Part 98

Mindoro (Whitehead).

Adult female.--Similar to Otus longicornis but smaller; hair-like feathers on each side of mandible shorter, the longest less than 25 mm.; forehead and space above eyes almost uniform pale buff; ear-tufts shorter, the longest feather about 30 mm.; white nuchal band obsolete; lower parts mostly buffy, and almost entirely devoid of white. Length, 183; wing, 135; tail, 63; tarsus, 29. Male unknown. (Whitehead.)

This species is known from the type only, a badly damaged skin obtained by Whitehead.

215. OTUS WHITEHEADI (Grant).

WHITEHEAD'S SCREECH OWL.

Scops whiteheadi Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1895), 4, 40; Ibis (1895), 440; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 97; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 287. Otus whiteheadi McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Luzon (Whitehead).

Description.--"This remarkably fine new species is most nearly related to Scops everetti of Tweeddale, from the Island of Mindanao, but it is very much larger, and is, in fact, the largest Scops at present known to inhabit the Old World. The feathering on the tarsi extends over the basal joints of toes; the light cross-bars on the inner webs of the quills are much less conspicuous; and the middle of the lower breast and belly is uniform whitish buff, in marked contrast to the sides. Both the gray and rufous phases of plumage are represented. Adult male. Length, 241 to 254; wing, 185 to 188; tail, 91 to 94; tarsus, 42. Adult female. Length, 279 to 289; wing, 195 to 203; tail, 99 to 102; tarsus, 42 to 48." (Grant.)

"Iris golden brown; bill brownish white, tipped with white; feet dull white, nails white." (Whitehead.)

Known from Whitehead's specimens only, which were collected in Lepanto, northern Luzon.

216. OTUS RUFESCENS (Horsfield).

RUFOUS SCREECH OWL.

Strix rufescens Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, pt. 1, 140. Scops rufescens Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1875), 2, 102; Proc. Zool. Soc. (1879), 314; Hand-List (1899), 1, 287. Otus rufescens McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Sulu (Burbidge). Malay Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult.--"Everywhere bright tawny-rufous, browner on the head and upper parts generally, these also varied with small triangular cross-bars of fulvous, which become larger and more distinct on the wing-coverts; the outer margin of the scapulars paler and more inclining to tawny-fulvous; ear-coverts 25 mm. long, and colored like the head; lores and forehead clear fulvous, with little black spots along the shaft of the feathers; sides of face rufous; inclining to dark brown around the eye; behind the ear-coverts a line of black feathers running down the sides of the neck; under surface of body tawny-rufous, paler on the lower parts, and varied with little tiny spots of black along the shafts, less distinct toward the abdomen, and absent on thighs and under tail-coverts, which are uniform tawny-buff; quills dark brown, barred across with fulvous, paler on the outer margin of primaries, but less distinct on the secondaries, which are almost uniform rufous like the back, but with indistinct bars of dark brown on the inner web; tail rufous, mottled with dark brown vermiculations, making it look darker than the back, with remains of five or six, more or less plainly indicated, fulvous bars; under wing-coverts buffy white, more tawny on outer edge, and having a line of dark brown feathers near the outer margin. Length, 239; culmen, 229; wing, 132; tail, 66; tarsus, 27." (Sharpe.)

This species is included in the Philippine list because of the single specimen collected by Burbidge which, however, may really represent an undescribed species. Sharpe says: "This bird seems to me to differ slightly from Bornean and Malaccan examples in having a much darker face, the ear-coverts shaded with black. I do not, however, propose to found a new species on a single example, and must wait for more specimens. The measurements of the Sooloo [=Sulu] bird are as follows: Length, 178; culmen, 18; wing, 122; tail, 66; tarsus, 22."

217. OTUS CUYENSIS McGregor.

CUYO SCREECH OWL.

Otus cuyensis McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Bu-caó, Cuyo.

Cuyo (McGregor).

Adult male, light phase, type.--Feathers of head and neck heavily streaked with blackish brown, the edges more or less notched with whitish and light rufous; ear-tufts also blackish, but edges rufous; back dark rufous, finely speckled with blackish, clearer rufous on upper tail-coverts; each outer scapular with a large white spot on outer web followed by a blackish spot on tip and bordered toward base by a dark brown line; chin and upper throat whitish with narrow brown shaft-stripes, the webs marked more or less with cinnamon; remainder of under parts dark cinnamon, more or less cross-barred with white and dark brown, each feather with a blackish brown shaft-stripe; the coloration heaviest across upper breast because of the greater width of the shaft-stripes and reduction of the white areas; middle of abdomen almost pure white; flank-feathers with narrow shaft-lines and wide white bars; thighs rufous-brown; wings mostly sandy cinnamon more or less mottled with brown; outer webs of primaries regularly notched with five or six spots of white or whitish cinnamon, bordered with dark brown; similar notches on secondaries but less prominent owing to darker color of spots; quills below brownish with slightly lighter, irregular, and almost obsolete bars; alula with similar light notches on outer webs, on the first feather the notches are white; coverts generally uniform, but some feathers of median series with large white patches on outer webs; tail similar to the back with about eight irregular and nearly obsolete cross-bars; short plumulaceous feathers below and behind the eye finely mottled with pale cinnamon, brown, and whitish; behind ear, feathers of the incomplete ruff broadly tipped with blackish brown forming a prominent dark band on side of head; bristle-like feathers of lores with bases whitish, tips blackish brown, the longest about 20 mm.; anterior bristles pale cinnamon; tarsus feathered to base of toes. Bill, cere, and feet dirty brown; nails horn-brown; iris yellow. Length, 235; wing, 170; tail, 82; culmen, 23; tarsus, 35; middle toe with claw, 33.

Adult female, light phase.--Not greatly different from the male, but white notches on primaries and alula with a cinnamon wash. Length, 235; wing, 175; tail, 88; culmen (tip broken), 21; tarsus, 35; middle toe with claw, 32.

Red phase.--The pattern of coloration is the same as in the light phase; white and whitish markings nearly all replaced by rufous; chin and upper throat and modified feathers below and behind eye almost clear rufous; blackish brown markings on breast very wide; a few whitish bars on abdomen and flanks.

218. OTUS CALAYENSIS McGregor.

CALAYAN SCREECH OWL.

Otus calayensis McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.

Cok-cok bá-buy, Calayan.