Phylogeny of the Waxwings and Allied Birds - Part 2
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Part 2

=Bombycilla garrula garrula= (Linnaeus)

Bohemian Waxwing

_Bombycilla garrula garrula_ (Linnaeus), Syst. Nat., 10th Ed., 1758:55.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: As described for the species, but darkest of the three subspecies; tending to be more Vinaceous dorsally than either _pallidiceps_ or _centralasiae_.

_Measurements._--Wing 113.5, tail 63.1, culmen 12.5, tarsus 20.7.

_Range._--Europe; breeds north to northern Russia and Norway, south to about 65 N lat.i.tude; winters south to England and Ireland, southern France, northern Italy, and Turkey.

=Bombycilla garrula centralasiae= Poljakov

Bohemian Waxwing

_Bombycilla garrula centralasiae_ Poljakov, Mess. Orn. vi:137, 1915.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: As described for the subspecies _garrula_, but less Vinaceous dorsally, and more Cinnamon; venter lighter gray than _garrula_, and much paler than _pallidiceps_.

_Measurements._--Wing 114.7, tail 63.0, culmen 12.2, tarsus 21.0.

_Range._--Asia; breeds northern Siberia south to Vladivostok; winters to Turkestan and central eastern China and j.a.pan.

=Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps= Reichenow

Bohemian Waxwing

_Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps_ Reichenow, Orn. Monats. 16:191, 1908.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: As described for the species, but more grayish above and below than _B. g. garrula_; darker gray than in _centralasiae_.

_Measurements._--Wing 115.1, tail 71.7, culmen 12.6, tarsus 21.1.

_Range._--Breeds from western Alaska to northern Mackenzie and northwestern Manitoba south to southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, northern Idaho, and possibly Colorado (Bergtold 1924) and Montana (Burleigh 1929); winters east to Nova Scotia and irregularly over much of Canada, and south irregularly to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona, and Texas.

=Bombycilla j.a.ponica= (Siebold)

j.a.panese Waxwing

_Bombycilla j.a.ponica_ (Siebold), Nat. Hist. j.a.p., St. No. 2:87, 1824.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: Dorsum generally Brownish Drab shading to Light Brownish Drab on lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts; secondary and tertiary coverts Pale Brownish Drab, washed on outer web with Carmine; primary coverts Blackish Slate, with White edging; tail feathers Slate-Gray, broadly tipped with Carmine, bordered anteriorly by subterminal Black bar; head crested, forehead Chestnut; lores, frontals, and stripe extending around eye and nape, Black; throat Black, narrowing on lower throat; breast, sides of flanks Light Drab; venter pale Sulphur Yellow; thighs Brownish Drab; under tail coverts Carmine; bill, legs, and feet Black.

_Measurements._--Wing 108.3, tail 53.6, culmen 11.2, tarsus 19.4.

_Range._--Breeds eastern Siberia, northern China; winters south in China, and to j.a.pan (Hokkaido, Kyushu), Taiwan, and Korea.

Subfamily _Dulinae_

_Diagnosis._--Bill deep and compressed, culmen strongly depressed; nostrils circular, wholly exposed; tail even, and shorter than wing; tenth primary less than half length of ninth; under parts streaked; plumage hard and harsh; rictal bristles minute; wing rounded; humerus long and with small external condyle; pygostyle and caudal muscles not well developed; one genus, one species.

_Range of subfamily._--Islands of Haiti and Gonave, Greater Antilles.

Genus _Dulus_ Vieillot

_Dulus_ Vieillot, a.n.a.lyse, 1816:42.

_Diagnosis._--Like the subfamily.

=Dulus dominicus dominicus= (Linnaeus)

Palm-chat

_Dulus dominicus dominicus_ (Linnaeus), Syst. Nat., 12th Ed., 1766:316.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: Dorsum Olive, back, scapulars, and wing coverts more Brownish Olive; lower rump and upper tail coverts Olive-Green; pileum and hindneck with indistinct streaks of Brownish Olive; tail Brownish Drab, edged with Light Olive Gray; lores, suborbital region, and auricular regions Dusky Brown; malars Dusky Brown and streaked with Sooty Black, streaks narrower on abdomen, broader and paler on under tail coverts, bill Light Brownish Drab; legs and feet Brownish Drab.

_Measurements._--Wing 85.0, tail 68.8, culmen 15.0, tarsus 24.7.

_Range._--Island of Haiti, Greater Antilles.

=Dulus dominicus oviedo= Wetmore

Palm-chat

_Dulus dominicus oviedo_ Wetmore, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 42:117, 1929.

_Diagnosis._--Coloration: Like _D. d. dominicus_, but averaging more Grayish Olive; rump and tail coverts with less greenish wash.

_Measurements._--Wing 90.1, tail 71.3, culmen 16.2, tarsus 25.1.

_Range._--Gonave Island, off Haiti, Greater Antilles.

COLORATION

The general coloration of waxwings is cryptic, that is to say, concealing or blending. The lighter color of the venter, especially of the belly, contrasts with the duller, darker vinaceous color of the dorsum. Several ruptive marks tend to obliterate the outline of the body. The crest of the head, when elevated, tends to elongate the body, making the outline less like that of a normal bird. The facial mask effectively breaks up the outline of the head, and conceals the bright eye, which would otherwise be strikingly distinct. The white spots on the distal ends of the secondaries of _B. garrula_ and the yellow color on the distal ends of the rectrices (red in _B.

j.a.ponica_) are also ruptive. These ruptive marks on an otherwise blending type of plumage might be important to waxwings, and probably are more effective when the birds remain motionless in either a well-lighted area or in one that is partly in shadow, rather than in one that is wholly in shadow.