. Birds. Birds. LEIOPTILA, 297 Description. Forehead, crown, crest, nape and sides of tlie head bhick, the ear-coverts sometimes dark brown; the whole lower plumage, rump and upper tail-coverts and a broad collar round the neck deep briglit rufous ; back and scapulars greyish- brown : median tail-feathers rufous for tliree-quarters of their length, then with a dark liand and a bluish tip; in the other feathers the rufous portion rapidly diminishes and tlie black increases; lower wing-coverts rufous; primary-coverts black ; greater coverts white at base, forming a broad band, the exterior feath
. Birds. Birds. LEIOPTILA, 297 Description. Forehead, crown, crest, nape and sides of tlie head bhick, the ear-coverts sometimes dark brown; the whole lower plumage, rump and upper tail-coverts and a broad collar round the neck deep briglit rufous ; back and scapulars greyish- brown : median tail-feathers rufous for tliree-quarters of their length, then with a dark liand and a bluish tip; in the other feathers the rufous portion rapidly diminishes and tlie black increases; lower wing-coverts rufous; primary-coverts black ; greater coverts white at base, forming a broad band, the exterior feathers blue tipped with bkck, tlie others tipped witli rufous ; inner secondaries chestiuit edjred with blue: tlie other quills dark brown, the primaries with the outer webs pale blue, the outer secondaries dark Fig. 55.—Head of L. c. capistrafa. Colours of soft parts. Iris reddish-brown to brilliant crimson, perhaps according to age ; bill black; legs fleshy-grey to purplish- brown, claws horny-brown. Measurements. Total length about 220 to 230 mm.; wing 91 to 96 mm.; tail about 100 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; cuhiieu about 20 mm. Distribution. Eastern Himalayas, Naini-tal to Dafla Hills. Nidification. The Black-headed Sibia breeds duriug May and June at elevations between 5,000 and 7,000 feet, making a very compact, deep cup of moss, sometimes mixed more or less with scraps of dead leaf, lichen, etc. Between the outer nest and the true lining of tine roots and feru-raciiides is an inner lining of soft grass and shreds of fibre and leaves. The nest is very hard to locate, as it is generally liigli up in pine-, fir-, or deodar-trees in the bushy extremities of the outer branches. The eggs are generally two, more rarely three, and are pale blue in ground-colour with splashes, smears and blotches of pale and dark brownish-red with a few spots and hair-lines of very dark red-black. The shell is fine but not glossed, they are fragile eggs for their size and in shape they are ra
Size: 2257px × 1108px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1922
