Species Limits in Some Philippine Birds Including the Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes Lucidus
FORKTAIL 27 (2011): 29–38 Species limits in some Philippine birds including the Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus N. J. COLLAR Philippine bird taxonomy is relatively conservative and in need of re-examination. A number of well-marked subspecies were selected and subjected to a simple system of scoring (Tobias et al. 2010 Ibis 152: 724–746) that grades morphological and vocal differences between allopatric taxa (exceptional character 4, major 3, medium 2, minor 1; minimum score 7 for species status). This results in the recognition or confirmation of species status for (inverted commas where a new English name is proposed) ‘Philippine Collared Dove’ Streptopelia (bitorquatus) dusumieri, ‘Philippine Green Pigeon’ Treron (pompadora) axillaris and ‘Buru Green Pigeon’ T. (p.) aromatica, Luzon Racquet-tail Prioniturus montanus, Mindanao Racquet-tail P. waterstradti, Blue-winged Raquet-tail P. verticalis, Blue-headed Raquet-tail P. platenae, Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail P. flavicans, White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon (smyrnensis) gularis (with White-breasted Kingfisher applying to H. smyrnensis), ‘Northern Silvery Kingfisher’ Alcedo (argentata) flumenicola, ‘Rufous-crowned Bee-eater’ Merops (viridis) americanus, ‘Spot-throated Flameback’ Dinopium (javense) everetti, ‘Luzon Flameback’ Chrysocolaptes (lucidus) haematribon, ‘Buff-spotted Flameback’ C. (l.) lucidus, ‘Yellow-faced Flameback’ C. (l.) xanthocephalus, ‘Red-headed Flameback’ C. (l.) erythrocephalus, ‘Javan Flameback’ C. (l.) strictus, Greater Flameback C. (l.) guttacristatus, ‘Sri Lankan Flameback’ (Crimson-backed Flameback) Chrysocolaptes (l.) stricklandi, ‘Southern Sooty Woodpecker’ Mulleripicus (funebris) fuliginosus, Visayan Wattled Broadbill Eurylaimus (steerii) samarensis, White-lored Oriole Oriolus (steerii) albiloris, Tablas Drongo Dicrurus (hottentottus) menagei, Grand or Long-billed Rhabdornis Rhabdornis (inornatus) grandis, ‘Visayan Rhabdornis’ Rhabdornis (i.) rabori, and ‘Visayan Shama’ Copsychus (luzoniensis) superciliaris.
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