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281. :- Dicrurus coerulescens, Lin. :- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 432; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. III, p. 465 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 394 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, p. 66.

The White-bellied Drongo.
 

Length, 9.5 ; wing, 4.75 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 0.8 ; bill at front, 0.7.

Bill black; irides lake ; legs black.

Upper plumage, wings, and tail, black, with a blue gloss; chin, throat, and breast, iron-grey; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white.

With the exception of Sind; the White-bellied Drongo occurs sparingly throughout the region.

The White-bellied Drongo.

Coloration. Upper plumage deep indigo ; throat and breast grey; abdomen, flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts white; the axillaries frequently tipped white.

Iris red ; bill, legs, and feet blackish (Hume Coll.).

Length about 9.5 ; tail 4.5 to 5.5 ; wing 4.5 to 5.5; tarsus .75 ; bill from gape 1.05; depth of fork of tail about T5 inches.

Distribution. Almost the whole of India proper, extending into Ceylon and ascending the Himalayas up to about 6000 feet. The north-western limits of this species appear to be a line drawn roughly from Cutch to Garhwal, and its eastern boundary the meridian of longitude traversing the eastern portion of the Rajmehal hills.

Habits, &c. A considerable number of these birds appear to spend the summer in the Himalayas and the winter in the plains; but many are no doubt resident in the latter, for they have been known to breed there, and their nests have been found in July. This Drongo frequents open jungle. The nest is described by Thompson as resembling that of D. ater, and it is built in the Himalayas near the top of moderate-sized trees in May and June. In Khandesh this species appears to breed in June and July. The eggs have not been described.

The White-bellied Drongo is said by Butler to have a rich Oriolelike note.

The White-vented Drongo.

Coloration. Upper plumage deep indigo; throat, breast, and abdomen dark brown, the lower part of the abdomen frequently-mixed with white; vent and under tail-coverts generally white, sometimes merely albescent; occasionally only the under tail-coverts are white.

Iris red; bill, legs, and feet blackish (flume Coll.). Of the same dimensions as D. caerulescens.

The amount of white on the lower plumage of this and D. caerulescens is variable, and occasionally a bird is met with which might, as regards this character, be assigned indifferently to one or the other species, but the colour of the throat and breast will, in these cases, be a safe guide to identification.

Distribution. Ceylon only.

Habits, &c. This species breeds from March to May, constructing its nest in a tree at a considerable height from the ground. The eggs, two to four in number, are whitish marked with red, and measure about .93 by .7.

Dicrurus caerulescens caerulescens Linn.

 

Lanius caerulescens Linn., Syst. Nat., 10th ed., p. 95, Jan. 1, 1758; based on Edw., Av., p. 56, fig. 56 : Bengal.

Lanius caeruleus P. L. S. Muller. Nat. Syst., Suppl., p. 72, 1776.

Lanius fingah Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii, pt. 2, p. 291, 1809 ; new name for L. caerulescens Linn.

Dicrurus leucopygialis Blyth, J. A. S. B., vol. xv, p. 298, 1846; Ceylon.

Dicrurus leucogaster Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat., nouv, ed., vol. ix, p. 587, 1817 : Java in errore, factitious=Ceylon.

Edolius albiventer Voigt, Das Thierreich (Cuvier), vol. i, p. 465, 1831; same basis.

Buchanga insularis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iii, p. 253, 1877: Ceylon.

(777) Dicrurus coerulescens coerulescens.

The first reference is Lanius caerulescens Linn., Syst. Nat, 10th ed., vol. i, p. 95, 1758 : Bengal.