Part 63

This species is the commonest of the large herons and may easily be identified by means of the preceding excellent descriptions. In a fine-plumaged male from Anao, Tarlac Province, Luzon, the upper mandible was dusky; lower mandible yellow, greenish toward base; upper part of legs light yellowish green, lower parts brown. Length, 1,000; wing, 375; tail, 133; tarsus, 124; culmen from frontal feathers, 136; middle toe with claw, 135; hind toe with claw, 80.

Genus ARDEA Linnæus, 1758.

The herons of this typical genus are of large size and except in plumage differ little from the members of Pyrrherodia but the bill is comparatively heavier and the claws much shorter; tarsus two to two and one-half times the length of hind toe with claw.

Species.

a1. Crown and neck white (gray in young); crest black. ... cinerea (p. 163) a2. Crown, neck, and crest gray similar to the rest of the plumage. ... sumatrana (p. 165)

135. ARDEA CINEREA Linnæus.

COMMON HERON.

Ardea cinerea Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 143; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 74; Hand-List (1899), 1, 194; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 382, fig. 84; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 113; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 32.

Guimaras (Steere Exp.). Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--General color above light ashy gray, scapular plumes, parapteral feathers, and innermost secondaries elongated and forming narrow drooping plumes of pearly gray or white; the wing-coverts gray like back, the outer ones pearly gray or white, the greater series dark ashy, outer webs entirely white; alula, primary-coverts, and quills purplish black, secondaries shaded with gray externally, inner secondaries like back; tail-feathers entirely gray; crown of head crested, white in the center, with a broad band of purplish black on each side, ending in a crest on occiput, and having two elongated nuchal plumes; entire sides of face, neck all round, and under surface of body white, with a creamy lilac shade on each side of fore neck and chest, which have drooping plumes of narrow, elongated, white feathers; the whole of the lower throat and fore neck varied with elongated black stripes, differing in breadth and situated on one side of the feather; on each side of the crop is a large patch of drooping plumes of purplish black, and continued along the sides of the body even as far as the vent; sides of body light ashy gray; thighs and under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts ashy gray. 'Bill yellow, with the ridge of the upper mandible brown towards the end; feet dull green; tibia yellow; claws black; iris yellow; bare space between the bill and the eye green.' (Macgillivray.) Length, 762; culmen, 129; wing, 457; tail, 183; tarsus, 173.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male and equally beautifully colored, but the black crest-plumes not so long, and the black markings on the chest not quite so pronounced. Length, about 762; culmen, 124; wing, 452; tail, 170; tarsus, 162.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in being darker and not so pure gray; head dark slate-color, with a small nuchal crest of purplish black, neck rather lighter ashy; sides of face and ear-coverts also ashy gray; cheeks and throat white; neck dark slaty gray, as also the sides of the body, under wing-coverts, and axillars; lower throat, fore neck, and chest very broadly streaked with black, the black very thickly developed on throat, sparsely on fore neck, and represented by a few black streaks on sides of body; on each side of chest the black patch of the adult is represented by a dusky patch of feathers, relieved by several broad white streaks; on bend of wing a tinge of rust-color, which also pervades the black-streaked feathers of throat and fore neck." (Sharpe.)

"Rare. Not met with by us on our second visit to the Islands." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

The common heron is rare in the Philippines but may be recognized by the pale gray head and neck, set off by the black crest, line on side of head, and broken line on throat. A very much damaged specimen in the Bureau of Science collection has unfortunately no data as to its source but it was probably killed in Luzon.

136. ARDEA SUMATRANA Raffles.

ASHY-GRAY HERON.

Ardea sumatrana Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1882), 13, 325; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 68; Hand-List (1899), 1, 194; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 112; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 32.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Keay); Palawan (Platen, Whitehead, Celestino, White). Australia, Malay Peninsula, Sunda Islands, Celebes, Aracan, Tenasserim.

"Adult male.--Above dull slaty gray, lower back and rump paler gray; upper tail-coverts more dusky; scapulars with elongated plumes, pearly white at the ends; wing-coverts and quills dark slaty gray, with a slight greenish gloss on some of them; innermost secondaries elongated and tipped with pearly white, like scapulars; tail-feathers dark slate-color, slightly glossed with green; crown of head slaty gray and crested, crest-feathers with dusky margins, and with some long drooping plumes on nape, which are pearly white at the ends; sides of face and hinder cheeks pale vinaceous-brown; fore part of cheeks and upper throat white; neck all round slaty brown, the feathers mostly elongated, and with a mesial streak of white towards the ends; plumes on the fore neck similarly colored, but very much elongated; remainder of under surface slaty gray, paler on abdomen with longitudinal white centers to the feathers, these being indistinct upon abdomen and under tail-coverts; on each side of upper breast a large patch of slaty gray feathers, very slightly streaked with white; under wing-coverts and axillars slaty gray with white streaks; marginal feathers round bend of wing white. 'Bill black, lower mandible yellowish white at base; legs and feet black, soles faded yellow; iris pale orange.' (H. O. Forbes.) Length, about 1,143; culmen, 173; wing, 465; tail, 155; tarsus, 170.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in having no elongated plumes, and being everywhere browner; feathers of the upper surface tipped with a rufous or sandy-buff spot; feathers of neck and under parts vinaceous-rufous with mesial streaks of white, the whole under surface very thickly streaked." (Sharpe.)

This is the very largest of Philippine herons and it may be known at once by its almost uniform slate-gray color. In a male from Bohol the iris was red; bill black, with some yellow on lower mandible; legs and nails blackish brown. Wing, 440; tail, 170; culmen from frontal feathers, 180; tarsus, 164; middle toe with claw, 126; hind toe with claw, 77.

Genus MESOPHOYX Sharpe, 1894.

Of medium size; plumage all white and with long dorsal plumes during the breeding season; primaries exceed the secondaries by length of hind toe with claw; legs and feet black; toes long, culmen much less than middle toe without claw.

137. MESOPHOYX INTERMEDIA (Wagler).

LESSER EGRET.

Ardea intermedia Wagler, Isis (1829), 659. Mesophoyx intermedia Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 85; Hand-List (1899), 1, 195; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 115; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 32.

Bohol (Steere Exp.); Calayan (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Whitehead); Samar (Steere Exp.). Indian Peninsula, Malayan Archipelago, China, Japan.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--Pure white above and below; the head crested, but having no drooping plumes; long ornamental plumes of back immensely developed, being 430 mm. in length; feathers on the fore neck beautifully developed, 200 mm. long, the webs entirely broken up; bare part of tibia entirely black like the tarsi and toes. 'Bill black, facial skin green; iris yellow; feet and toes black.' (Oates.) Length, about 208; culmen, 74; wing, 317; tail, 137; tarsus, 114; middle toe with claw, 99.