Birds from North Borneo Part 6

The specimen from the Cocoa Research Station was taken in a net in the cocoa and the Tenom bird was taken in a net in the middle of Tenom, both in garden areas. These two specimens differ in coloration from Bornean birds in the U. S. National Museum; I think the difference results from "foxing" of the older specimens.

Specimens have been taken previously in North Borneo on the Bengkoka River, Lumbidan, and on the Mengalong River (Smythies, 1957:669). Mary Norman saw this honey-guide once at the Quoin Estate in 1962 (Smythies, 1963:279).

_=Sasia abnormis=_ (Temminck): Rufous Piculet.--_Specimens_, 13: Cocoa Research Station: [Male] testis 3 2 mm., molting, July 10, 1962, MCT 2612; [Female], September 24, 1962, MCT 2940; [Female], December 1, 1962, MCT 3411; [Male], July 9, 1963, ADG 177; [Male], July 7, 1963, ADG 166; [Male], June 14, 1963, ADG 135. 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Female], October 17, 1962, MCT 3061. 5.5 mi. SW Tenom: [Male], December 19, 1962, MCT 3470; [Female], December 23, 1962, MCT 3517; [Male], December 24, 1962, MCT 3529; [Female], December 27, 1962, MCT 3541. Oil Palm Research Station: [Female], August 24, 1963, ADG 257; [Male], August 15, 1963, ADG 242.

The piculet was common in the secondary undergrowth near the Cocoa Research Station, and was taken once in the primary forest. One bird was seen sitting on a small branch about 10 feet up at a right angle to the branch. It did not ascend the tree like a woodp.e.c.k.e.r.

This species was also taken in the moss forest near Tenom.

_=Picus puniceus observandus=_ (Hartert): Crimson-winged Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: [Female], 65.8 gm., July 27, 1962, MCT 2671; [Male], September 27, 1962, MCT 2973.

This woodp.e.c.k.e.r was observed twice, both times in primary forest at the Cocoa Research Station.

_=Picus mentalis humei=_ (Hargitt): Checkered-throated Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: [Female], 93.3 gm., July 23, 1962, MCT 2642; s.e.x?, 107.0 gm., August 5, 1962, MCT 2733.

I saw this bird only twice, in primary forest.

_=Picus miniaceus malaccensis=_ Latham: Banded Red Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimen_, 1: Cocoa Research Station: [Male] testis 8 5 mm., 79.5 gm., August 4, 1962, MCT 2722.

On August 4 I saw two birds of this species together in badly disturbed primary forest and took the specimen listed above.

_=Micropternus brachyurus badiosus=_ (Bonaparte): Rufous Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 5: Cocoa Research Station: [Female] brood patch, 4 to 5 old collapsed follicles, 73.2 gm., July 3, 1962, MCT 2584; [Female], 65.4 gm., July 25, 1962, MCT 2658; [Male] testis 2 1 mm., 66.7 gm., July 25, 1962, MCT 2659. Tiger Estate: [Male], June 23, 1963, ADG 158; [Female], June 23, 1963, ADG 159.

I saw this woodp.e.c.k.e.r but twice, both times at the Cocoa Research Station. A female taken from a dead tree in the cocoa may have been just finis.h.i.+ng nesting activities, judging from the size of the ova. A pair seen feeding on the ground near a brush pile in secondary forest was collected. The stomachs contained ants.

_=Dendrocopos canicapillus aurantiiventris=_ (Salvadori): Oriental Pygmy Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: s.e.x?, July 22, 1962, MCT 2635; [Male] testis 3 2 mm., 23.5 gm., molting, August 25, 1962, MCT 2807.

On July 22 four individuals were feeding on dead trees in the cocoa. They made a _cheep cheep_ sound, rattling calls, and drummed. On August 25, 1962, two were feeding in dead trees in the cocoa. The testes of specimen MCT 2807 were probably regressing since it was beginning the molt.

_=Meiglyptes tristis micropternus=_ Hesse: Fulvous-rumped Barred Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: [Female], 31.7 gm., July 7, 1962, MCT 2607; [Male], May 28, 1963, ADG 115.

Compared with _M. tukki_, this species was comparatively rare. I saw two on July 7 working in a living tree some 15 feet above the ground. The tree was only 20 feet high and had dense foliage. The birds gave a rattling call note of about two seconds duration; it sounded like a typical woodp.e.c.k.e.r call. The single call note can be rendered _cheet_. They were also heard drumming, but only softly.

The stomachs contained ants, which probably are what the two woodp.e.c.k.e.rs were feeding on in the green tree.

