Part 163

Koch's pitta is known only from the highlands of northern Luzon.

382. PITTA ATRICAPILLA Lesson.

BLACK-HEADED PITTA.

Pitta atricapilla Lesson, Trait d'Orn. (1831), 394; Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 14, 438; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 245 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 245; Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 182; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 227; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 68.

Wow-há, Siquijor and Bohol.

Balabac (Everett); Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque? (Steere Exp.); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Meyer); Palawan (Steere, Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Romblon (McGregor); Samar (Whitehead); Semirara (Worcester); Sibuyan (McGregor); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Platen); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester).

Adult (sexes similar).--Entire head, neck, chin, and throat velvety black; back and greater part of the wings green, changing with the light; rump and tail-coverts shining silvery blue; tail black, tipped with green; breast and sides bluish green; a large black patch on middle of abdomen; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts bright red; primaries white with black bases, the four or five outer ones with narrow black tips; secondaries black, tipped with green on upper surface; primary-coverts and alula velvety black; lesser and median coverts shining silvery blue. Iris brown; bill black; legs and nails dirty brown. Length, about 180. A male from Romblon, wing, 110; tail, 35; culmen from base, 25; tarsus, 40. A female from Tablas, wing, 102; tail, 34; culmen from base, 26; tarsus, 37.

The amount of white on the outer primaries varies to a great extent; in females it is usually much less than in males.

"The black-headed pitta is called 'wow-ha' by the natives from its note. Iris dark brown; legs, feet, and nails very dark brown; bill black. Twelve males average: Length, 169; wing, 103; tail, 39; culmen, 25; tarsus, 36; middle toe with claw, 32. Three females, length, 167; wing, 100; tail, 37; culmen, 25; tarsus, 36; middle toe with claw, 32." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Whitehead secured a nest of the black-headed pitta near Paranas, Samar, on June 30, 1896. The egg is thus described:

"Shape rounded ovate. Ground-color pure white, thickly speckled all over with brown and larger underlying spots of french-gray, the latter being most numerous round the larger pole. Measurements 26 mm. by 21 mm.

"The nest with two slightly incubated eggs (one of which was broken) were brought by a native, together with the parent birds. The somewhat bulky nest was composed outwardly of twigs and lined with moss." (Grant and Whitehead.)

383. PITTA MULLERI (Bonaparte).

GREATER BLACK-HEADED PITTA.

Brachyurus mulleri Bonaparte, Consp. Genera Avium (1850), 1, 256. Pitta muelleri Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 14, 439. Pitta mülleri Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 183; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 228, pl. 6, fig. 18 (egg); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 68.

Sibutu (Everett). Borneo, Sumatra, Banka.

"Similar to P. atricapilla, but of rather larger dimensions." (Sclater.)

Writing of Pitta atricapilla and P. mulleri Sharpe says: "These two birds are closely related; but the Bornean species [mulleri] almost entirely wants the black patch on the belly, and has the thighs blackish instead of ochraceous brown."

384. PITTA ROTHSCHILDI (Parrot).

ROTHSCHILD'S PITTA.

Pitta atricapilla rothschildi Parrot, Abhandl. K. Bayer Akad. Wiss. (1907), 24, 223.

Marinduque (Steere Exp.).

Male.--Related to Pitta atricapilla from which it is said to differ in having the under parts suffused with blue so that there is hardly a trace of green remaining; white of the wing-quills much reduced; chest-spot relatively small; and the color of the vent-feathers bright carmine-red not cinnabar-red.

385. PITTA STEERI (Sharpe).

STEERE'S PITTA.

Brachyurus steerii Sharpe, Nature (1876), 14, 297; Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 329, pl. 49. Pitta steerii Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 14, 442; Grant, Ibis (1897), 241; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 246 (habits). Pitta steerei Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 184. Pitta steeri McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 68.

Bohol (McGregor); Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp.); Samar (Steere Exp., Whitehead).

Adult (sexes similar).--Entire head and neck and their sides black; upper parts green; rump light blue; tail and its coverts black; chin and throat white; rest of under parts light blue, except a band of velvety black down middle of breast, and the bright scarlet of crissum; thighs gray; primaries black, some of them with small white spots near the middle; secondaries green; alula and primary-coverts black; secondary-coverts shiny silvery blue. Iris brown; bill black; legs gray. Length, about 190. A male from Bohol measures: Wing, 115; tail, 38; culmen from base, 26; tarsus, 42. A female measures, wing, 115; tail, 38; culmen from base, 27; tarsus, 40.