A Manual of Philippine BirdsMcGregor, Richard C. (Richard Crittenden)
Science
A Manual of Philippine Birds
McGregor, Richard C. (Richard Crittenden)
Birds -- Philippines
"The young bird, when fully fledged, retains its first feathers
for at least one year, the only change being that the brown colors
become darker and the rufous edgings abraded and consequently less
marked. The impressed spots on the bill are not indicated till the
sixth month, and even at the end of twelve months these spots are
quite indistinct, compared with those of the adult bird. Toward the
end of the first year a livid spot appears in front of the eyes and
soon becomes clearly defined. The nail and the terminal third of the
edges of the bill are yellow, legs and toes flesh-color.
"After the first molt, at about twelve months of age, the whole head
and neck are covered with short, soft, downy feathers, the bases of
which are black, the tips white; and the crest and mane are developed
to the same extent as in the adult; the shoulders and scapulars
are wood-brown; the lesser and median coverts to the secondaries
wood-brown; the feathers all edged with paler; the greater coverts
darker brown, edged with light brown; the coverts to the tertiaries
grayish brown, edged with pale fulvous. The whole of the coverts
narrow and sharp-pointed; the winglet, primaries, and their coverts
dark brown; the secondaries brown, tinged with ashy on the outer webs;
the whole back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and flanks white; the lower
plumage whitish brown, each feather being white with the tip brownish,
the feathers close, dense, and soft.
"In June of the third year, or when the bird is about thirty months
old, the molt into adult breeding plumage is commenced and the
change is entirely effected by October, except that in this first
breeding season the wing-coverts never become entirely white as
in the old birds, the feathers of these parts being a mixture of
long sharp-pointed, white feathers, and comparatively blunt brown
ones. Between June and October the pouch, which has hitherto been
spotless, becomes blotched with livid as in the adults, the blotches
extending to the face; the legs turn to dark brown; the iris becomes
paler brown; and the spots on the bill become firm and well defined.
"Mr. E. W. Oates, having kept large numbers of P. philippensis
in confinement, has had exceptional opportunities of studying the
changes of plumage, and the above descriptions are the results of
his observations, published in his Birds of British Burmah." (Grant.)
"We were informed that pelicans were abundant on the Laguna de Bay
at certain seasons, but when we were there none were to be found. A
number of specimens are preserved in the Jesuit Museum at Manila,
and several live birds were to be seen there on different occasions
when we visited the Museum. Padre Sanchez kindly offered us specimens,
and we intended to accept his offer at a later date, but unforeseen
circumstances prevented our doing so." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account