow.
Length of female about 23 ; tail 9 ; wing 16 ; tarsus 2-2 ; mid-
toe without claw 2 ; bill from gape 1-35 : length of male 20 ; tail
7| ; wing 14.
Distribution. Tibet and part of Mongolia. A few birds have
been obtained in the Punjab at times, and one by Sir O. St. John
at Quetta.
1260. Falco subbuteo. The Hobby.
Falco subhuteo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 127 (1766) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
i, p. 395 ; Hume $ Hall, S. F. vii, p. 197 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 241 ;.
Hume, Cat. no. 13; Doig, 8. F. ix, p. 282; Butler, ibid. p. 370;
Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 39 ; Scully, ibid. p. 417 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 4 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 16 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 3.
Hypotriorchis subbuteo, Boie, Isis, 1826, p. 970 ; BZyth, Cat. p. 15 ;
Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 23 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 33 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 13 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 85 ; Brooks, S. F. iii,
p. 228 ; Butler, ibid. p. 443 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 4.
Lithofalco suhhuteo, King, J. A. 8. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 213.
Morassani, Oude.
Coloration. Adults. Upper parts dark slaty grey, shafts of feathers
darker, head very dark and blackish ; lores, forehead, and supercilia
whitish ; cheek-stripe and sides of head beneath and behind the
eye blackish ; some buff on the hind-neck, forming a partial collar ;
quills blackish, barred on the basal portion of the inner webs with
rufous ; tail slaty grey, the outer feathers barred with rufous on
the inner webs ; chin, throat, and sides of neck buff or white ;
breast and upper abdomen the same, with a large blackish-brown
streak down each feather; lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and
under tail-coverts varying from pale rufous to rich ferruginous.
Young birds are greyish or brownish black above, with fulvous
borders to all feathers ; lower parts pale rufous, with broad
blackish-brown streaks throughout ; tail tipped with rufous, other-
wise like the adults. The tail often remains brown after the
upper plumage generally is slaty grey.
Bill bluish, with a black tip ; lower base of bill, cere, and orbital
skin greenish yellow ; irides intense brown ; lege orange (Cripps).
Length of female about 13 ; tail 6 ; wing 11 ; tarsus 1'4 ; mid-
toe without claw 1-25; bill from gape '8: wing of male 10-25,
tail 5-5.
Distribution. All Europe and Northern and Central Asiar
FALCO.
migrating to Africa and India in the winter. The Hobby probably
breeds in the Himalayas, where it is commonly found, and it is a
summer visitor to Gilgit ; in the plains of India it has only been
met with occasionally, chiefly to the northward, the most southern
reported localities being Jama (Jerdon), Belgaum (Butler), and
Kaipur. It has been obtained in Cachar (Inglis) and Manipur
(Hume), but not in Burma nor in Ceylon.
Habits, 6fc. The Hobby feeds much on insects, especially dragon-
flies, and is often crepuscular in its movements ; it is very swift,
and was formerly a favourite with Falconers for hawking small birds,
such as quails, larks, &c., and, in India, hoopoes and king-crows.
The nest has not been taken in India ; it is placed on a tree, and
the eggs are of the usual Falcon type, reddish, speckled darker ;
they are usually 3 or 4 in number, and measure about 1*7 by 1'3.
1261. Falco severus. The Indian Hobby.
Falco severus, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 135 (1821) ; Delme
Radcl. Ibis, 1871, p. 366 ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. i, p. 397 ; Hume fy
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 2 ; Hume, Cat. no. 14 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 110 ;
Reid, S. F. x, p. 4 ; Davison, ibid. p. 333 ; Butler, ibid. p. 624 ;
Gates, B. B. \i, p. 216 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 3.
Falco rufipedoides, Hodys. Gale. Jour. N. H. iv, p. 283 (1844).
Hypotriorchis severus, Blyth, Cat. p. 15 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 22 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 34 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 237 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 13 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 87 ; Blyth, Birds
Burm. p. 59 ; Hume Sf Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 354.
Dhutar J , Dhuti $ , II.
Coloration. Crown and sides of head, including cheeks to below
the gape, and the hind-neck black, which passes on the upper
back into the dark slaty grey with black shafts of the upper parts
generally ; quills and larger coverts black, the inner webs of
the quits with oval transverse rufous spots or bars on basal
two-thirds of the primaries and almost throughout the secondaries ;
tail slaty grey above in old birds with one black subterminal cross-
band, in younger birds blackish above with grey cross-bands,
brown beneath with paler bands, which become light rufous on
the inner webs of the outer rectrices ; chin, throat, and sides of
neck white tinged with rufous; rest of lower parts, including the
under wing-coverts, deep ferruginous red.
Young birds are brownish black above, with light rufous edges,
broadest on the secondaries, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers ;
a few rufous feathers scattered over the nape ; breast, abdomen,
and under wing-coverts deep rufous with black spots.
Bill plumbeous; irides deep brown; cere, gape, and orbital
skin lemon-yellow ; legs and feet deep yellow (Cripps).
Length of a female about 11-5 ; tail 4'75 ; wing 9'S ; tarsus 1'
mid-toe without claw 1-35 ; bill from gape '9 : length of a male
10-5 ; tail 4-25 ; wing 9.
Distribution. The Himalayas as far west as Kulu, at mode
elevations, also Travancore and probably the Nilgiris, and Ceylon,
424
but, so far as is known, only in the cold season. This Hobby is
believed to occur occasionally in Oude, and it has been shot near
Calcutta. It is recorded from Assam, Cachar, and Manipur, but
has not been obtained in Burma recently, though Blyth quotes it
from Tenasserim, which it must inhabit, as it occurs throughout
the Malay Archipelago to New Guinea and New Britain.
Habits, <SfC. Like other Hobbies, the present species is crepus-
cular, a circumstance which probably accounts for its being so
seldom seen; it also resembles the Common Hobby in feeding
largely, perhaps chiefly, on insects. The nidification is unknown.
According to Jerdon this Hobby is said to breed on trees, and
Mr. R. Thompson inferred that a female he saw in the lower
ranges of Kumaun had young in June, because he saw her carry
away a small bird as if to her nest.
Blyth has called attention to the curious fact that this Falcon
and the Shahin, both resident tropical species, differ from the
migratory Hobby and Peregrine in precisely similar details of
coloration, and that some Swallows, resident in the tropics, are
similarly distinguished from their migratory allies by darker and
more rufous colouring.
Genus ERYTHROPUS, Brehm, 1828.
The two beautiful Falcons belonging to the present genus are
commonly classed with the Kestrels, from which, however, they
differ completely in plumage and considerably in structure. The
male when adult is almost throughout dark grey, whilst the female
is coloured like a Hobby, not at all like a Kestrel.
The wing is pointed, 2nd quill longest, 1st much exceeding the
3rd, as in Peregrines ; foot small, but proportionally longer than
in Kestrels, the mid-toe being but little shorter than the tarsus ;
tail rounded, not graduated as in Tinnunculus.
Only two species are known, one of which occurs in India.
1262. Erythropus amurensis. Tlie Eastern Red-legged Falcon.
Tinnunculus vespertinus, apud Blyth, Cat. i, p. 16 ; nee Falco vesper-
tinus, L.
Erythropus vespertinus, apudHorsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 14 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 40; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 238; Stoliczka, J.A.S.B. xxxvii,
pt. 2, p. 13 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 106 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871,
p. 243 ; Legge, 8. F. i, p. 487 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 22 ; Sharpe, ibid.
t>. 303 ; Hume, Cat. no. 19.
Falco vespertinus, var. amurensis, Radde, Reis. Si'id. O.-Sibir. ii,
p. 102, pi. 1. %. 2 (1863).
Erythropus amurensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 41, pl.ii : 1882, p. 147 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 527 ; iii, p. 327 ; Hume $ Inglis,' S. F. v, p. 6.
Cerchneis amurensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 445 ; Legge, S. F. iii,
p. 362 ; Hume, Cat. no. 19 his ; Legge, Birds Ceyl p. 119 ; Inglis,
S. F. ix, p. 243 ; Butler, ibid. p. 371 ; Hume, S. f. xi, p. 5.
EBYTHROPUS. 425
Tinnunculus amurensis, Gates, B. B. ii, p. 219.
Cerchneis vespertina, Hume, Cat. no. 19: Barnes, Bird* Bom.
p. 20.
Red-legged Falcon, Jerdon.
Coloration. Adult male. Upper parts and tail dark slaty grey,
blackish on the head, nape, back, and scapulars, quills washed
outside with silvery grey ; cheeks sooty black, ear-coverts paler ;
lower surface from chin to abdomen ashy grey ; lower abdomen
and under tail-coverts deep ferruginous red ; wing-lining and
axillaries pure white, lower surface of quills black throughout.
Adult female. Above slaty grey, brownish on the head, nape,
and upper back, paler on the rump and tail ; feathers of the head
and nape dark-shafted, all others barred with black bands, especially
on the rump and tail, subterininal band on tail broader ; a cheek -
stripe, feathers below the eye, and a band running back from it
black ; primaries blackish, with oval white spots forming bars on
inner webs, except near the tips ; lower parts to the abdomen
including the ear-coverts creamy white or pale rufous ; breast with
elongate black spots that pass into arrow-head or heart-shaped
markings and bars on the flanks and upper abdomen ; lowerabdomen
and lower tail-coverts rufous, not spotted ; wing-lining white with
brown spots ; axillaries barred white and dark brown.
Young birds are like the female, but the head is much browner,
and the feathers of the mantle have broad rufous borders ; there is
also an imperfect buff nuchal collar.
Bill fleshy red with a dusky tip, cere deep orange-red, orbital
skin orange-yellow; legs deep orange-red, claws flesh-coloured
(Jerdori) ; irides hazel (Gurney}.
Length of a male 11 '5 ; tail 5 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1-1 ; mid-toe 1 ;
bill from gape '75. Females are a little larger on an average.
Distribution. A migratory bird, breeding in North China in
summer and wintering partly in India and Burma, but principally
in Eastern Africa. This Falcon has been chiefly observed, in India,
in Kumaun, Sikhim, Bengal, and Cachar, towards the latter part of
the monsoon, when it is migrating southward; only occasional occur-
rences have been recorded in Pegu, the Western Himalayas, the
Deccan, the Nilgiris, the Carnatic, and Ceylon.
E. vespertinus, the European Eed-legged Falcon, to which the
first few specimens of E. amurensis found in India were referred,
is easily distinguished, the male by having a dark grey wing-hmng
instead of a white one, the female by its rufous head and immacu
late breast, and the young birds by having the crown rut
instead of brown. So far as is known the true E. vespertinus I
not been found in India.
Habits, <Sfc. The present species is highly gregarious and main
insectivorous. It migrates in large flocks, which roost tog<
at night. It breeds in China in magpies' nests.
426 FALCONIDJS.
Genus ^SALON, Kaup, 1829.
In the Merlins and their allies which constitute the genus
jEsalon, the wing is even more rounded than in the Jerfalcons
(Hierofalco\ the second and third primaries being longest and
subequal, whilst the first is considerably shorter, being approxi-
mately equal to the fourth. The first two quills are always notched
on the inner webs. Lateral toes unequal as in typical Falcons.
All the species are small, and consist of the Merlin and its
American ally and the Indian and African Eed-headed Merlins,
which are by some placed in a separate genus, Chicquera.
Key to the Species.
a. Crown grey or brown dark-shafted . . < JE. regulus, p. 426.
b. Crown chestnut AL. chicquera, p. 427,
1263. JEsalon regulus. The Merlin.
Falco aesalon, Tunstall, Ornith, Brit. p. 1 (1771) ; Hume, Cat.
no. 15 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 39 ; Scully, ibid. p. 417 ; C. Swinhoe,
Ibis, 1882, p. 99 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 17 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889,
p. 151.
Falco regulus, Pall. Reis. Russ. Reichs, ii, p. 707 (1773) ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. i, p. 406.
^Esalon regulus, Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 9 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 160.
Hypotriorchis sesalon, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 20 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat.
i, p. 24 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 35 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 157.
Lithofalco sesalon, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 238 ; Hume, Hough Notes,
p. 89 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 242.
Dourai $ , Dourela rf , H. ; Retal turumti, Regi, Punjab.