_=Meiglyptes tukki tukki=_ (Lesson): Buff-necked Barred Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 13: Cocoa Research Station: [Male] testis 2 1 mm., heavy molt, July 10, 1962, MCT 2614; [Female], 53.3 gm., July 28, 1962, MCT 2677; [Male], 51.5 gm., July 28, 1962, MCT 2679; [Female], 48.7 gm., July 28, 1962, MCT 2678; [Male], December 2, 1962, MCT 3423; [Female], December 2, 1962, MCT 3424; [Female], December 2, 1962, MCT 3425. 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Female], October 26, 1962, MCT 3153. Telipok: [Female], March 24, 1962, ADG 37. Agriculture Oil Palm Research Station: [Female], October 4, 1963, ADG 292; [Female], August 15, 1963, ADG 238; [Female], August 14, 1963, ADG 234. Pintasan Agriculture Station: [Female], October 17, 1963, ADG 313.

This was the most common woodp.e.c.k.e.r at the Cocoa Research Station.

A flock of four was seen on July 28, 1962, and on December 2, 1962, I took three simultaneously in one mist net. The species has flocking tendencies. Calls heard were a typical woodp.e.c.k.e.r rattle.

_=Dinopium rafflesi dulitense=_ Delacour: Olive-backed Three-toed Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 4: Cocoa Research Station: [Male] testis 11 7 mm., July 12, 1962, MCT 2620; [Male], September 6, 1962, MCT 2879. 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Male], October 20, 1962, MCT 3097. Oil Palm Research Station: [Male], August 12, 1963, ADG 227.

The species was taken in both primary and secondary forest. The specimen collected at the Cocoa Research Station on July 12 suggests that the species breeds there.

_=Dryocopus javensis javensis=_ (Horsfield): Great Black Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 4: Cocoa Research Station: [Female] old brood patch, 284.7 gm., light body and tail molt, July 6, 1962, MCT 2601; [Male] by plumage, July 19, 1962, MCT 2625; [Female], June 25, 1963, ADG 162; [Male], May 26, 1963, ADG 112.

This species was common at the Cocoa Research Station. On June 30, 1962, a flock of six was moving through secondary forest. On July 6, 1962, I saw four in dead trees in one of the cocoa fields.

_=Mulleripicus pulverulentus pulverulentus=_ (Temminck): Great Slaty Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimen_, 1: Tiger Estate: [Male], November 25, 1962, MCT 3326.

I saw this species once at the Cocoa Research Station, where a flock of four was feeding 30 feet up in secondary forest about 100 feet high on October 4, 1962.

_=Blythipicus rubiginosus parvus=_ Chasen and Kloss: Maroon Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: [Male], September 28, 1962, MCT 2975. 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Male] imm., October 17, 1962, MCT 3062.

I saw this bird sporadically while I was on the east coast. It seemed to prefer secondary forest that had some undergrowth and was invariably flushed from the understory.

_=Chrysocolaptes validus xanthopygius=_ Finsch: Orange-backed Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--_Specimens_, 4: Cocoa Research Station: [Male], light body and wing molt, July 2, 1962, MCT 2575; [Male] testis 5 3 mm., 168.5 gm., July 23, 1962, MCT 2640; [Female], 176.1 gm., July 23, 1962, MCT 2641; [Male], September 28, 1962, MCT 2976.

This was one of the more common woodp.e.c.k.e.rs at the Cocoa Research Station. I saw it throughout the period I was there, in secondary forest and dead trees in the cocoa fields.

_=Calyptomena viridis gloriosa=_ Deignan: Green Broadbill.--_Specimens_, 10: Cocoa Research Station: [Female], 67.4 gm., August 1, 1962, MCT 2698; [Female], 53.2 gm., September 16, 1962, MCT 2927; [Female], May 6, 1963, ADG 106; [Male], June 18, 1963, ADG 148; [Female] by plumage, June 26, 1963, ADG 164. 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Female], October 12, 1962, MCT 3015; [Female], October 20, 1962, MCT 3098; [Male], October 22, 1962, MCT 3122. Oil Palm Research Station: [Female], August 15, 1963, ADG 240.

Pintasan: [Male], October 16, 1963, ADG 310.

Sight records of this species are evidently a poor indication of its abundance, because I saw but one in the field at the Cocoa Research Station, a male sitting in the top of cocoa tree about eight feet up. All the specimens were netted, and the number so taken indicates not only that the species is common but also that it frequents the lower levels of the forest as well as the tops of tall trees (as noted by Smythies, 1960:339).

_=Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchus macrorhynchus=_ (Gmelin): Black-and-Red Broadbill.--_Specimens_, 2: Kalabakan: [Male], November 16, 1962, MCT 3296. Tiger Estate: [Male], November 25, 1962, MCT 3321.

This species was seen only at Kalabakan, where I caught two in one net in dense secondary forest.

