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LYCOCORAX PYRRHOPTERUS (Bp).

Brown-winged Paradise-Crow.

Corvus pyrrhopterus, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 384 (1850, ex Temm. MSS. in Mus, Lugd.).

Lycocorax pyrrhopterus, Bp. Comptes Rendus, xxxvii. p. 829 (1853).—Id. No tes Coll. Delattre, p.7, note (1854 ).—
Gray, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 355.—Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p. 173 (1865).—Bernst. Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. ii.
p. 372 (1865).—Schl. op. cit. ili. p. 191 (1866).—Id. Mus. Pays-Bas, Coraces, p. 131 (1867).—Salvad.
Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. vii. p. 781 (1875).—Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. x. p. 185 (1877 ).—Salvad. Ann.
Mus. Civ. Genov. xvi. p. 198 (1880).—Eudes-Deslongchamps, Ann. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. Caen, i. p. 46
(1880).—Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 494 (1881).—D’ Hamonv. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1886, p. 510.—
Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, Age. ii. p. 146 (1890).

Pica pyrrhoptera, Schl. Bijdr. tot de Dierk. fol. pt. viii. p. 1, pl. i. (1858).

Manucodia pyrrhopterus, Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 17, no. 6261 (1870).—Musschenbr. Dagboek, pp. 197, 230 (1883).—
Rosenb. MT. orn. Ver. Wien, 1885, p. 40.

 

Tue three species of Lycocorax, which are structurally Birds of Paradise, so closely resemble the ordinary
Crows in appearance that they may naturally be placed at the end of the family Paradisiide, the members of
which are remarkable for the brilliancy and fantastic arrangement of their colouring. In this position they
are placed by Count Salvadori in his ‘ Ornitologia della Papuasia.’

The present species is apparently confined to the islands of Batchian and Halmahéra, and it is easily
recognized by the colour of the quills, which is reddish on the outer aspect of the primaries, the secondaries
being brown. The general colour of the plumage is black, with very slight greenish reflections under
certain lights.

Nothing seems as yet to have been recorded regarding the habits of this species.

Adult female. General colour above and below black, with a slight wash of dull oily green; tail black,
with an almost imperceptible wash of green on the outer web of some of the feathers; least wing-coverts
resembling the back; the rest of the wing brown, becoming paler and more reddish on the outer primaries,
the lower surface of the quills inclining to ashy brown; bill and feet black.

Total length 15°5 inches, culmen 1°75, wing 7:1, tail 671, tarsus 1:75.

According to Count Salvadori, there is no apparent difference in the colour of the sexes.

The description and figure are taken from specimens in the British Museum. The latter represents an
adult bird of the natural size.