Coloration. Adult male. Forehead, lores, and sides of the head
whitish with dark shaft-streaks; supercilia rufescent, becoming
rufous behind and running back to the rufous nuchal collar across
the neck ; crown of head and upper parts clear bluish grey, varying
1 in depth of tint from quite pale to very dark, the feathers dark-
shafted throughout, even on the rufous collar ; quills blackish, the
inner webs barred with white except at the end of the primaries,
and the outer M^ebs tinged with bluish grey towards the base
outside, inner secondaries coloured like the back ; tail bluish grey
tinged white, with a broad black cross-band just before the white
tip, and generally traces of other black bands ; throat white ; rest
of lower parts and sides of the neck whitish, somewhat irregularly
tinged with rufous, and with dark brown shaft-stripes that are
narrowest in old birds.
Female. Very old females resemble the male, but these are of
very rare occurrence : usually the female differs from the male in
having the head dull rufous or brown, dark-shafted ; the upper
parts brown with more or less of a grey tinge and often with
rufous edges to the feathers ; the tail barred throughout, and the
quills with rufous cross-bands ; the nuchal collar and lower parts
less rufous than in the male, and the breast and upper abdomen
jESALON. 427
with much broader brown shaft-stripes, these frequently occupying
more space than the white borders.
Young birds of both sexes resemble the female, but are browner
with broader rufous edges to the feathers of the upper parts, with
the crown rufous (dark-shafted), and with the tail alternately
banded brown and white ; the quills too are barred almost across.
Bill dark slaty grey, greenish at base of lower mandible ; cere,
legs, and feet yellow ; irides brown (Hume).
Length of females about 12 ; tail 5-5 ; wing 8'75 ; tarsus 1*5 ;
mid-toe 1-3 ; bill from gape -8 : length of a male 11, wing 8.
Distribution. The Palaearctic region. The Merlin is found in
the Western Himalayas, the Punjab and Siiid, but only, so far as is
known, in winter. It also visits Gilgit at the same season, and
probably breeds farther north.
Habits, fyc. For courage and speed no Falcon ranks before the
Merlin, and, despite its small size, it was formerly a great favourite
with Falconers, both in Europe and in Asia. It lives chiefly on
small birds, and nests on the ground, laying 4 to 6 brick-red eggs
of the usual falcon type.
1264. JEsalon chicquera. The Turumti or Bed-headed Merlin.
Falco chicquera, Daud. Traite, ii, p. 121 (1800) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 14 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 403 ; Davidson $ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 73 ;
Ball, ibid. p. 197 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 242 ; Hume, Cat. no. 16 ; ScuUy,
8.F. viii, p. 222; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 110; Vidal, S. F. ix,
p. 29 ; Butler, ibid. p. 370 ; Hume 8f Inalis, ibid. p. 242 ; Reid, S. F.
x, p. 4 ; Hume, ibid. p. 334 ; Taylor, ibid. p. 454 ; Barnes, Bird*
Bom. p. 17 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 210 ; Hume, S. F.
xi, p. 4 ; Oatcs in Hume's N. $E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 192.
Hypotriorchis chicquera, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 20 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 23; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 36; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii.
pt. 2, p. 13; xli, pt. 2, p. 230; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 444; Godw.-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 192.
Chicquera typus, Bp. Rev. Mag. Zool 1854, p. 535 ; Hume, S. F. i,
p. 157 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1882, p. 161.
Turumtia chicquera, Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 9.
Lithofalco chicquera, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 248 ; Hume, Rough Notes,
p. 91 ; A. Anderson, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 681.
Turumti, Turumtari $ , H. ; Chetwa 3 , Hindi ; Jellaganta, Jelgadda,
Tel. ; Jelkat, Yerkli.
Coloration. Adult. Crown and nape with sides of neck, ear-
coverts, and a narrow cheek-stripe chestnut ; narrow forehead and
lores whitish ; a few bristly feathers round the eye black, especially
at the origin of the cheek-stripe ; upper parts from the neck ashy
grey; the scapulars, secondaries, and wing-coverts more or less
barred with brown ; a little chestnut along the anterior edge of the
wing • primaries blackish brown, closely barred with white on the
inner' webs, except at the tips; tail grey with narrow black bars,
a very broad black band close to the end, and a white t
parts white, with a few short longitudinal blackish streaks on the
breast and bars on the flanks and abdomen.
428
With age the black bars on both the upper and lower surface
become narrow and tend to disappear. In young birds all the grey
feathers of the upper plumage are barred with black, the crown
and nape are dusky rufous, with dark mesial lines to the feathers,
and the lower parts are tinged rusty. These details are from
Jerdon, and precisely agree with those of the young ^2?. ruficollis, an
African species very closely allied to A chicguera. Of the Turumti
itself, strange to say, there is no young skin in the British Museum,
though there must be more than 50 adults.
Bill bluish black, greenish yellow at the base ; cere, orbital skin,
and legs yellow ; irides rather light brown (Hume).
Length of female about 14 ; tail 6 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1-6 ; mid-
toe 1*6 ; bill from gape '9.
Distribution. This Falcon is peculiar to India, being found from
the Himalayas to Southern India, and it probably occurs occasion-
ally in Ceylon. It ranges to the Punjab and Sind, and to the
eastward as far as Sylhet and Cachar. It has not been observed in
Assam, but Hume once saw a single individual in Manipur.
Habits, Sfc. This pretty little Falcon is not a bird of forests, but
is chiefly found in cultivated districts where there are gardens and
groves of trees. It lives mainly on small birds, and has been
occasionally captured and trained, its principal quarry being the
Boiler ( Coracias indica). The nest is always on a tree and is a
neat structure of twigs lined with fibres ; 4 eggs are usually laid
between January and May, generally about March. The eggs are
brownish red mottled and blotched with a darker red, and measure
about 1-66 by 1-27.
Chicquera, as Jerdon points out, is a corrupt form of Shikra, the
name of Astur badius. Similarly the common Indian name for a
Kite, Chil, has been wrongly given to the Crested Serpent-Eagle,
Spilornis cheela.
Genus TINNUNCULTJS, Vieillot, 1807.
The Kestrels differ from the true Falcons by having a shorter
bill and a much smaller and weaker foot, the middle toe without
the claw being only § to f the length of the tarsus. The tail is
longer and the feathers graduated, the outer rectrices 1 to 1|
inches shorter than the middle pair, and the wing is shorter. The
sexes differ, and the females and young have the upper parts
banded black and rufous.
Key to the Species.
a . Claws black T. alaudarius, p. 428.
b. Claws whitish or pale horny T. cenchris, p. 430.
1265. Tinmmculus alaudarius. The Kestrel.
Falco tinmmculus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 127 (1766) : Wardl Ramsay.
Ibis, 1880, p 47.
Falco alaudarius, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 279 (1788).
TINNUNCULUS. 429
Cerchneis tinnunculus, Boie, Isis, 1828, p. 314; Shnr/n; ('at. B. M.
i, p. 425; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 3 ; Cripps, S. F. \ii. p. :Mi' :
Hume, Cat. no. 17 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 223 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 114; Barnes, S.F.ix, p. 214; Butler, ibid. p. 370; Biddulph.
Ibis, 1881, p. 40 ; Scully, ibid. p. 418 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 5 ; Davison,
ibid. p. 334 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 4; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 18 ; id.
Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii. p. 211.
Tinnunculus alaudarius, Blyth, Cat. p. 15 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 13 :
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 38 ; Hume, Rough Notes, p. 96 ; Blanf. J. A. £. /,
xli, pt. 2, p. 41 ; Cock $ Marsh, ti. F. i, p. 349 ; Brooks, S. F. iii.
p. ±28 ; Hume # Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 355 ; Butler, S. F. v, p. 1'i'f, :
Wardl. Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 453 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1881, p. 456 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 217 ; id. in Hume's N. # E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 195.
Falco interatinctus, McClell. P. Z. S. 1839, p. 154.
Tinnunculus saturatus, Blyth, J.A.S. B. xxviii, p. 277 ; id. Ibis, 1866,
p. 238 ; Blyth & Wald. Birds Burm. p. 59 ; Hume, S. F v, p. 129 ;
vi, p. 3; id. Cat. no. 17 bis.
Cerchneis alaudarius, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 460.
Karontia, Koruttia, Khermutia, II. in the North ; Narzi $ , Karzinak
<$ , H. in the South ; Tondala-muchi-yedda, Tondala-doshi-gadu, Tel. ;
Ting-kyi, Lepcha ; Gyo-thane, Burmese.
Coloration. Adult male. Forehead and lores yellowish white ;
crown, nape, and sides of neck ashy grey with narrow black shaft-
lines ; a dark grey cheek-stripe ; ear-coverts and cheeks white to
silvery grey with some darker streaks ; back, scapulars, and wing-
coverts brick-red with a vinous or pink tinge and with scattered
triangular black spots ; rump and upper tail-coverts ashy grey ;
tail-feathers the same above, whitish beneath, with a broad sub-
terminal black band and white tips ; quills dark brown, with bar-
like white indentations on their inner webs, basal portion chiefly
white ; lower parts buff to rufous fawn, with brown streaks on the
upper breast passing into spots on the lower breast and flanks :
throat and lower abdomen unspotted ; wing-lining white, with a few
black spots.
Female. Kufous above varying in tint, with black streaks on the
head and black transverse bands on the rest of the upper parts and
on the tail ; the latter has a broad subterminal black band, not so
wide as in the male ; quills and lower surface as in the male, but the
spots on the breast are larger and more numerous. In old females
the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail are more or less tinged with
bluish grey.
Young males are like females: the tail becomes bluish grey
before the head does. Some males that appear perfectly adult
have the head tinged with rufous.
In India and Burma, as in Africa, Kestrels that are resident are
often darker in colour than migrants : the rufous above is deeper
and the lower surface is brownish rufous. A Moulmein female of
this kind was the type of Blyth's T. saturatus.
Bill bluish black; the gape, cere, and eyelids yellow ; ind
legs orange-yellow, claws black.
Length of male about 14 ; tail 6-75 : wing 9-5 ; tarsus 1-5 ; mid-
toe 1 ; bill from gape -85. The female is scarcely larger.
Distribution. The Kestrel breeds throughout the entire Palae-
430 FALCONIDJE.
arctic region, also in the Himalayas above 7000 feet, in South
Afghanistan, and in several of the hill groups of Peninsular India,
especially in all the higher parts of the Western Grhats. It probably
breeds in the hills of Burma also. From September till April it is
commonly distributed all over the Indian Empire, the vast majority
of these birds being migrants from the North. It migrates to
Africa at the same time.
Habits, fyc. The Kestrel is not often seen in forest ; cultivated
tracts and plains of grass are its principal haunts, and over these
it may be seen beating, especially in the morning and evening, every
now and then hovering with a quick motion of the wings above a
spot where it has seen or suspects it has seen its prey, on which
it drops quietly. From its characteristic method of hunting is
derived the English name of " Windhover." It subsists on
insects (especially locusts), lizards, frogs, and mice, rarely if
ever touching birds. The nest of the Kestrel is placed on rocky
ledges or small holes in cliffs, occasionally on ruins, more rarely on
trees. The breeding-season in the North is from April to June, but
earlier in Southern India, and the nest is of sticks with some grass-
roots, rags, or feathers intermixed. Very often a deserted crow's or
magpie's nest is utilized. From 3 to 6 eggs are laid, usually 4 or 5,
broad oval, more or less pointed and compressed towards one end.
brick to blood-red, mottled and blotched with a deeper colour, and
measuring about 1*57 by 1*21.
1266. Tinnunculus cenchris. The Lesser Kestrel.
Falco cenchris, Naumann, Vog. Deutschl. i, p. 318, pi. 29 (1822).
Falco tinnunculoides, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2e ed. i, p. 31 (1820).
Tinnunculus cenchris, Blyth, Cat. p. 16 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 14 ;
Salvin, Ibis, 1874, p. 361 note ; Dresser, Ibis, 1875, p. 515 ; Gurney,
Ibis, 1881, p. 470.
Erythropus cenchris, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 40 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 242 ;
Hume, Rough Notes, p. 103 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 252.
Tichornis pekinensis, Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 341.
Cerchneis naumanni, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 435; Davidson 8f Wend.
S. F. vii, p. 73 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 331 ; id. Cat. no. 18 ; Butler,
S. F. ix, p. 371 ; Macgregor, S. F. x, p. 435 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.
p. 19.
Cerchneis pekinensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 437 ; Hume, S. F. vii,
p. 332 ; id. Cat. no. 18 bis ; Hume 8f Inglis, S. F. ix, p. 242 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 20 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 4.
Erythropus pekinensis, A. Anderson, S. F. iii, p. 384; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xly, pt. 2, p. 192.
