Part 101

"Five specimens average, 206 in length; wing, 177; tail, 89; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 35; culmen, 14. Iris yellow; legs and feet light yellow; bill yellow at tip, greenish at base. Food insects." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

"Mr. Whitehead's Negros collection contains three adult examples of a little hawk owl, and I am in considerable doubt as to whether this form should not be separated from typical examples of N. philippensis from Luzon. I have before me at the present time nine examples from Luzon, two from Guimaras, four from Negros, and one from Siquijor. All seven birds from the last three mentioned islands differ very considerably from Luzon specimens. The latter have the chest and breast mostly tawny brown, shading into pale tawny toward the edges of the feathers, and the belly and flanks whitish, with rather ill-defined brownish red middles. In Negros birds, as well as those from the other central islands already mentioned, the feathers of the breast and chest are chocolate-brown edged with white, and the rest of the under parts are white, with fairly wide and clearly defined shaft-stripes of a dark brownish red color.

"The general impression conveyed is, that the Luzon birds have the under parts tawny brown, suffused with white on the belly and flanks, while in birds from the central islands, the chest and breast, as well as the rest of the under parts, are white, clearly striped with reddish brown. These birds remind one of small examples of Ninox japonica, though of course the latter has the stripes on the underparts of a much darker color. It is quite possible that it may be found necessary to separate the birds from Negros, etc., under some distinctive name, but before doing this I should like to have more material from the adjacent islands." (Grant.)

225. NINOX EVERETTI Sharpe.

EVERETT'S HAWK OWL.

Ninox everetti Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1897), 6, 47; Ibis (1897), 449; Hand-List (1899), 1, 290; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Siasi (Everett).

Diagnosis.--Similar to Ninox reyi but pale spots of primaries few, fulvescent, very slightly spotted with white; and abdomen, flanks, and thighs ocherous-fulvous, not white spotted with brown. Length, 241; wing, 195.

This is a little-known species of which more specimens should be examined and compared with Rey's hawk owl.

226. NINOX SPILOCEPHALA Tweeddale.

TWEEDDALE'S HAWK OWL.

Ninox spilocephala Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 940; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 290; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino).

Adult.--Very similar to Ninox philippensis from which it differs in having the head and neck spotted with rufous or tawny brown and the white spots on primary- and secondary-coverts larger; decomposed feathers below eye unusually long and entirely covering the true ear-coverts. A male from Basilan is 230 in length; wing, 177; tail, 83; culmen from base, 22; tarsus, 26. Female, length, 230; wing, 158; tail, 82; culmen from base, 21; tarsus, 28.

"Very common in the islands where it occurs. Hides among thick vines or bushes during the day. Feeds on beetles, grasshoppers, and the like. Iris yellow; legs and feet dirty, light yellow; bill pale greenish horn-color. Ten specimens average, 214 in length; wing, 162; tail, 76; culmen, 15; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 22." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

227. NINOX SPILONOTA Bourns and Worcester.

SPOTTED HAWK OWL.

Ninox spilonotus Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 8. Ninox spilonota Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 290; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindoro (Platen, Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester).

"Sexes alike.--General color of upper surface fulvous-brown; feathers of head, nape, interscapulars, and wing-coverts spotted with light rufous-brown giving the parts in question a decidedly speckled appearance; rump fulvous-brown, upper tail-coverts faintly spotted with pale rufous-brown; tail nearly black with nine narrow transverse bands of light rufous-brown; quills like tail but spotted, instead of barred, with light rufous-brown; scapulars like back, some of them with large nearly white spots on outer webs; a few of greater series of wing-coverts also spotted with white on outer webs; chin and throat whitish, almost pure white in one specimen, in others light rufous-brown, the feathers always with black shaft-stripes; auriculars fulvous-brown somewhat mixed with light rufous-brown; sides of neck like head; breast, abdomen, flanks, thighs, under wing-coverts, and axillars rufous-brown, the depth of the color subject to great individual variation, many feathers of breast and abdomen with fulvous-brown spots and all with blackish bases; under surface of wing fulvous-brown. Inner webs of feathers, especially of secondaries, spotted and barred with light rufous-brown; a spot of white on bend of wing; tarsus feathered for rather more than half its length. Iris yellow; legs and feet pale yellow; bill black at tip, gray at base. Two females measure, 241 in length; culmen, 13; tarsus, 31; wing, 181; tail, 102.

"A single specimen of this species was secured in Cebu by Mr. Worcester in 1888. Its curious mottled back and under surface were suggestive of immaturity, and Dr. Steere thought it to be the young of some undescribed species. We have altogether too much material now to make such a theory tenable." (Bourns and Worcester.)

A rusty brown male was taken in Sibuyan. Iris yellow; bill and legs pale dirty greenish; cere a little darker; nails gray, blackish at tips. Length, 285; wing, 210; tail, 114; culmen from base, 23; tarsus, 32.

A male from Cebu is in the light phase. Chin, throat, and forehead mostly white; rictal bristles with white bases; scapulars spotted with white; abdomen and flanks very largely white and with no fulvous nor rusty brown wash.

228. NINOX REYI Oustalet.

REY'S HAWK OWL.

Ninox reyi Oustalet, Bull. Assoc. Sc. France (1880), No. 39, 206; Sharpe, Ibis (1894), 245; Hand-List (1899), 1, 291; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 47.

Bongao (Everett); Sulu (Montano & Rey, Marche).

Diagnosis.--Distinguished at once from the common species (Ninox philippensis) by its greater length (290 mm.), by its much longer wings passing even the tip of the tail, and finally by its reddish brown plumage and transverse brown bars on head and on shoulders.