List of endemic birds of the Philippines explained

This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones.

Patterns of endemism

Under the most up-to-date taxonomy, there are 237 bird species endemic to the Philippines. Many of these are restricted to specific islands, particularly Luzon, Mindanao, and Palawan.[1] The number of endemic species recognized in the Philippines has increased in recent years, mainly due to "splits" of species and, to a much lesser extent, due to the discovery of previously unknown species.[2] An example of splitting is the division of the erstwhile species Philippine hawk-owl (Ninox scutulata) into seven species, now called by the name of this-or-that boobook (Luzon boobook, Mindoro boobook, etc. see the list below). Another example is the split of the erstwhile tarictric hornbill (Penelopides panini), itself a Philippines endemic, into four or five separate species (Visayan hornbill, Luzon hornbill, Mindoro hornbill, Mindanao hornbill and possibly Samar hornbill, whose status as distinct from Mindanao hornbill is being debated). The split of the greater flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus) is another example. The greater flameback has been split into eight species, four of which are endemic to the Philippines (Luzon flameback, yellow-faced flameback, buff-spotted flameback and red-headed flameback).

In addition to the splitting, there has been much taxonomic reassignment of species to new families, particularly affecting the babblers, many of which have now been assigned to Locustellidae (grass warblers) or Zosteropidae (white-eyes).

However the taxonomy is organized, very few countries exceed the Philippines in number of endemic bird species. Indonesia, Brazil and Australia exceed the Philippines, but these are much larger countries.[3] There are seven distinct Endemic Bird Areas in the Philippines: (1) Mindoro, (2) Luzon, (3) Negros and Panay, (4) Cebu, (5) Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas, (6) the Sulu Archipelago and (7) Palawan.[4]

In the context of Philippines bird endemics, the rhabdornis merit special discussion. The affinities of these birds with other species has long been under debate. In the past, many taxonomists considered the rhabdornis to form a distinct endemic family of birds restricted to the Philippines (Rhabdornithidae).[5] Other taxonomists have considered the rhabdornis' to be a form of creeper (Certhiidae).[6] Recent study tends to consider the rhabdornis to form a genus within the starling family (Sturnidae), although this view may be subject to further revision.[7] Four species of rhabdornis are currently recognized (strip-sided, long-billed, stripe-breasted and Visayan). Whether or not the rhabdornis represent an endemic Philippines family, the four rhabdornis species are all endemic to the Philippines.

Many species of Philippine birds are also found in the Talaud Islands north of Sulawesi, which are part of Indonesia. Technically, those birds are not Philippine endemics. However, considering the small size and remote location of the Talaud Islands, it may be justified to consider those species as Philippine endemics for practical purposes. Individual cases are discussed below.

Many of the Philippine endemic species are rare and endangered; two of the birds are possibly extinct.

List of species

The species listed follow the taxonomic order of A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert Kennedy et al. The English names of some birds have been subject to recent change; in those cases an "also-known-as" (aka) is indicated. Some deviation from the Kennedy taxonomic order has been necessary due to reassignment of species to different families by the International Ornithological Committee.