_=Eurylaimus ochromalus ochromalus=_ Raffles: Black-and-Yellow Broadbill.--_Specimens_, 9: Cocoa Research Station: [Male], 32.0 gm., July 28, 1962, MCT 2682; [Male], 32.0 gm., August 1, 1962, MCT 2747; [Male], 33.8 gm., August 10, 1962, MCT 2753; [Female], 34.0 gm., September 11, 1962, MCT 2892; [Male], 34.7 gm., September 14, 1962, MCT 2926; [Female], September 26, 1962, MCT 2968; [Male], April 27, 1963, ADG 71. Agricultural Station Gum-Gum: [Female], September 26, 1963, ADG 284. Pintasan Agriculture Station: [Female], October 16, 1963, ADG 311.

This broadbill was common at the Cocoa Research Station in cocoa fields and adjacent secondary forest; it was never seen in primary forest. On September 4, 1962, I saw 10 to 15 in the cocoa, moving in a loose flock. The birds uttered call notes and at the same time bowed their heads sharply, as if to emphasize the call. Frequent supplanting, attacks, and other aggressive interactions were seen.

The species was heard and observed also at a place 12 miles north of Kalabakan, at the edge of, but never in, primary forest.

_=Eurylaimus javanicus brookei=_ Robinson and Kloss: Banded Broadbill.--_Specimen_, 1: Cocoa Research Station: [Male] testis 7 4 mm., 81.8 gm., July 25, 1962, MCT 2660.

This broadbill was seen only on two occasions at the Cocoa Research Station, both times at the edge of the primary forest.

_=Pitta baudi=_ Muller and Schlegel: Blue-headed Pitta.--_Specimens_, 6: 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Female], October 17, 1962, MCT 3067; [Female], October 23, 1962, MCT 3131; [Male], October 30, 1962, MCT 3182; [Female], October 30, 1962, MCT 3185; [Female], November 5, 1962, MCT 3212; [Male] testis 4 3 mm., November 6, 1962, MCT 3213.

The Blue-headed Pitta was abundant at the Kalabakan collecting locality, in primary forest. It was seen only once at the Cocoa Research Station.

The voice of this bird was a one-note whistle with a terminal inflection. It reminded me of a small child crying. When one called, it was usually in chorus with several others.

_=Pitta guajana schwaneri=_ Bonaparte: Banded Pitta.--_Specimens_, 4: Cocoa Research Station: [Female] imm, 63.4 gm., July 24, 1962, MCT 2651; [Male] testis 6 3 mm., 81.5 gm., August 4, 1962, MCT 2723; [Female]

imm., 71.8 gm., August 4, 1962, MCT 2724; [Male], June 15, 1963, ADG 145.

The specimens were taken in primary forest. This pitta was exceedingly tame, often moving along only 20 feet ahead of the observer. The one adult male taken hopped along the forest floor, occasionally jumping up on a log or plant to look back. It finally flushed and flew about 30 feet ahead of me to a log; there it gave a call which can be rendered as _shewo_, repeated at 10- to 15-second intervals. The call was much like that of _Pitta sordida_.

_=Pitta brachyura moluccensis=_ (P. L. S. Muller): Blue-winged Pitta.--_Specimen_, 1: Tenom: [Female] oviduct slightly enlarged, edematized brood patch, December 31, 1962, MCT 3544.

The specimen was taken in a net stretched across a dry stream near the Padas River in a relatively open area near a coconut grove with some bamboo and elephant ears nearby.

_=Pitta sordida mulleri=_ Bonaparte: Green-breasted Pitta.--_Specimens_, 2: Cocoa Research Station: [Female], May 1, 1963, ADG 96; [Female], July 15, 1963, ADG 203.

The discovery of this bird by Garcia was a surprise. I was familiar with its habits and calls in the Philippines, and in four months I never heard or observed it at the Cocoa Research Station. Perhaps the specimens were migrants.

_=Hirundo tahitica abbotti=_ Oberholser: Pacific Swallow.--_Specimen_, 1: Cocoa Research Station: [Male], April 26, 1963, ADG 58.

This species was common at most localities on the east coast. On June 25, 1962, a pair was building a nest under the Cocoa Research Station laboratory. On July 21 young were observed leaving the nest, at the research station rest house.

_=Hirundo rustica gutturalis=_ Scopoli: Common Swallow.--_Specimens_, 9: 12 mi. N Kalabakan: [Male], November 10, 1962, MCT 3238; [Male], November 10, 1962, MCT 3239; [Female], November 12, 1962, MCT 3257; [Female], November 12, 1962, MCT 3258; [Male], November 12, 1962, MCT 3259; [Female], November 12, 1962, MCT 3260; [Male], November 13, 1962, MCT 3268; [Female], November 13, 1962, MCT 3269; [Female], November 13, 1962, MCT 3270.