The balicassiao (Dicrurus balicassius) is a species of passerine bird in the family Dicruridae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests.
| Balicassiao | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Dicruridae |
| Genus: | Dicrurus |
| Species: | D. balicassius
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| Binomial name | |
| Dicrurus balicassius (Linnaeus, 1766)
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| Synonyms | |
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Corvus balicassius Linnaeus, 1766 | |
Description and taxonomy
editEBird describes the bird as "A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of lowland and foothill forest in the northern and central Philippines, where it is the only drongo in range. Entirely black with glossy blue upperparts and streaks on the head and neck. Tail flares out at the tip. A white-bellied race of the central Philippines may represent a separate species. Similar to Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo, but larger, with a thicker bill and upturned tail tips. Song is a complex mixture of grating scolds and loud whistles." [2]
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the balicassiao in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in the Philippines. He used the French name Le choucas des Philippines and the Latin Monedula Philippensis.[3] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.[4] When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.[4] One of these was the balicassiao. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Corvus balicassius and cited Brisson's work.[5] The specific name balicassius is from Balicasiao, the Cebuano word for this bird.[6] This species is now placed in the genus Dicrurus that was introduced by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816.[7]
Subspecies
editThree subspecies are recognized:
- D. b.balicassius — Found on Central and South Luzon, Polillo, Lubang, Verde, Mindoro, Marinduque and Catanduanes
- D. b. abraensis — Found on North Luzon
- D. b. mirabilis — Found on Ticao, Masbate, Panay, Guimaras, Negros, Bantayan and Cebu; has a distinct white belly and may be a separate species[8]
Habitat and conservation status
editIts natural habitats at tropical moist lowland primary forest and secondary forest up to 1,200 meters above sea level.
The IUCN Red List has assessed this bird as least-concern species as it is still locally common and has a large range despite deforestation in the Philippines [9]
References
edit- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Dicrurus balicassius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22706993A94101710. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706993A94101710.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Balicassiao - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 2. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. pp. 31–32, Plate 2 fig 1. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
- ^ a b Allen, J.A. (1910). "Collation of Brisson's genera of birds with those of Linnaeus". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 28: 317–335. hdl:2246/678.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1766). Systema naturae : per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (12th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 157.
- ^ Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 41.
- ^ Rocamora, Gérard; Yeatman-Berthelot, Dosithée (2020). "Balicassiao (Dicrurus balicassius), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.balica1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
- ^ IUCN (2016-10-01). Dicrurus balicassius: BirdLife International: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22706993A94101710 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-3.rlts.t22706993a94101710.en.
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