Tinnunculus pekinensis, Brooks, J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 239 ; Hume
$ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 6.
Cerchneis inglisi, Hume, S. F. v, p. 5 (1877) ; id. Cat. no. 18 ter.
Coloration. Adult male. Crown, nape, sides of head and neck,
lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, together with the greater
and median and sometimes parts of the smaller wing-coverts, ashy
grey ; ear-coverts whitish ; back, scapulars, and a varying proportion
of the smaller and median wing-coverts brick-red with a vinous
MICROHIERAX. 431
tinge ; quills black, their inner webs except near the tip white, as
is the wing-lining ; tail above grey like the rump, with abroad black
subterminal band and a white tip, whitish beneath ; lower surface
of body pale to deep rufous, with small rounded black spots on the
breast and flanks, these disappear gradually with age.
Female and young male similar to those of T. alaudarius, but
easily distinguished by their pale whitish claws. The tail in young
males becomes grey by moult before the head or wing-coverts
assume the ashy colour.
Bill bluish horny, paler at the base ; cere dark yellow, irides deep
brown ; legs and feet bright yellow, sometimes with an orange tinge ;
claws ivhitish or yellowish horny.
Length about 13 ; tail 5-75 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1-2 ; mid-toe without
claw -9 ; bill from gape -8. There appears to be no constant differ-
ence between the sexes in size.
The Chinese and Indian bird has been separated as T. pekinensis
on account of having the wing-coverts chiefly grey instead of red.
Gurney has, however, shown that the difference is not constant.
Dresser has clearly proved that the name naumanni has no claim
to priority over cenchris.
Distribution. A migratory bird, passing the summer and breeding
in Southern Europe, Western Asia, Persia, and China, and visiting
Africa and India in the cold season. Blyth, however, said that it
was met with in Bengal in the monsoon (probably September), and
Jerdon that he found it breeding on the Nilgiris in May and
June. Hume suspects that the Common Kestrel was mistaken for
this species in the latter case. T. cenchris has been met with in
many parts of India and as far East as Cachar and the Naga bills,
but it has not yet been obtained in Burma nor has it been observed
in Ceylon.
Habits, fyc. Very similar to those of the Common Kestrel, but this
species is more gregarious and more insectivorous. It has not been
observed to nest in India with the exception of the doubtful case
above mentioned.
Genus MICROHIERAX, Sharpe, 1874.
The pigmy Falcons, or Falconets as they have been termed, are not
closely allied to Falcons nor to any other group. They are distin-
guished from all other Accipitrine birds by their mode of nidification,
in which they resemble Owls, Parrots, Barbets, &c., for they lay
white eggs in a hole hollowed in the trunk or branch of a tree.
The eggs are moderately elongated ovals, fairly close in texture,
without gloss, and are said by Hume to be unlike the eggs of any
Accipitrine birds in shape and texture, apart from colour. The
Falconets inhabit open parts of forests, and are usually seen perched
on dead twigs or branches on tolerably high trees ; from their perch
they launch into the air in pursuit of their prey, principally insects,
and then return to the same perch. They also at times kill small
birds. Their flight is peculiar, not unlike that of Artamus, but
their method of hawking insects resembles that of a Bee-eater.
432 TALCONID^E.
The bill is rather large and compressed, the upper mandible
strongly toothed on each side, in some individuals there is a second
tooth behind the first. The wings are short and rounded, the first
3 quills not differing greatly in length, but usually the 2nd and 3rd
are longer ; tail rather long, square at the end ; legs and feet stout,
middle toe not elongate, lateral toes unequal ; claws strong, very
little curved. Sexes alike in plumage.
Key to the Species.
a. A broad white imchal collar ; thigh-coverts
ferruginous M. eutolmus, p. 432.
b. No white collar.
a. Thigh-coverts and lower surface through-
out white M. melanoleucus, p. 433.
b'. Thigh-coverts black M. fringiUarrut, p. 434.
As every one of these species has been identified in turn with
Falco ccerulescens of Linna3us, I think it best to follow Mr. Grurney's
suggestion and not employ that name for any of them ; the figure
of Edwards on which it is founded cannot be satisfactorily referred
to any one of the three.
1267. Microhierax eutolmus. The Red-legged Falconet.
lerax bengalensis (Brisson), amid Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 180*
(1843).
Hierax eutolmus v. bengalensis, Hodgson in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81
(1844), descr. nulla.
Hierax eutolmus, Blyth, Cat. p. 17 ; id. J. A. S. B. xix, p. 324 ;
Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 15 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 42 ; Hume, Rough
Notes, p. Ill ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xliii, pt. 2, p. 152 ; Hume, 8. F. xi, p. 6.
Microhierax caerulescens (Linn.}, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 366 ;
Hume 4- Oates, S. F. iii, p. 22 ; Bingham, S. F. v, p. 80 j ix,
p. 142 ; Hume, S. F. v. p. 126 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 3 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 20 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 211 ; id. in Hume's N. $E.
2nd ed. iii, p. 183 ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 556.
Microhierax eutolmus, Gurney, Ibis, 1881, p. 272.
Ching-Jin-nyel, Lepcha ; Doun-oo-hnouk, Burmese.
Fig. 101.— Head of M. eutolmus, \.
Coloration. Forehead, broad supercilia extending back to the
sides of the neck, cheeks, and broad nuchal collar white ; crown,
MICROHIERAI. 433
nape, and all the upper plumage, with the wings and tail, black
with a metallic green gloss ; feathers round the orbit and a band
running back from the eye and including the ear-coverts black ;
quills black, with broad white spots on the inner webs ; all tail-
feathers except the middle pair with white spots on the inner
webs, and when freshly moulted narrow white tips confined to the
inner webs ; lower parts white, more or less tinged with ferru-
ginous, always deeply ferruginous on the chin, throat, thighs, lower
abdomen, and under tail-coverts ; sides of the body black ; wing-
lining white.
Young birds have the black of the upper parts less glossy, the
frontal band and supercilia chestnut, the chin and throat white,
and the nuchal collar inconspicuous.
Bill slaty blue, nearly black at the tip ; cere dark brown, irides
hazel-brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs plumbeous brown, claws
black.
Length of female 7 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4-25 ; tarsus -9 ; mid-toe
without claw *72; bill from gape *55: of male, length 6*25;
wing 3-8.
Distribution. The Himalayas below about 7000 feet elevation
from Grarhwal to Bhutan, and on the Garo hills, but not in the
ranges around Upper Assam, where M. melanoleucus is found. The
present form occurs throughout Burma, in Siam and Cambodia.
Habits, #c. Those of the genus. The eggs, four in number, were
taken by Col. Bingham from a nest-hole in a tree on April 14th
near Pahpoon, Tenasserim. They are white and measure 1*2 by
•87. The only lining to the nest-hole was a pad of insects' wings
mixed with rotten wood.
This Falconet is said to have been formerly trained to capture
small birds.
1268. Microhierax melanolencus. The White-legged Falconet.
lerax c«rulescens, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, £. 789 ; nee Liroi.
lerax melanoleucos, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1/9*.
Hierax melanoleucus, Blyth, Cat. p. 17 ; id. Ibis, 1863, p. 10 ; 1866,
p. 29 ; Horsf. # M. Cat. i, p. 16 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix,
pt. 2, p. 265 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 66 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 6.
Microhierax melanoleucus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 368 ; Jfume,
S. F. ii, p. 525 ; v, p. 126 ; id. Cat. no. 20 bis; Hartert, J.f. O.
1889, p. 432.
This species is rather larger than the last, from which it differs
in wanting the white nuchal collar and in being pure white beneath
throughout ; the white frontal band is very narrow or wanting, the
supercilia are also narrower, and the black bands from the eye
broader than in M. eutolmus. The white bars on the inner webs
of the quills are also narrower.
Bill and feet black ; iris brown (Hartert).
Length about 7'5; tail 3; wing 4-5; tarsus 1
gape -55.
VOL. in.
434 TALCONID^E.
Distribution. Upper Assam, the Daphla and other hills to the
northward, and the Naga hills to the southward. A specimen was
obtained by Godwin- Austen from Lukhipur, Cachar, but none
was seen by Hume in Manipur.
1269. Microhierax fringillarius. The Black-legged Falconet.
Falco fringillarius, Drap. Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat. vi, p. 412, pi. v
(1824).
Hierax cserulescens (L.), apud Vigors, Zool Jour, i, p. 339 (1824) ;-
Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 180* ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 15 j Sclater,
P. Z. S. 1863, p. 206.
Hierax fringillarius, Blyth, Cat. p. 17 ; id. Ibis, 1863, p. 11 ; Stol-
iczka, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 281 ; Walden, Ibis, 1871, p. 161 ;
Blyth $ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 60.
Microhierax fringillarius, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 367 ; Davison,.
S. F. v, p. 80 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 5 j Hume, Cat. no. 20
ter ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 212; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 183.
Coloration. Upper parts, wings, and tail black, glossed with
metallic green ; no white collar ; frontal and superciliary bands
white, but much narrower than in M. eutolmus, and the black band
from the eye broader; quills and all tail-feathers, except the
middle pair, with white spots on the inner webs; lower parts white,-
more or less tinged with ferruginous red ; flanks and thigh-coverts
black.
Bill, legs, and feet black; irides wood-brown; orbital skin*
plumbeous (Davison).
Length of female 6'5 ; tail 2*25 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '75 ; bill
from gape *55 : a male measures- — length 6, wing 3'7.
Distribution. The southern portion of Tenasserim as far north-
as 14° N. lat. ; also the Malay Peninsula, Cochin China, Sumatra,
Borneo, and Java.
Habits, fyc. Similar to those of other species, but this, although
smaller, is said to feed more on birds. It also lays white eggs
in holes in trees.
M. latifrons, Sharpe (Ibis, 1879, p. 237, pL vii), which is very
similar to M. fringillarius, but is distinguished by having the crown
white, and a black line through the eye to the nape separating the
white crown from the white sides of the head, is said to have been
Obtained from the Mcobars, the types being from Borneo. Although
the Nicobar locality rests on fairly good authority (see S. F. viii,
p. 496, and Ibis, 1881, p. 274), the name of the discoverer is not
known, and as the evidence is at second-hand, I do not think it
wise to admit the species without clearer proof.
Genus POLIOHIERAX, Kaup, 1847.
Plumage very soft. Bill small, strongly toothed; tarsus naked,
almost throughout covered with rather large polygonal scales in
front, and smaller behind ; toes weak and short, claws very little
POLIOHIEEAX. 435,
curved. "Wing short and rounded ; tail almost as long as the wing
and greatly graduated, the outer tail-feathers in the Burmese
species being short of the middle rectrices by nearly one-third the
length of the tail. Sexes dissimilar in plumage.
There are only two species of Poliohierax ; one inhabits Africa,
the other Burma. The affinities of the genus are very obscure.
1270. Poliohierax insignis. Feilden's Hawk.
Poliohierax insignia, W olden, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 627; id. Ibis, 1872.
p. 471 j Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 370 ; Sclater, S. F. iii, p. 417 r.
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 59; War dl. Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 454;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 2; Tweedd. in Rowleys Orn. Misc. iii.
p. 169, pi. ; Hume, Cat. no. 16 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 213.
Lithofalco feildeni, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 70.
Polihierax feildeni, Hume $ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 19.
Fig. 102.— Head of P. insignis, \.
Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, and sides of head and neck
light grey, with narrow black shaft-stripes ; ear-coverts paler and
silky ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts blackish grey ; rump and
upper tail-coverts white ; quills black, with large white spots on
their inner webs, larger towards the base ; middle pair of tail-
feathers black throughout, all the others broadly barred black and
white and tipped white ; lower parts white.
Female. Head and nape above and at the sides chestnut ; frontal
band, narrow supercilium, and area below the eye grey with black
streaks ; remainder of plumage as in the male.
Young birds have the head and back brownish grey with dark
shaft- stripes ; the quills and tail dark brown, marked as in adults,
except that there are a few round white spots on the middle pair
of rectrices ; lower parts pale rufous, with long brown shaft-stripes
on the breast and upper abdomen. Some of the immature mark-
ings, such as a few streaks on the breast and white spots on th«
median rectrices, are sometimes retained by birds in adult
plumage.
Anterior portion of bill bluish black ; cere, gape, and both man-
dibles as far as the nostrils orange-yellow ; eyelids and orbital skin
orange; irides brown; legs orange; claws black (Oates).
