Part 62

d2. Edge of mandible not serrated; a distinct subterminal notch in upper mandible.

e1. Bill shorter; culmen not exceeding middle toe with claw.

f1. No crest plumes; a well-developed dorsal train; plumage white. ... Herodias (p. 166)

e2. Bill longer; culmen exceeding middle toe with claw; plumage white. ... Egretta (p. 167)

b2. Bare portion of tibio-tarsus less than inner toe; feathering sometimes extending nearly to the heel.

c1. Bill without serrations in either mandible; upper mandible with a distinct notch just before the end.

d1. Culmen longer than tarsus, the latter longer than middle toe; plumage very dark slate-color. ... Demigretta (p. 168) d2. Culmen not longer than tarsus; two or three elongated nape plumes.

e1. Tarsus and culmen about equal; two or three elongated nape plumes very slender. ... Nycticorax (p. 169) e2. Tarsus decidedly longer than culmen; nape plumes wider. ... Gorsachius (p. 172)

c2. Bill with distinct serrations near its end, sometimes only the upper mandible serrated; subterminal notch obsolete.

d1. Bill moderately long, exceeding middle toe with claw; plumage more or less variegated. ... Butorides (p. 174) d2. Bill shorter than middle toe with claw; plumage white. ... Bubulcus (p. 177)

a2. Rectrices ten; plumage more or less mottled or streaked, never white.

b1. Exposed culmen equal to or more than middle toe without claw; size much smaller; wing less than 220 mm.

c1. Culmen more than tarsus.

d1. Smaller; wing less than 160 mm. ... Ixobrychus (p. 178) d2. Larger; wing more than 180 mm. ... Dupetor (p. 182)

c2. Culmen equal to or less than tarsus. ... Nannocnus (p. 180)

b2. Exposed culmen much less than middle toe without claw; size much greater; wing more than 260 mm. ... Botaurus (p. 183)

Genus PYRRHERODIA Finsch and Hartlaub, 1870.

This genus of large herons is distinguished by having the claws very long; hind toe contains its claw one and two-thirds times; tarsus contains the hind toe with claw one and one-half times.

134. PYRRHERODIA MANILENSIS (Meyen).

EASTERN PURPLE HERON.

Ardea purpurea var. manilensis Meyen, Acta Acad. Leop. Carol. (1834), 16, suppl. 102. Phoyx manillensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 63, pl. 1. Ardea manillensis Blanford, Fauna Brit. India Bds. (1898), 4, 381. Pyrrherodias manillensis Sharpe, Hand-List (1889), 1, 194; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 111, McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 32.

La-pay, Ticao.

Bohol (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Leyte (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Meyen, Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Palawan (Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (McGregor); Samar (Whitehead); Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Celebes, Indian and Malay Peninsulas, Ceylon, China, Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult male.--"Forehead, crown, long occipital crest, a streak down back of neck, one on each side of neck, and another on each side from gape to nape slaty black; chin and throat white, rest of head and neck ferruginous red, paler and buff on sides of head and middle of fore neck; long feathers overhanging upper breast buffy white, streaked with black and chestnut; lower hind neck, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, wings and tail slaty gray, back darker; quills and tail-feathers blackish; scapulars with long pointed rufous ends; middle of breast and abdomen and lower tail-coverts slaty black; sides of breast rich chestnut; flanks ashy gray; thigh-coverts cinnamon; wing-lining mostly ferruginous. Length, 965; tail, 19; wing, 368; tarsus 140; bill from gape, 152." (Blanford.)

"Upper mandible dark brown, the margins dusky yellow as far back as the nostrils, produced to the eye; margins from nostrils to gape dark brown; anterior half of lower mandible clear yellow; the posterior half dull yellow; gape and facial skin greenish yellow; edges of the eyelids yellow; feet and toes yellowish; the front of the tarsus and toes glossy brown; claws dark horn-color; iris yellow." (Oates.)

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but not quite so bright, and the black crest plumes not quite so long.

"'Nestling.--Crown of head, quills, and tail lavender-brown; throat and chin pure white; sides of head and upper neck rufous; lower neck rufous-gray, the feathers on the sides being centered with brown; lower plumage rufescent, each feather more or less dark-centered; thighs plain rufous; upper plumage brown, each feather edged with rufescent, more especially on the scapulars and tertiaries; upper and lower wing-coverts bluish brown, each feather broadly edged with rufous.' (Oates.)" (Sharpe.)

"Young birds have neither crest nor lengthened plumes on scapulars or breast; upper parts brownish gray, with broad rufous edges to the feathers; crown partly gray; neck rufous, fore neck with black streaks; lower surface a mixture of buff and gray." (Blanford.)