A Manual of Philippine BirdsMcGregor, Richard C. (Richard Crittenden)
Science
A Manual of Philippine Birds
McGregor, Richard C. (Richard Crittenden)
Birds -- Philippines
Adult male.--Above blackish brown; feathers of back largely black with
white or buff margins; in some specimens the margins largely rufous;
chin and throat white; breast and sides light buff with clear-cut,
subterminal, black cross-bars; abdomen and belly dirty white; flanks
and under tail-coverts washed with buff; quills blackish brown,
first three or four narrowly edged with pale buff or white; first
alula-quill widely edged with pale buff or white; coverts light buff,
more or fewer with strong cross-bars. Bill black, yellow at base;
legs pale greenish yellow. Length, 140. Three males measure: Wing,
68 to 76; tail, 23 to 28; culmen, 12 to 13; tarsus, 21 to 22; middle
toe with claw, 18 to 19.5.
Adult female.--Like the adult male but larger; chin and throat
black; hind neck and sides of neck decorated with a collar of rich
chestnut. Iris white; bill yellow, slightly greenish toward tip; legs
greenish; nails flesh-colored. Length, 160. Three females measure:
Wing, 72 to 81; tail, 29 to 30.5; culmen, 13 to 14; tarsus, 23 to 25;
middle toe with claw, 20 to 23.
Young.--Immature birds of both sexes resemble the adult male but the
bars of breast are reduced to spots or to irregular V-shaped bars;
above more uniform, dull rusty brown and edges of feathers more or
less rusty; wing-coverts blackish brown, notched with white.
There is much variation in the color of the upper parts due to wear;
birds in fresh plumage (February, Manila) are largely chestnut above
and males may have a narrow chestnut collar; the rich color fades and
the feathers become abraded very rapidly. A male (March 17, Tarlac)
shows scarcely any chestnut and that of a faded hue. The species is
easily recognized in any plumage by the black bars (spots in young)
on breast.
Eggs.--"The eggs of the Philippine bustard quail are grayish white,
densely covered with specks and dots of yellowish brown and small
blotches of pale purple. The three examples in the collection
[collected by the Steere Expedition in Negros, November 10], are
very broad ovals and measure respectively: 28.4 by 21.3; 27 by 21.3;
26 by 21.3." (Oates.)
A nest believed to belong to this species was found in Mindoro,
March 23, 1905. It was made of dry grass and placed on the ground
in an old clearing, where it was well hidden by the surrounding
grass. The three eggs were slightly incubated; two of them measure 25
by 20 and the third measures 24.6 by 19.8. The ground-color is white,
closely speckled with dull greenish brown and occasional small spots
of various shades of lilac, the larger end rather thickly marked with
blotches of blackish brown. One specimen from Manila, July 30, 1908,
measures 23.5 by 18.5.
"Common about old paddy-fields and on grassy plains. It flies but a
short distance and then buries itself in the grass, where it runs
rapidly and hides so well that one is seldom able to flush a bird
the second time." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
6. TURNIX OCELLATA (Scopoli).
SPOTTED BUTTON QUAIL.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account