Length of male 10g5 inches ; tail 5; wing 5'5 ; tarsus 1*4 ; mid-
toe without claw -9 ; bill from gape '75: of a female, length 11,
wing 6.
436
Distribution. This curious Hawk has been found in Burma
around Thayet Myo, where it is not rare, at Toungngoo, in
Northern Tenasserim near Myawadee, and in the Thoungyin
valley. The only other recorded locality is Western Siam.
Habits, fyc. An excellent account has been given by Feilden, who
discovered this bird at very nearly the same time as Wardlaw
Ramsay. The flight is peculiar and jerky, and the movements
resemble those of a Magpie. This species frequents dry open
forest or scrub, perching on dead trees by preference, and feeding
chiefly on insects, with an occasional mouse, snake, or lizard. The
breeding-season is about March; the eggs are unknown, but
Col. Bingham tells me that he has found the nest, which is built
of sticks and placed in a tree.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
abessynicus (Cypgelus),
168.
Acanthylis, 172.
Accipiter, 402.
Accipitres, 312.
accipitrina (Strix), 271.
accipitrinus (Asio), 271.
Aceros, 149.
acuticauda (Cypselus),
166.
segyptius (Merops), 112.
seruginosus (Circus), 387.
ajruginosus (Falco), 387.
^Esalon, 426.
sesalon (Falco), 426.
tesalon (Hypotriorchis),
426.
aesalon (Lithofalco), 426.
affinis (Accipiter), 404.
affinis (Batrachostomus),
194, 196.
affinis (Buceros), 145.
affinis (Collocalia), 178.
affinis (Coracias), 105.
affinis (Cuculus), 210.
affinis (Cymborhynchus),
8.
affinis (Cypselus), 168.
affinis (Hydrocissa), 145.
affinis (Micropus), 161.
affinis (Milvus), 375.
affinis (Ninox), 310.
affinis (Paloeornis), 259.
affinis (Podargus), 196.
affinis (Taccocua), 237.
alaudarius (Cerchneis),
429.
alaudarius (Falco), 428.
alaudarius(Tinnunculus),
428.
albicilla (Haliaetus),
369.
albicilla (Vultur), 369.
albidus (Falco), 358.
albiniger (Spizaetus),
354.
albipes (Cuncuma), 866.
albipes (Haliaeiitus), 366.
albirostris (Anthracoce-
ros), 145.
albirostris (Buceros), 145.
albirostris (Hydrocissa),
145.
albogularis (Spizaetus),
345.
alboniger (Limnaetus),
354.
alboniger (Nisaetus),
354.
alboniger (Spizaetus),
354.
albonotatus (Caprimul-
gus), 188.
Alcedinidse, 118.
Alcedo, 122.
alcinus (Machaerham-
pbus), 408.
aldrovandi (Scops), 291.
alexandri (Palaeornis),
247, 248, 249, 257.
Alophonerpes, 71.
alpina (Hirundo), 164.
alpinus (Cypselus), 165.
amabilis (Carcineutes),
139.
amauroptera (Pelargo-
psis), 128.
amauropterus (Halcyon),
121.
amherstii (Ptiloskelos),
288.
amicta (Alcemerops),
117.
amicta (Nyctiornis), 117.
amictus (Merops), 117.
ainictus (Nyctiornis),
117.
amurensis (Aquila), 336.
amurensis (Cerchneis),
424.
amurensis (Erythropus),
1-_M.
amurensis (Tinnunculus),
425.
analis (Dendrocopus),41.
analis (Dend retypes), 41.
analis (Picus), 41.
andamanensis (Centro-
coccyx), 242.
andamanensis (Centro-
pus), 242.
andamanensis (Dendro-
copus), 42.
andamanensis (Limnae-
tus), 351.
andamanensis (Picus),
42.
andamanensis (Spizae-
tus), 351.
andamanicus (Caprimul-
gus), 190.
Anisodactyli, 101.
Anorrhinus, 150.
Anthracoceros, 143.
apiaster (Merops), 113.
apus (Cypselus), 165.
apus (Hirundo), 165.
apus (Micropus), 166.
Aquila, 332.
aquilinus (Buteo).
Archibuteo, 395.
arenarius (Caprimulgus),
184, 188.
armstrongi (Halcyon),
136.
Ascalaphia, 285, 286.
asiatica (Alcedo), 124,
125.
asiatica (Cyanops), 92.
asiatica (Megaltema), 92.
asiatica (Megalain
asiaticus (Buteo).
asiaticus (Caprimulgus),
186.
asiaticus (Loriculus),
262.
asiaticus (Psittacus), 262.
asiaticus (Trogon
Asio, 270.
Asionidae, 267.
Asionina1, 270.
iMimili* (Phodfltu
assimilis (Photodilus),
438
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
assimilis (Picus), 36.
assimilis (Psarisomus),
11.
Astur, 396.
ater (Falco), 378.
ater (Milvus), 375.
Athene, 300.
athertoni (Merops), 115.
athertoni (Nyctiornis),
115.
athertonii (Alcemerops),
116.
atratus (Dendrocopus),
40.
atratus (Dendrotypes),
40.
atratus (Picus), 40.
atricapilla (Alcedo), 133.
atricapillus (Halcyon),
133.
atriceps (Falco), 415.
atripennis(Capriinulgu8),
188.
aurantius (Brachypter-
nus), 58.
aurantius (Picus), 58.
auriceps (Dendrocopus),
40.
auriceps (Picus), 40.
aurocristatus (Picus), 43.
austeni (Anorhinus), 153.
austeni (Ptilolsemus),
153.
babylonicus (Falco), 417.
bacha (Spilornis), 358,
361.
bactriana (Athene), 303.
bactriana (Carine), 303.
badia (Strix), 268.
badius (Astur), 398.
badius (Falco), 398.
badius (Micronisus), 398.
badius (Micropternus),57.
badius (Phodilus), 268,
269.
"badius (Photodilus), 268.
badius (Picus), 57.
badius (Scelospizias),
398.
bakhamuna (Ephialtes),
298.
bakhamuna (Scops), 297.
l)akkaincena (Ephialtes),
292.
bakkamcena (Otus), 297.
bakkamoena (Scops),
297, 298.
balasiensis (Cypselus),
170.
balli (Ephialtes), 296.
balli (Scops), 296.
barbarus (Falco), 417.
barbatus (Gypaetus),
328.
barbatus (Palzeornis),
257.
barbatus (Picus), 22.
barbatus (Vultur), 328.
barmanicus (Micropter-
nus), 55.
bartletti (Cuculus), 209.
batassiensis (Cypselus),
170.
batassiensis (Tachornis),
170.
Batrachostornus, 193.
Baza, 408.
beavani (Alcedo), 124.
bengalensis (Alcedo),
bengalensis (Ascalaphia),
285.
bengalensis (Bubo), 285.
bengalensis (Centrococ-
cyx), 243.
bengalensis (Centropus),
243.
bengalensis (Cuculus),
243.
bengalensis (Gyps), 322,
324.
bengalensis (lerax), 432.
bengalensis (Otus), 285.
bengalensis (Pateoruis),
251, 253.
bengalensis (Picus), 58.
bengalensis (Pseudogyps),
324.
bengalensis (Psittacus),
252.
bengalensis (Urrua),
285.
bengalensis (Vultur),
324.
Berenicornis, 153.
besra (Accipiter), 404.
bicornis (Buceros), 142.
bicornis (Dichoceros),
142.
bicornis (Homraius),
142.
bicornis
155.
bicornis (Ocyceros), 155.
bicornis (Tockus), 155.
biddulphi (Chrysonotus),
biddulphi (Syrnium),
274.
bifasciata (Aquila), 335,
336.
(Meniceros),
birostris (Buceros), 155.
birostris (Lophoceros),
155.
birostris (Ocyceros),
155.
blagrus (Falco), 368.
blagrus (Haliseetus),
368.
blanfordi (Picus), 43.
blewitti (Athene), 303.
blewitti (Carine), 303.
blewitti (Heteroglaux),
303.
blythii (Phaiopicos), 55.
Blythipicus, 50.
bonelli (Falco), 343.
bonellii (Aquila), 343.
bonellii (Eutolmaetus),
343.
bonellii (Nisaetus), 343.
bonellii (Pseudaetus),
343.
bourdilloni (Lyncornis),
192.
brachyotos (Strix), 271.
brachyotus (.^Egolius),
271.
brachyotus (Asio), 271.
brachyotus (Otus), 271.
Brachypternus, 58.
brachypterus (Pernis),
brachy urus (Micropter-
nus), 57.
brachyurus (Picus), 57.
brama (Athene), 301.
brama (Carine), 301.
brama (Strix), 301.
brevipes (Accipiter), 398.
brevirostris (Collocalia),
176, 177.
brevirostris (Hirundo),
177.
brodiei (Athene), 307.
brodiei (Glaucidium),
307.
brodiei (Noctua), 307.
brooksi (Haliaetus), 369.
brucei (Ephialtes), 294.
brucii (Scops), 294.
bruniceps (Halcyon),
129.
brunneifrons (Dendro-
copus), 41.
br un neif r on s(Dry obates) ,
41.
brunneifrons (Picus), 40.
brunneus (Hemicercus),
53.
brunneus (Meiglyptes),
53.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
439
brunnifrons (Leiopicus),
40.
brunnifrous (Picus), 40.
Bubo, 283.
bubo (Strix), 284.
Buboninse, 280.
bubutus (Centropus),
239.
Bucerotes, 140.
Bucerotidae, 140.
Bulaca, 275, 277, 278.
burmanica (Ninox), 310.
iburmanica (Pelargopsis),
130.
Butastur, 362.
Buteo, 389.
buteo (Falco), 393.
butleri (Asio), 279.
butleri (Syrniura), 279.
cabanisi (Dendrocopus),
35.
cabanisi (Picus), 35.
Cacomantis, 216.
xjaerulescens (Hierax),
434.
caerulescens (lerax), 433.
caerulescens (Micro-
hierax), 432.
casruleus (Elanus), 379.
caeruleus (Falco), 379.
calidus (Falco), 414.
caligatus (Falco), 351.
caligatus (Limnaetus),
351.
caligatus (Spizaetus), 351 .
calipyga (Alcyon), 134.
Oallialcyon, 134.
Callolophus. 29.
calonyx (Eurystoinus),
108.
Calorhamphus, 83.
-calorynx (Eurystomus),
108.
calthrapse (Palaeornis),
256.
-calthropae (Palaeornis),
256.
calvus (Otogyps), 318.
calvus (Vultur), 318.
Calyptomena, 12.
caudida (Glaux), 266.
.Candida (Scelostrix), 266.
Candida (Strix), 266.
.canente (Hemicercus),
69.
.canente (Picus), 69.
canescens (Buteo), 390,
canicapillus (lyngipicus),
46.
a nicapillus (Picus), 46.
canicapillus (Yungi-
picus), 46.
cauiceps (Bucco), 86.
caniceps (Cyanops), 87.
caniceps (Megalsema), 87.
caniceps (Megalaima),
87.
caniceps (Palaeornis),
258.
cauorus (Cuculus), 205.
capensis (Halcyon), 129.
Capitonidie, 82.
Capri inulgi, 182.
Caprimulgidae, 183.
Caprimulgus, 183.
Carcineutes, 138.
Oaridagrus, 138.
carinatus (Buceros), 151.
Carine, 300.
castaneonotus (Athene),
307.
castaneus (Batracho-
stomus), 194.
castanonotum (Glauci-
dium), 307.
castanopterus (Athene),
307.
castanopterus (Centro-
pus), 239.
castanotus (Athene), 307.
cathpharius (Dendroco-
pus), 37, 38.
cathpharius (Picus), 37,
38.
caudacuta (Acanthylis),
172, 173.
cavatus (Buceros), 142.
cavatus (Dichoceros),
142.
cavearia (Urrua), 285.
cavearius (Bubo), 285.
cenchris (Erythropus),
430.
cenchris (Falco), 430.
cenchris (Tinnunculus),
430.
cenchroides (? Astur),
398.
Centrococcyx, 240.
Centropus, 239.
cerviniceps (Eurosto-
podus), 192.
cerviniceps (Lyncornis),
192.
Ceryle, 119.
ceylanensis (Falco), 349.
ceylonensis (Baza), 411.
ceyloneneis (Ketupa),
281.
ceylonensis (Limnaetus),
349.
ceylonen«is (Spizaetus),
349.
ceylonensis (Upupa),
161.
ceylonus(Brachypternu8),
60.
ceylonus (Picus), 60.
Ceyx, 127.
Chsetura, 17i'.
Chaeturinae, 172.
chalcites (Chrysococoyr),
222.
cheela (Falco), 3.".7.
cheela (Haematornis),
357,358.
cheela (Milvus), 375.
cheela (Spilornis), 357.
cherrug (Falco), 4i'i >.
chicquera (^Esalon),
427,
chicquera (Falco), 427-
chicquera (Hypotrior-
chis), 427.
chicquera (Lithofalco),
chicquera (Turumtia),
427.
chinensis (Eudynamis),
228.
chlorigaster (Chryso-
phlegma), 25.
chlorigaster (Q^cinus),
chlorigaster (Picus), 25.
chloris (Alcedo), 135.
chloris (Halcyon), 135.
chloris (Sauropatis), 135.
chlorogaster (Gecinus),
25.
chlorolophus (Chryso-
phlegma), 23.
chlorolophus (Gecinus),
23,24.
chlorolophus (Picus), 23.
chlorophsea (Rhinortha),
236.
chlorophasus (Cuculus),
236.
chlorophanes (Chryso-
phlegma), 25.
chlorophanes (Gecinus),
25.
chloropus (Gecinus\ 23.
chlororhynchus (Centro-
coecyx), 242.
chlororhynchus (Centro-
. pUS). -JlL'.
Chotorhea, 90.
chrysaetus (Aquila), 333,
chrysaiitus (Falco), 333.
Chrysococcyx, 2'_'«>.
440
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
Chrysocolaptes, 64.
chrysonotus (Brachy-
pternopicus), 58.
chrysonotus (Bracby-
pternus), 58.
Chrysophlegma, 27.
cineraceus (Circus), 383.
cineraceus (Falco), 383.
cinerareus (Falco), 383.
cinerascens (Caprimul-
gus), 190.
cinerascens (Circus),
383.
cinereigula (Picus), 47.
Circaetus, 355.
Circus, 380.
ciris (Acanthylis), 172.
cirratus (Nisaetus), 349.
cirrhatus (Falco), 349.
cirrhatus (Limnaetus),
349.
cirrhatus (Spizaetus),
349.
clanga (Aquila), 340.
Coccyges, 203.
Coccystes, 224.
collaris (Alcedo), 135.
oollaris (Halcyon), 135.
collaris (Todirhamphus),
135, 137.
Collocalia, 175.
columboides (PalaBornie),
255.
comata (Dendroche-
lidon), 182.
comata (Macropteryx),
182.
comatus (Anorrhinus),
153.
comatus (Berenicornis),
153.
comatus (Buceros), 153.
comatus (Cypselus), 182.
communis (Falco), 414.
concolor (Cypselus), 176.
concreta (Caridagrus),
138.
concreta (Dacelo), 138.
concreta (Halcyon), 138.
concretus (Caridagrus),
138.
concretus (Hemicercus),
68.
Coracije, 102.
Coraciada, 102.
Coracias, 103.
coracina (Cbaetura), 175.
coracinus (Acanthylis),
- 175.
cordatus (Hemicercus),
69.
coromanda (Alcedo), 134.
coromanda (Ascalaphia),
286.
coromanda (Callialcyon),
134.
coromanda (Halcyon),
134.
coromanda (Strix), 286.
coromanda (Urrua), 286.
coromandelianus (Hal-
cyon), 134.
coromander (Halcyon),
134.
coromandus (Bubo), 286.
coromandus (Coccystes),
226.
coromandus (Cuculus),
226.
coromandus (Oxylophus),
226.
coronata (Dendroche-
lidon), 180.
coronata (Hirundo), 180.
coronata (Hydrocissa),
144, 145.
coronata (Macropteryx),
180.
coronatus (Anthraco-
ceros), 144.
coronatus (Buceros), 144.
Corydon, 5.
coulaci (Loriculus), 262.
coulaci (Psittacula), 262.
crassipes (Aquila), 334.
crawfurdi (Thriponax),
73.
cristata (Pernis), 406.
cristatellus (Falco), 349.
cristatellus (Limnaetus),
349.
cristatellus (Nisaetus),
349.
cristatellus (Spizaetus),
349.
cristatus (Buteo), 406.
cristatus (Pernis), 406.
cryptogenys (Archi-
buteo), 395.
Cuculidje, 203.
Cuculinse, 204.
cuculoides (Athene), 305.
cuculoides (Glaucidium),
305.
cuculoides (Noctua), 305.
Cuculus, 204.
Cultrunguis, 281.
cultrunguis (Ichthyae-
tus), 368.
Cuncuma, 366.
curvirostris (Phoenico-
phaus), 235.
cyaneus (Circus), 384.
cyaneus (Falco), 384.
cyanocephalus (Palae-
ornis), 251, 253.
cyanocephalus (Psitta-
cus), 251.
cyanogularis (Merops),
116.
Cyanops, 92.
cyanotis (Bucco), 95.
cyanotis (Cyanops), 95.
cyanotis (Megalgema),
95.
cyanotis (Mesobucco), 95.
cyanotis (Xantholcema),
95.
Cymborhynchus, 7.
Cypseli, 162.
Cypselidse, 163.
Cypselinag, 163.
Cypselus, 164.
dalhousiaj (Eurylaimus),
dalhousise (Psarisomus),
11.
darjellensis (Picus), 37.
darjilensis (Dendroco-
pus), 37.
daudini (Merops), 111.
davisoni (Cyanops), 93.
davisoni (Halcyon), 136.
davisoni (Megalaema),
93.
davisoni (Spilornis), 358.
delesserti (Chrysocolap-.
tes), 66.
delesserti (Indopicus), -
66.
Dendrochelidon, 180.
Dendrocopus, 33.
deroepstorffi (Strix), 265.
desertorum (Buteo), 390,
393.
desertorum (Falco), 393.
diardi (Melias), 233.
diardi (Ehopodytes), 233.
diardi (Zanclostomus),
233.
Dichoceros, 142.
dicruroides (Cuculus),
223.
dicruroides (Pseudornis),
dicruroides (Surniculus),
224.
dilutus (Brachypternus),
58.
dimidiatus (Grecinus), 22.
dukhunensis (Accipiter),.
398.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
Ill
dumeticola (Strix), 281.
dussuiiiieri (Falco), 398.
duvauceli (Harpactes),
201.
duvaucelii (Trogon), 199,
. 201.
edwardsi (Loriculus),
202.
Elanus, 379.
eleini (Hoematornis),
361.
elgini (Spilornis), 361.
elliotii (Dendrocopus),
64.
elliotti (Pernis), 406.
Ephialtes, 292.
epops (Upupa), 159.
erithaca (Alcedo), 127.
erithronothos (Picus), 60.
erythaca (Ceyx), 127.
erythrocephalus (Har-
pactes), 200.
erythrocephalus (Me-
rops), 114.
erythrocephalus (Tro-
gon), 200.
erythrogeuys(Palaeornis),
erythroguathus (Phceni-
cophaes), 235.
erythrognathus (Rham-
phococcyx), 235.
erythrognathus (Uro-
coccyx), 235.
erythronotus (Brachy-
pternus), 60.
erythropterus (Athene),
306.
Erythropus, 424.
erythropygius (Gecinus),
26.
Eudynamis, 228.
eupatria (Pakeornis),
246.
eupatria (Psittacus), 246.
eupatrius (Palaeornis),
248, 249.
europajus (Caprimulgus),
187.
eurycercus (Centro-
coccyx), 240.
eurycercus (Centropus),
240.
Eurylaemi, 1.
Eurylajinidae 2.
Eurylsemus, 3.
Eurystomus, 107.
euryzoua (Alcedo), 125,
126.
Eutolinaotus, 343.
eutolmu3 (Hierax), \'.'>'2.
eutolnius (Mierohierax),
432.
Falco, 412.
Falconidse, 327.
Falconinae, 330.
fasciata (Aquila), 343.
fasciatus (Harpactes),
199.
fasciatus (Hieraetus),
343.
fasciatus (Nisaetus), 343.
fasciatus (Palaeornis),
256, 257.
fasciatus (Psittacus),
256.
fasciatus (Trogon), 199.
feddeni (Heuailophus),
73.
feddeni (Mulleripicus),
73.
feddeni (Thriponax), 73.
feildeni (Lithofalco), 435.
feildeni(Polihierax),435.
ferox (Accipiter), 390.
ferox (JButeo), 390, 392.
ferrugeiceps (Merops),
110.
festivus (Chrysocolaptes),
64.
festivus (Picus), 64.
finschi (Palseornis), 254.
flainmea (Strix), 264.
flavifrons (Bucco), 94.
flavifrons (Cyanops), 94.
flavifrons (Megaliema),
94.
flavigula (Dryotomus),
28.
flavinucha (Chryso-
phleguia), 28.
flavinucha (Gecinus), 28.
flavinucha (Picus), 28.
flavipes (Cultrunguis),
282.
flavipes (Ketupa), 282.
flavus (Cuculus), 218.
francica (Collocalia),
176, 178.
francica (Hirundo), 178.
franklini (Cyanops), 96.
franklini (Megaliema),
96.
franklinii (Bucco), (->0.
franklinii (Megalaiiua),
97.
fraseri (Pelargopsis), 129.
fringillarius (Falco), 434.
fringillarius (Hierax),
434.
friugillarius (Micro-
hierax), 434.
fuciphaga (Collocalia),
17C», 177, 178.
fuciphaga (Hirundo),
17C).
fugax(Hierococcyx), 214.
fuligiuosus (Buteo), 390.
fulvescens (Aquila), 337,
339.
fulvescens (Gyps), 320.
fulviventer (Halicetus),
366.
fulvus (Gyps), 320, 321.
fulvus (Vultur), 320.
fusca (Acanthylis), 17-.
fusca (Alcedo), 132.
fusca (Aquila), 337, 341.
fuscus (Halcyon), 132.
galeatus (Buceros), 158.
galeritus (Anorhinus),
153.
galeritus (Anorrhinus),
151.
galeritus (Buceros), 151.
gallicus (Circaetus), 355.
gallicus (Falco), 355.
garrula (Coracias), 106.
Gauropicoides, 63.
Gecinulus, 30.
Gecinus, 18.
gigantea (Acanthylis),
173.
gigantea (Chaetura), 172r
173.
giganteus (Hirundin-
apus), 173.
gingalensis (Buceros),
156, 157.
gingalensis (Lophoceros).
157.
gingalensis (Ocyceros),
157.
gingalensis (Tockus), 156r
157.
ginginianus (Buceros),
155.
eineinianus (Neophron),
326.
ginginianus (Ocyceros),
155.
ginginianus (Vultur),
326.
giu (Scops), 291.
5u (Strix), 291,
Glaucidium, 304.
goensis (Chrysocolaptee),
64.
goensis (Picus), »', I.
gorii (Gecinus), 20.
442
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
gouldi (Orescius), 202.
govinda (Milvus), 374,
377.
grammithorax (Migly-
ptes), 52.
grammithorax (Phaio-
picus), 52.
grandis (Alcedo), 125.
grandis (Msaetus), 343.
grandis (Spizaetus), 343.
grantia (Gecinulus), 30.
grantia (Picus), 30.
griseus (Buceros), 156.
griseus (Ephialtes), 297.
griseus (Lophoceros),
156.
griseus (Ocyceros), 156.
griseus (Scops), 297.
griseus (Took us), 156.
gularis (Astur), 404.
gularis (Micropternus),
57.
gularis (Picus), 57.
gurial (Halcyon), 129.
gurial (Pelargopsis), 129.
guttacristatus (Picus), 65.
guttata (Ceryle), 121.
guttatus (Alcedo), 121.
gutticristatus (Chryso-
colaptes), 65.
gutturalis (Alophoner-
pes), 71.
gutturalis (Mulleripicus),
71.
gutturalis (Picus), 71.
gymnophthalrnus (lyngi-
picus), 48.
gymnophthalmus (Picus),
48.
gymnophthalmus (Yun-
gipicus), 48.
gymnopodus (Ephialtes),
295.
gymnopodus (Scops), 292.
Gypaetinse, 328.
Gypaetus, 328.
Gyps, 319.
hsemacephala (Mega-
Igema), 98.
haemacephala (Xantho-
kema), 98.
haematocephala (Xantho-
laema), 98.
haematocephalus (Bucco),
98.
Halcyon, 131.
Haley ones, 118.
Haliaetus, 366.
haliaetus (Falco), 314.
haliaetus (Pandion), 314.
Haliastur, 372.
hardwickii (lyngipicus),
47.
hardwickii (Picus), 47.
hardwickii (Strix), 281.
hardwickii (Yungipicus),
47.
Harpactes, 199.
hastata (Aquila), 341.
hastatus (Morphnus),
341.
hastatns (Spizaetus), 341.
hayi (Calorhamphus), 83,
84.
hayii (Megalorhynchus),
83.
heliaca (Aquila), 334.
hemachalana (Bubo),
284.
hemachalanus (Gypae-
tus), 329.
Hemicercus, 68.
hemilasius (Buteo), 392.
Hemilophus, 70.
hemiptilopus (Archi-
buteo), 395.
hendersoni (Falco), 421.
hendersoni (Hierofalco),
421.
herbfficola (Falco), 381.
Heteroglaux, 303.
Heteropus, 347.
Hieraetus, 342.
Hierax, 431.
Hierococcyx, 211.
Hierofalco, 420, 421.
himalayanus (Cuculus),
207.
himalayanus (Picus), 34.
himalayensis (Dendro-
copus), 34.
himalayensis (Gyps),
321.
himalayensis (Picus), 34.
hirsuta (Ninox), 309, 310.
hirsuta (Strix), 309.
Hirundinapus, 173.
hodgei (Mulleripicus), 75.
hodgei (Thriponax), 75.
hodgii (Thriponax), 75.
hodgsoni (Batrachosto-
mus), 194.
hodgsoni (Chrysococcyx),
222.
hodgsoni (Cyanops), 89.
hodgsoni (Harpactes),
200.
hodgsoni (Megalaema),
88.
hodgsoni (Megalaima),
hodgsoni (Mulleripicus),
72.
hodgsoni (Otothrix), 194.
hodgsoni (Paleeornis),
253.
hodgsoni (Syrnium), 275.
hodgsoni (Thriponax),
72.
hodgsonii (Hemilophus),
72.
hodgsonii (Picus), 72.
homrai (Buceros), 142.
honorata (Eudynamis),
228.
honoratus (Cuculus), 228.
horsfieldi (Ichthyaetus),
370.
horsfieldi (Limnaetus),
351.
Huhua, 287.
humii (Chrysophlegma),
28.
humii (Halcyon), 136.
humilis (Falco), 371.
humilis (Haliaetus), 371.
humilis (Pandion), 371.
humilis (Polioaetus), 371.
hyder (Astur), 362.
hyperythrus (Hypopicus),
32.
hyperythrus (Picus), 32.
Hypopicus, 32.
Hypotriorchis, 422, 423,
426, 427.
ichthyiEtus (Falco), 370.
ichthyaetus (Pandion),
370.
ichthyaetus (Polioaetus),
370.
ichthyaetus (Pontoaetus),
370.
Ictinaetus, 346.
ignavus (Bubo), 284.
igniceps (Bucco), 96.
immaculatus (Glauci-
dium), 308.
imperialis (Aquila), 334,
•JOG
OoO.
imperialis (Falco), 334.
incertus (Psittacus), 260.
incertus (Psittinus), 260.
incognita (Baza), 411.
incognita (Cyanops), 94.
incognita (Megalaima),
94.
incognitus (Picus), 41.
indica (Chaetura), 173.
indica (Coracias), 103.
indica (Lophospiza), 401,
indica (Noctua), 301.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
443
indica (Strix), 265, 297.
indica (Upupa), 161.
indica (Xantholasma),
98.
indica (Yunx), 79.
Indicator, 81.
Indicatoridic, 81.
indicus (Astur), 401.
indicus (Bucco), 98.
indicus (Butastur), 365.
indicus (Caprimulgus),
190.
indicus (Falco), 365.
indicus (Gyps), 322, 323.
indicus (Loriculus), 262.
indicus (Merops), 110.
indicus (Poliornis), 365.
indicus (Psittacus), 262.
indicus (Scops), 298.
indicus (Vultur), 322.
indoburmanicus (Palse-
ornis), 248.
indranee (Bulaca), 275.
ind ranee (Strix), 275.
indrani (Syrnium), 275.
indus (Falco), 372.
Indus (Haliastur), 372.
inexpectata (Collocalia),
178.
infumata (Tachornis),
171.
infumatus (Cypselus),
171.
infumatus (Tachornis),
171.
infuscata (Taccocua),
237.
inglisi (Cerchneis), 430.
innominata (Collocalia),
177.
innominata (Ninox), 310.
innominata (Vivia), 76.
innotninatus (Picumnus),
76.
inornata (Megaloema), 87.
insignis (Poliohierax),
435.
intermedia (Pelargopsis),
129.
intermedia (Tiga), 61.
interinedius (Brachypter-
nus), 58.
intermedius (Centro-
coccyx), 240.
intermedius (Cbrysono-
tus), 61.
intermedius (Cuculus),
207, 208.
intermedius (Picus), 61.
interstinctuB (Falco),
429.
ispida (Alcedo), 122.
lynginae, 78.
lyngipicus, 44.
lynx, 78.
jacobinus (Coccystes),
225.
jacobinus (Cuculus), 225.
japonicus (Buteo), 393.
japonicus (Falco buteo),
393.
javanensis (Ketupa), 283.
javanensis (Picus), 61.
javanensis (Podargus),
196.
javanensis (Tiga), 61.
javanica (Glaux), 266.
javanica (Strix), 265.
javanicus (Centropus),
243.
javanicus (Eurylsemus), 4.
javanicus (Palaeornis),
257.
javanicus (Phoenico-
phaus), 230.
javanicus (Podargus),
196.
j avanic us (Zanclo stom us) ,
230.
javensis (Batrachosto-
mus), 194.
javensis (Hemilophus),
74.
javensis (Mulleripicus),
javensis (Picus), 74.
javensis (Thriponax), 74.
jerdoni (Baza), 411.
jerdoni (Ephialtes), 292,
297.
jerdoni (Lophastur), 411.
jerdoni (Phoenicophaeus),
231.
jerdoni (Thriponax), 73.
jerdonii (Phaiopicos), 57.
jotaka (Caprimulgus),
190.
jugger (Falco), 419.
jugularis (Meiglyptes),
54.
jugularis (Miglyptes), 54.
jugularis (Picus), 54.
kelaarti (Caprimulgus),
190.
kelaarti (Limnaetus),
354.
kelaarti (Spizaetus), 354.
Ketupa, 2SO.
ketupu (Strix), 283.
kieneri (Astur), 345.
kieneri (Lophotriorchis),
345, 346.
kieneri (Spizaetus), 345.
kienerii (Limnaetus), 346.
klecho (Dendrochelidon),
181.
klecho (Hirundo), 181.
laetior (Eurystomus),
107.
bit 1 mm i (Calorhamphus),
84.
lathami (Cuculus), 213.
latbarni (Falco), 409,
411.
lempiji (Ephialtes), 297.
lempiji (Scops), 297.
lempiji (Strix), 297.
Lepocestes, 50.
leschenaulti (Melittopha-
gus), 114.
leschenaulti (Taccocua),
237.
leschenaultii (Merops),
114.
leschenaultii (Strix), 281.
leschenaultii (Taccocua),
237.
lettia (Ephialtes), 297.
lettia (Scops), 297.
lettioides (Scops), 297.
leucocephala (Alcedo),
129.
leucocephala (Butaquila),
392.
leucocephala (Pelargo-
psis), 129.
leucocephalus (Buteo),
392.
leucocephalus (Halcyon),
129.
leucogaster (Blagrus),
sea
leucogaster (Buoeroe),
145.
leucogaster (Cuncuma),
leucogaster (Falco), 368.
leucogaster (Haliaetus),
3<>8.
leucogaster (Picus). 74.
leuconota (Vultur), 324.
leuconyx (Cypselus), 167.
leuconyx (Micropus),
167.
leucoptera (Archibuteo),
395.
leucopygialia (Acanthy-
' lis), 175.
leucopygialis (Chsetura),
175.
444
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
leucopygialis (Rhaphi-
dura), 175.
leucorypha (Aquila), 366.
leucoryphus (Haliaetus),
366.
leucostigma (Aceros),
149.
lilacina (Callialcyon),
134.
lilacina (Halcyon), 134.
limborgi (Chrysococcyx),
221.
limnseetus (Falco), 351.
Limuaetus, 348.
limnaetus (Falco), 351.
limnaetus (Spizaetus),
349, 351.
linchi (Collocalia), 178.
lineata (Cyanops), 89.
lineata (Megalaema), 89.
lineata (Megalaima), 88.
lineatus (Capito), 88.
lineatus (Thereiceryx),
88.
Liopicus, 43.
Lithofalco, 426.
liventer (Butastur), 364.
liventer (Falco), 364.
liventer (Poliornis), 364.
longicaudatus (Phoenico-
phaeus), 232.
longimembris (Strix),
266.
longipennis (Dendro-
chelidon), 181.
longipennis (Hirundo),
181.
longipennis (Macro-
pteryx), 181.
longipes (Buteo), 390.
longirostris (Upupa),
161.
Lophoceros, 154.
Lophospizias, 400. "
lophotes (Baza), 409.
lophotes (Falco), 409.
Lophotriorchis, 345.
Loriculus, 260.
lucidus (Chrysococcyx),
222.
luggur (Falco), 419.
lugubris (Alcedo), 121.
lugubris (Ceryle), 121.
lugubris (Cueulus), 223.
lugubris (Ninox), 309.
lugubris (Strix), 309.
lugubris (Surniculus),
223.
lunatus (Eurylaimus), 9.
lunatus (Serilophus), 9.
Lyncornis, 192.
macclellandi (Mega-
laima), 88.
macei (Dendrotypes), 39.
macei (Falco), 366.
macei (Haliaetus), 366.
macei (Picus), 39.
Machaerhamphus, 408.
macii (Dendrocopus), 39.
Macrochires, 162.
Macropteryginae, 179.
Macropteryx, 179.
rnacrorhynchus (Cymbo-
rhynchus), 7.
macrorhynchus (Todus),
7.
macrourus (Accipiter),
381.
macrourus (Caprimul-
gus), 188.
macrurus (Caprimulgus),
188,190. '
macrurus (Circus), 381.
maculata (Aquila), 340.
maculatus (Chalcococ-
cyx), 222.
maculatus (Chrysococ-
cyx), 222.
maculatus (Cuculus), 222.
maculatus (Falco), 340.
maculatus (Lamprococ-
cyx), 222.
maculatus (Trogon), 222.
magnirostris (Palseornis) ,
249.
mahrattensis (Caprimul-
gus), 184.
mahrattensis (Leiopicus),
43.
mahrattensis (Liopicus),
43, 44.
mahrattensis (Liopipo),
43.
mahrattensis (Picus), 43.
major (Milvus), 377.
maj oroides (Dendroco-
' pus), 37.
majoroides (Picus), 37.
malabarica (Athene), 306.
malabarica (Megalaima),
99.
malabarica (Xantho-
' laema), 99.
malabaricuui (Glauci-
dium), 306.
malabaricus (Anthraco-
ceros), 145.
malabaricus (Bucco), 99.
malabaricus (Buceros),
144, 145.
malabaricus (Ephialtes),
297.
malabaricus (Harpactes),
199.
malabaricus (Scops), 297.
malabaricus (Trogon),
199.
malaccense (Chryso-
phlegma), 29.
malaccensis (Callolo-
phus), 29.
malaccensis (Chryso-
phlegma), 29.
malaccensis (Cymborhyn-
chus), 7.
malaccensis (Gecinus),
29.
malaccensis (Neopus),
347.
malaccensis (Nyctiornis),
117.
malaccensis (Picus), 29.
malaccensis (Psittacus),
260.
malaccensis (Psittinus),
260.
malaccensis (Tanygna-
thus), 260.
malaiensis (Ictinaetus),
347.
malayana (Eudynamis)r
228.
malayanus (Chrysococ-
cyx), 221.
malayanus (Lamprococ-
cyx), 221.
malayanus (Scops), 292.
malayensis (Falco), 347.
nialayensis (Ictinaetus),
347.
malayensis (Neopus),
347.
mandarin us (Picus), 35.
niarginatus (Meiglyptes),
53.
marshalloruin (Megalas-
ma), 84, 86.
maxima (Collocalia), 177.
maximus (Bubo), 284.
maxim us (Centrococcyx),
240.
Megalaema, 84.
melanochrysos (Malaco-
lophus), 58.
melanogaster (Picus), 51.
melanogaster (Venilia),
51.
melanoleucos (lerax),
433.
melanoleucus (Circus),
385.
melanoleucus (Coccystes),.
252.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
445
melanoleucus (Cuculus),
226.
uielanoleucus (Falco),
385.
melanoleucus (Hierax),
433.
melanoleucus (Micro-
hierax), 433.
melanoleucus (Oxylo-
phus), 225.
melanopterus (Elanus),
379.
melanopterus (Falco),
379.
melanorhynchus (Palae-
ornis), 255, 256.
melanoschistus (Accipi-
ter), 402.
melanotis (Buteo), 358.
-melanotis (Milvus), 377.
melanotis (Spilornis),
358.
melanotus (Picus), 64.
melba (Cypselus), 164.
melba (Hirundo), 164.
melba (Micropus), 165.
Melittophagus, 114.
Meniceros, 155.
meninting (Alcedo), 124,
125.
meniscus (Picus), 45.
mentalis (Brachylophus),
25.
mentalis(Callolophus),28.
mentalis (Chrysophleg-
ma), 28.
mentalis (Gecinus), 28.
merguiensis (Collocalia),
178.
Meropes, 109.
Meropidae, 109.
Merops, 109.
merulina (Polyphasia),
218.
merulinus (Cacomantis),
218.
merulinus (Cuculus), 218.
Mesobucco, 95.
Microhierax, 431.
Micronisus, 396.
Micropternus, 54.
micropterus (Cuculus),
210
Micropus, 164.
micropus (Brachypter-
nus), 58.
microsoma (Ceyx), 127.
Miglyptes, 52.
migrans (Falco), 378.
inigrans (Milvus), 378.
milvipes (Falco), 421.
milvipes (Hierofalco),
421.
milvoides (Spizaetus),
344.
Milvus, 374.
minimus (Spilornis), 361.
minor (Spilornis), 358.
minusculus (Cypselus),
171.
ininutilla (Athene), 308.
minutus (Scops), 292.
mitchellii (Picus), 45.
modestus (Scops), 296.
mogilnik (Aquila), 334,
336.
monachus (Vultur), 317.
rnoniliger (Batracho-
stomus), 196.
montanus (Cypselus),
168.
monticola (Bulaca), 275.
monticola (Caprimulgus),
185.
monticolus (Caprimul-
gus), 185.
Mulleripicus, 71.
murinus (Cypselus), 166.
murinus (Micropus), 166.
mystaceus (Psittacus),
256.
mvstacophanes (Choto-
*rhea), 91.
mystacophanes (Cya-
nops), 91.
mystacophanes (Mega-
laeina), 91.
mystacophanos (Bucco),
91.
mystacophanus (Choto-
rea), 91.
nsevia (Aquila), 339, 340.
nsevioides (Aquila), 337,
339.
nan us (Hierococcyx),
215.
nanus (Ichthyaetus),371.
nanus (lyngipicus), 47,
49.
nanus (Pontoaetus), 371.
nanus (Yungipicus), 47.
uarcondami (Rhyticeros),
149.
narcondami (Rhytidoce-
ros), 149.
nasutus (Cymbirhyn-
chus), 7.
nasutus (Todus), 7.
naumanni (Cerchneis),
430.
Neophron, 325.
Neopus, 347.
nepalensis (Aceros). 14(.».
nepalensis (Buceros),
14t/.
nepalensis (Bucia), 116.
nepalensis (Cypselus),
nepalensis (Huhua), 287.
nepalensis (Palasornis),
248.
nepalensis (Spizaetus),
nepaulensis (Picus), 23.
newarense (Syrnium),
275.
newarensis (Bulaca), 275.
newarensis (Ulula), 275.
nicobaricus (Ephialtes),
292.
nicobaricus (Pahcornis),
258, 259.
nicobaricus (Scops), 292.
nidifica (Collocalia), 176,
177.
nigra (Polyphasia), 216.
nigralbus (Buceros). 145.
nigricans (Alcedo), 12«I.
nigrigenis (Gecinus), 26.
nigripennis (Upupa), 161.
nigripes (Cultrunguis),
281.
nigrirostris (Psittacus),
256.
Ninox, 309.
nipalensis (Aquila), 336.
nipalensis (Bubo), 287.
nipalensis (Circaeetus),
357.
nipalonsis (Huhua), 288.
nipalensis (Limnaetus),
352.
nipalensis (Ninox), 309.
nipalensis (Nisaetus), 352.
nipalensis (Phodilus),
268,295.
nipalensis (Spizaetus),
352,354.
nipalensis (Vivia), 76.
Nisaetus, 342.
nisicolor (Cuculus), 214.
nisicolor (Hierococcyx),
214.
nisoides (Accipiter), 404.
nisoides (Hierococcyx),
213.
nisosimilis (Falco), 402.
nisus (Accipiter), 4« iJ.
nisus (Falco), 402.
nivea (Nyctea). 290.
nivea (Strix), 290.
niveus (Falco), 351.
446
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
niveus (Limnaetus), 351.
niveus (Nisaetus), 343.
nivicola (Gyps), 321.
nivicola (Mesomorpha),
273.
niricola (Syrnium), 273.
nivicolura (Syrnium),
273.
nudipes (Acantbylis),
172.
nudipes (Chastura), 172.
Nyctea, 289.
nyctea (Strix), 290.
Nyctiornis, 115.
obscura (Ninox), 311.
obscurus (Rbyticeros),
147.
occipitalis (Gecinus), 22.
occipitalis (Halcyon),
137.
occipitalis (Picus), 22.
occipitalis (Sauropatis),
137.
occipitalis (Todiram-
phus), 137.
ocellata (Bulaca), 277,
278.
ocellatuni (Syrnium),
277.
ochracea (Comeris), 77.
ochracea (Sasia), 77.
ochraceus (Microcolap-
tes), 77.
ochrogenys (Syrnium),
275.
ocbromalus (Eurylai-
mus), 5.
ocbroinelas (Euryleemus),
5.
Ocyceros, 155.
orescius (Harpactes), 202.
oreskios (Harpactes), 202.
oreskios (Trogon), 202.
orientalis (Aquila), 336.
orientalis (Bubo), 288,
289.
orientalis (Coracias), 107.
orientalis (Cuculus), 228.
orientalis (Eudynamis),
228.
orientalis (Eurystomus),
107.
orientalis (Huhua), 289.
orientalis (Strix), 289.
osbecki (Palaeornis), 257.
Otogyps, 318.
Otothrix, 194.
Otus, 270.
otus (Asio), 270.
otus (Strix), 270.
ovivorus (Ictinaetus),347.
ovivorus (Nisaetus), 347.
Oxylopbus, 225.
pacifica (Hirundo), 167.
pacificus (Cypselus), 167.
pacificus (Micropus), 167.
pagodarum (Strix), 278.
Palaeornis, 246.
pallescens (Gyps), 322.
pallidus (Circus), 381.
pallidus (Cypselus), 166.
pallidus (Nisaetus), 351.
palmarum (Cypselus),
170.
palumbarius (Astur),
397.
palumbarius (Falco),
397.
palustris (Milvus), 375.
Pandion, 313.
Pandionidae, 313.
passerina (Polyphasia),
216.
passerinus (Cacomantis) ,
216.
passerinus (Cuculus),
216, 218.
passerinus (Ololygon),
216.
pectoralis (Dendrocopus),
41.
pectoralis (Huhua), 288.
pectoralis (Meiglyptes),
53.
pectoralis (Picus), 41.
pekinensis (Cerchneis),
430.
pekinensis (Cypselus),
166.
pekinensis (Erytbropus),
430.
pekinensis (Tichornis),
430.
pekinensis (Tinnunculus),
430.
pelagicus (Haliaetus),
Pelargopsis, 128.
pelegrinoides (Falco),
417.
peninsularis (lyngipicus),
4o.
pennata (Aquila), 344.
pennatus (Ephialtes),
pennatus (Falco), 344.
pennatus (Hieraetus),
344.
pennatus (Nisaetus), 344.
pennatus (Scops), 291.
Penthoceryx, 219.
percnopterus (Neophron),
326, 327.
percnopterus (Vultur),
327.
peregrinator (Falco), 415.
peregrinoides (Falco),
417.
peregrinus (Falco), 413.
peristerodes (Palaiornis),
255.
perniger (Heteropus),
o47.
pernigra (Aquila), 347.
Pernis, 405.
persica (Atbene), 303.
persicus (Merops), 112.
phaeoceps (Micropternus),
55.
phaioceps (Micropter-
nus), 55.
philippensis (Bucco), 98.
philippensis (Centropus),
239.
philippensis'(Megalaima),
98.
phih'ppensis (Merops),
philippinus (Merops),
phillipensis (Loriculus),
262.
Phodilus, 268.
Phrenicophaes, 234.
Phoenicophaeus, 234.
Phoenicophainae, 227.
Photodilinaj, 268.
Photodilus, 268.
pica (Buceros), 144.
Pici, 14.
Picidae, 16.
Picinae, 17.
Picumninas, 75.
Picumnus, 75.
pileata (Alcedo), 133.
pileata (Halcyon), 133.
plicatus (Aceros), 147.
plicatus (Buceros), 147,
148.
plicatus (Ehyticeros),
147.
plumbeus (Haliaetus),
371.
plumbeus (Polioaetus),
371.
plumipes (Atbene), 303.
plumipes (Buteo), 393.
plumipes (Carine), 303.
ALPHABETICAL IN hi A.
447
plumipes (Ephialtes),
300.
plumipes (Scops), 300.
Podargi, 193.
Podaraidu.', 193.
Polioaetus, 369.
poliocephalus (Cuculus),
208.
Poliococcyx, 233.
poliogenys (Falco), 365.
poliogenys (Poliornis),
Poliohierax, 434.
poliopsis (Astur), 398.
poliopsis (Micronisus),
398.
poliopsis (Scelospizias),
398.
Poliornis, 362.
Polyphasia, 216.
pondiceriauus (Falco),
372.
pondicerianus (Psitta-
cus). 256.
ponticerianus (Vultur),
318.
porphyromelas (Blythi-
picus), 51.
porphyroinelas (Lepo-
cestes), 51.
porphyroinelas (Venilia),
51.
pravata (Cuculus), 219.
Psarisomus, 11.
Pseudaetus, 343.
Pseudofringilla, 81.
Pseudogyps, 324.
Pseudospiza, 81.
Psittaci, 245.
Psittacida, 245.
Psittinus, 259.
Ptiloluemus, 151.
ptilonorhynchus (Pernis),
406.
ptilorhynchus (Falco),
406.
ptilorhynchus (Pernis),
406.
Ptiloskelos, 288.
pucoran (Buceros), 147.
pulchella (Dacelo), 139.
pulchellus (Carcineutes),
139.
pulcher (Spizaetus),
352.
pulchra (Athene), 301.
pulchra (Carine), 301.
pulverulentus (Alopho-
nerpes), 71.
pulverulentus (Hemilo-
phus), 71.
pulverulentus (Mulleri-
picus), 71.
pulverulentus (Picus), 71.
pumilus (lyngipicus), 4(>.
pumilus (Picus), 46.
punctata (Aquila), 337.
punctatus (Batrachosto-
mus), 196.
punctatus (Spizaetus),
341.
puncticollis (Brachypter-
nopicus), 58.
puncticollis (Brachypter-
nus), 58.
puiiicea (Venilia), 26.
puniceus (Callolophus),
26.
puniceus (Chrysophleg-
ma), 26.
puniceus (Gecinus), 26.
puniceus (Picus), 26.
punjabi (Palaeornis), 248.
purpurea (Alcedo), 127.
purpureus (Palaeornis),
251.
purpureus (Psittacus),
pusaran (Buceros), 147.
pygargus (Circus), 383.
pygmseus (Buteo), 365.
pygmaeus (lyngipicus),
45.
pygmams (Picus), 45.
pygrnaeus (Yungipicus),
45.
pyrrhocephalus (Cucu-
lus), 234.
pyrrhocephalus (Phceni-
cophaes), 234.
pyrrhocephalus (Phceni-
cophaeus), 234.
Pyrrhopicus, 49.
pyrrhothorax (Dendro-
copus), 38.
pyrrhothorax (Picus),
38.
pyrrhotis (Blythipicus),
50.
pyrrhotis (Gecinus), 50.
pyrrhotis (Lepocestes),
50.
pyrrhotis (Picus), 50.
pyrrhotis (Pyrrhopicus),
50.
pyrrhotis (Venilia), 50.
quadricolor (Bucco), 91.
quadricolor (Megalairaa),
91.
quinticolor (Melittopha-
gus), 114.
quinticolor (Merops),
radcliffi (Indicator), 81.
radiata (Athene), 306.
radiata (Strix), 306.
radiatuin (Glaucidium),
306.
rafflesi (Chrysonotus), 63,
rafflesi (Gauropicoides),
63.
rafflesii (Picus), 63.
rafflesii (Tiga), 63.
ramsayi (Cyanops), 97.
ranisayi (Megatoina), 97.
regulus (^Esalon), 426.
regulus (Falco), 4L'i;.
Rhamphococcyr, 235.
Rhinoplax, 158.
Rhinortha, 236.
rhodogastra(Tera8pizias),
404.
Rhopodytes, 230.
Rhytidoceros, 146.
rosa (Palaaornis), 251,
252, 253.
rosa (Psittacus), 252.
rubiginosus (Gecinus), 51.
rubiginosus (Hemicircus),
51.
rubiginoeus (Pyrrhopi-
cus), 51.
rubricapilla (Megalaima)f
100.
rubricapilla (Xantholae-
ma), 100.
rubricapillus (Bucco),
IOC).
rubricatus (Picus), t.'>.
rubricatus (Yungipicus),
45.
rubropygia (Raya), 9.
rubropygialis (Chryso-
notus), 61.
rubropygialis (Picus), 61.
rubropygius (Serilophus),
9.
rudi8(Ceryle),119.
ruficollis (Buceros), 147.
rufigastra (Alcedo), 124.
rufipedoides (Falco), 42.3.
rufinotus (Meiglyptes),
55.
rufinotus (Micropternus)y
55.
rufinus (Buteo), 390.
rufinus (Falco), .".'.M).
rufipennis (Centroooo-
ruiip.Minis (Oentropus),
448
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
rufipennis (Scops), 292.
rufitinctus (Astur), 401.
rufitinctus (Lophospiza),
401.
rufitinctus (Spizaetus),
401.
rufiventer (Buteo), 393.
rufiventris (Cacomantis),
218.
rufiventris (Polyphasia),
218.
rufus (Picus), 55.
rutherfordi (Spilornis),
358.
rutilus(Harpactes),201.
sacer (Falco), 402.
sacer (Palaeornis), 248.
sagittatus (Ephialtes),
296.
sagittatus (Scops), 296.
saker (Hierofalco), 420.
Sasia, 77.
saturatior (Halcyon), 132.
saturatus (Cuculus), 207.
saturatus (Tinnunculus),
429.
Sauropatis, 135.
scandiaca (Nyctea), 290.
ecandiaca (Striae), 290.
Scelospiza, 396.
Scelospizias, 396.
Scelostrix, 266.
scindeanus (Dendroco-
pus), 36.
scindeanus (Picus), 36.
schisticeps (Palseornis),
253.
Scops, 290.
scops (Ephialtes), 295.
scops (Strix), 291.
scutata (Buceros), 158.
scutatus (Rhinoplax),
158.
scutulata (Athene), 309.
scutulata (Ninox), 309.
scutulata (Strix), 309.
seloputo (Strix), 278.
seloputo (Syrnium), 278.
seraicoronatus (lyngipi-
cus), 45.
semicoronatus (Picus),
45.
semitorques (Ephialtes),
300.
semitorques (Otus), 300.
semitorques (Scops), 300.
senegalensis (Upupa),
161.
sepulchralis (Cuculus),
218.
sericeogula (Raya), 11.
Serilophus, 8.
severus (Falco), 423.
severus (Hypotriorchis),
423.
shaheen (Falco), 415.
shorei (Chrysonotus), 62.
shorei (Picus), 62.
shorei (Tiga), 62.
sibirica (Strix), 284.
sindiana (Alcedo), 122.
sindianus (Dendrocopus),
36.
sindianus (Picus), 36.
sinense (Syrnium), 277.
sinensis (Bulaca), 277,
278.
sinensis (Centropus),
239.
sinensis (Pelophilus),
239.
sinensis (Strix), 278.
sirkee (Centropus), 237.
sirkee (Taccocua), 237.
sivalensis (Palaeornis),
248.
smaragdinus (Chryso-
coccyx), 222.
smyrnensis (Alcedo),
132.
smyrnensis (Halcyon),
132.
soloensis (Astur) 400.
soloensis (Falco), 400.
soloensis (Micronisus),
400.
soloensis (Tachyspiza),
400.
soloensis (Tachyspizias),
400.
sonnerati (Penthocervx),
219.
sonnerati (Polyphasia),
219.
sonneratii (Cuculus),
219.
sordidus (Dendrocopus),
68.
sordidus (Hemicercus),
68.
sparverioides (Cuculus),
211.
sparverioides (Hierococ-
cyx), 211.
sphynx (Limnaetus),
349.
sphynx (Spizaetus), 349.
spilocephalus(Ephialtes),
295, 296.
spilocephalus (Scops),
295.
spilogaster (Haemator-
nis), 358.
spilogaster (Spilornis),
358.
spilonotus (Circus), 388.
Spilornis, 357.
Spizaetus, 348.
spodiopygia (Collocalia),
178.
spodiopygia (Macro-
pteryx), 178.
squamatus (Gecinus), 19.
squamatus (Picus), 19.
squamicolle (Chryso-
phlegma), 28.
stevensoni (Accipiter),
405.
strenuus (Cuculus), 212.
strenuus (Hierococcyx),
212.
strepitans (Strix), 289.
striatus (Cuculus), 207,
210.
stricklandi (Brachypter-
nus), 67.
stricklandi (Chrysoco-
laptes), 67.
strictus (Chrysocolaptes),
66.
strictus (Picus), 65.
Striges, 263.
Strigidae, 264.
striolatus (Grecinus), 20.
striolatus (Picus), 20.
Strix, 264.
strophiatus (Archibuteo),
395.
strophiatus (Hemiastus),
subbuteo (Falco), 422.
subbuteo(Hypotriorchis),
422.
subbuteo (Lithofalco),
422.
subfurcatus (Cypselus),
169.
subfurcatus (Micro pus),
169.
subruficollis (Aceros),
148.
subruficollis (Buceros),
148.
subruficollis (Rhyti-
ceros), 148.
subruficollis (Rhytido-
ceros), 148.
subtypicus (Accipiter),
402.
sultaneus (Chrysoco-
laptes), 66.
sultaneus (Falco), 415.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
44!«
sultaneus (Indopieua),
66.
sultaneus (Picus), 65.
sumatraua (Strix), 289.
sumatranus (Coracias), 6.
sumatramis (Corydon), 6.
sumatranus (Cuculus),
233.
suinatranus (Poliococ-
cyx), 233.
sumatranus (Rhopo-
dytes), 233.
sumatranus (Zanclosto-
mus), 233.
surnatrensis (Aviceda),
411.
sumatrensis (Baza), 411.
sunia (Ephialtes), 292.
sunia (Scops), 291.
Surniculus, 223.
swaiusoni (Circus), 381.
swinhoei (Merops), 114.
swinhoii(Melittophagus),
syama (Baza), 409.
sykesi (Megalaema), 90.
sylvatica (Acanthylis),
174.
sylvatiea (Chaetura), 174.
Syrnium, 273.
Taccocua, 237.
Tachornis, 170.
Tachyspiza, 396.
tarayensis (Noctua), 301.
tectorum (Cypselus), 171.
ft'i'su (Butastur), 362.
teesa (Buteo), 361.
teesa (Circa), 362.
teesa (Poliornis), 363.
frnuiceps (Vultur), 323.
tenuirostris (Cuculus),
216.
tenuirostris (Gyps), 323.
tenuirostris (Ololygon),
219.
tenuirostri8(Polyphasia),
216, 218.
Thereiceryx, 86.
thermophilus (Falco),
419.
threnodes (Cacomantis),
218.
Thriponax, 72.
tickelli (Anorrhinus),
151.
tickelli (Buceros), 151.
tickelli (Ocyceros), 151.
tickelli (Ptiloltemus), 151.
tickelli (Toccus), 151.
Tiga, 61.
VOL. III.
tiga (Chrysonota), 61.
tiga (Picus), 61.
tinmmculoides (Falco),
430.
Tinnunculus, 428.
tinnunculus (Cerchneis),
429.
tinnunculus (Falco), 428.
Tockus, 154.
torquatus (Merops), 110.
torquatus (Palaaornis),
torquatus (Psittacus),
250.
torquilla (lynx), 78.
torquilla (Yunx), 78.
tridactyla (Alcedo), 127.
tridactyla (Oeyx), 127.
tridactyla (Tiga), 61.
tridactylus(Chrysonotus),
61.
tridactylus (Picus), 61.
tristis (Meiglyptes), 52.
tristis (Melias), 232.
tristis (Phoenicophaeus),
233.
tristis (Rhopodvtes),
232.
tristis (Zanclostomus),
232.
trivirgatus (Astur), 401.
trivirgatus (Falco), 401.
trivirgatus (Lopbospiza),
401.
trivirgatus (Lophospi-
zias), 401.
Trogones, 198,
Trogonidae, 198.
tubiger (Noctua), 307.
tukki (Miglyptes), 53.
tukki (Picus), 53.
turcomana (Strix), 284.
turcomanus (Bubo), 284.
typus (Chicquera), 427.
tytleri (PaUcornis), 259.
umbrata (Urrua), 286.
umbratus (Bubo), 286.
undulatus (Buceros),
147.
undulatus (Heematornis),
357.
undulatus (Rhyticeros),
147.
undulatus (Rhytidoce-
ros), 147.
undulatus (Spilornis),
358.
unicolor (Collocalia),
176, 177.
unicolor (Haliaetus), 36«.
unicolor (Hirundo), 170.
unicolor (Lirnnaetus),
341.
unwini (Caprimulgus),
187.
Upupa, 159.
Upupoe, 159.
Upupidae, 159.
Urrua, 285, 286.
varia (Ceryle), 119.
varia (Halcyon), 138.
variegatus (Picus), 47.
varius (Cuculus), 213,
varius (Hierococcyx),
213.
varius (Todirhamphus),
138.
Venilia, 50.
venustus (Cuculus), 219.
vernalis (Coryllis), 261.
vernalis (Loriculus), 261.
vernalis (Psittacus), 261.
vespertina (Cerchneis),
425.
vespertinus(Erythropu8),
424.
vespertinus (Falco), 424.
vespertinus (Tinnuncu-
lus), 424.
vibrisca (Palaeornis),
257.
vibrissa (Psittacus), 256.
vidali (Halcyon), 136.
vigil (Buceros), 158.
vigil (Rhinoplax), 158.
vindhiana (Aquila), 337.
vindhiana (Paheornis),
248.
violaceus (Buceros), 144.
virens (Megalaerua), 86.
virens (Megalaima), 84.
virgatus (Accipiter), 404»
virgatus (Falco), 404.
viridanus (Gecinus), 22.
viridanus (Picus), '1'2.
viridirostris (Rhopo-
dytes), 231.
viridirostris (Zanclosto-
mus), 231.
viridis (Bucco), 89.
viridis (Calyptomena),
12.
viridis (Centropus),
243.
viridis (Gyanops), 90.
viridis (Gecinulus), 31.
viridis (Megalseraa), 90.
viridis (Megalaima), 90.
viridis (Merops), 110.
2G
450
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
viridis (Thereiceryx),
vittata (Aquila), 340.
vittatus (Cypselus), 167.
vittatus (G-ecinus), 22.
vulgaris (Buteo), 390.
vulgaris (Otus), 270.
Vultur, 316.
Vulturidje, 315.
westermani (Picus), 39.
whiteleji (Athene), 305.
xanthoderus (Chryso-
phlegma), 25.
xanthoderus (Picus), 25.
Xantholaema, 97.
xanthonota (Pseudo-
spiza), 81.
xanthonotus (Indicator),
81.
xanthonotus (Pseudo-
fringilla), 81.
xanthorhynchus (Chalco-
coccyx), 221.
xanthorhynchus (Chryso-
coccyx), 221.
xanthorhynchus (Cucu-
lus), 221.
Yungipicus, 45.
Yunx, 78.
Zanclostomus, 230.
zeylanica (Megalaema),
87.
zeylanica (Megalaima),
87.
zeylanicus (Bucco), 86.
zeylonensis (Ketupa),
281.
zeylonensis (Strix), 281.
zeylonica (Cyanops),
87.
zeylonicus (Thereiceryx),
86.
zorca (Strix), 291.
Zygodactyli, 80.
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