Difficult cases

  1. The Philippine form of the reddish cuckoo-dove, Macropygia phasianella, is considered by some authorities to be a separate species under the name Philippine cuckoo-dove, Macropygia tenuirostris. However, it is not clear whether the form of the bird found in Borneo should be considered M. phasianella, M. tenuirostris, or a separate species. For now, the Philippine cuckoo-dove is not included in the endemic list.
  2. The Philippine collared-dove, Streptopelia dusumieri, has been recorded in northern Borneo, but not since the 1960s. The bird has also been introduced on some of the Mariana Islands. This bird is included in the Philippines endemic list since its current presence in Borneo is not confirmed and its presence in the Mariana Islands is man made.
  3. The gray imperial-pigeon, Ducula pickeringii, is found exclusively on a few small islands on the south and southwest side of the main Philippines Archipelago, mainly islands in the Sulu Sea and offshore of Palawan. Most of the islands where the gray imperial-pigeon is found are part of the Philippines, although it is also found on two island groups in Indonesia (the very small Derawan Islands off of eastern Borneo and the larger Talaud Island group north of Sulawesi). The bird is not included in the Philippines endemic list.
  4. While found mainly in the Philippines, the blue-naped parrot, Tanygnathus lucionensis, is also found in the Talaud Island group north of Sulawesi, which is part of Indonesia. The bird is not therefore included in the Philippines endemics list.
  5. The Mantanani scops-owl is named after Mantanani Island, a tiny island off the north coast of Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo). However, other than on that small Malaysian island, the bird is found entirely in several small Philippine islands: Sibutu, Tablas, Romblon, the Calamian Islands north of Palawan, the Cuyo Island group. The bird is included in the Philippines endemics list.
  6. The Philippines form of the uniform swiftlet, Aerodramus vanikorensis, (itself previously known as the island swiftlet) has recently been designated by the International Ornithological Committee as a different species, the Ameline swiftlet Aerodramus amelis. The Ameline swiftlet is included in the Philippines endemic list.
  7. Authorities differ on whether the Samar form of the tarictic hornbill is a distinct species Penelopides samarensis, or whether it is a form of the Mindanao hornbill, Penelopides affinis. It is included in the list of Philippines endemics.
  8. The blue-breasted pitta, Erythropitta erythrogaster, is a recent split from the Australasian "red-bellied" pitta group. The blue-breasted pitta is found throughout the Philippines and also in the Talaud Island group of Indonesia. For now, it is included in the Philippines endemic list.
  9. There is a consideration that the Mindoro form and the Visayan form of the Philippine bulbul, Hypsipetes philippinus, should be classed as separate species, Mindoro bulbul, Hypsipetes mindorensis, and Visayan bulbul, Hypsipetes guimarasensis, respectively, but this seems to be not quite agreed yet amongst the authorities. For now, only the Philippine bulbul is listed as a Philippines endemic.
  10. The Palawan form of the Asian fairy-bluebird, Irena puella, is coming to be viewed as a potentially different species Irena tweeddalii. Since this seems to be still in discussion, this bird in not included in the Philippines endemic list.
  11. The 2021 International Ornithological Committee has approved several splits that increase the number of Philippines endemics.[8] They are as follows: (a) The Philippines versions of the slender-billed crow, Corvus enca, are defined as two new species, small crow, Corvus samarensis, found in the main Philippines islands, and Palawan crow, Corvus pusillus, found on Palawan. (b) The Camiguin form of the yellowish bulbul, Hypsipetes everetti, itself a Philippines endemic, is defined as a new species. The new species is called Camiguin bulbul, Hypsipetes catarmanensis. (c) The endemic black-crowned babbler, Sterrhoptilus nigrocapitatus, has been split, with the form found in Luzon called the Calabarzon babbler, Sterrhoptilus affinis. (d) The Palawn form of the Asian fairy-bluebird, Irena puella, has been defined as a new species, the Palawan fairy-bluebird, Irena tweeddalli. (e) The endemic flame-crowned flowerpecker, Dicaeum anthonyi, has been split into two species called yellow-crowned flowerpecker, Dicaeum anthonyi and flame-crowned flowerpecker, Dicaeum kampalili. The original English name stays with the Mindanao form of the bird, which takes a new Latin name, and original Latin name of the bird stays with the Luzon form, which takes a new English name. (f) The Mindanao form of the mountain serin, Chrysocorythus estherae has been split from the Indonesian forms, with the new name Mindanao serin, Chrysocorythus estherae.
  12. Everett's white-eye, Zosterops everetti, previously considered to be distributed widely across SE Asia, including the southern Philippine Islands, has been split by the 2020 International Ornithological Committee Bird List revision, with the Everett's white-eye now considered as restricted to the southern Philippines and the Talaud Island group of Indonesia. The form of the bird found elsewhere in SE Asia is now to be called Hume's white-eye, Zosterops auriventur. The Everett's white-eye is not included in the Philippines endemics list since it is also found in the Talaud Islands.
  13. Recent taxonomic changes have drastically reduced the number of endemic babbler species in the Philippines. Eleven endemic Philippine species previously considered babblers have been reassigned to the white-eye family Zosteropidae. In addition, two endemic babblers have been reassigned to the cisticola family Cisticolidae, three endemic babblers have been renamed "ground warblers" and assigned to the grassbird family Locustella and one endemic babbler has been renamed as a robin and assigned to the Old World flycatchers, Muscicapidae. These changes do not alter the total number of Philippine endemic species, but have moved endemic species into new families.

See also

Notes and References

  1. A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines, Robert S. Kennedy et al., Oxford University Press, 2013.
  2. "Birds of the World", Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species.
  3. Where to Watch Birds in Asia, Nigel Wheatley, Princeton University Press, 1996.
  4. "Endemic Bird Areas of the World", Alison J. Statterfield et al., BirdLife International, 1998.
  5. The Birds of the Philippines: An Annotated Check-List, Dickinson and Kennedy, British Ornithologists' Union, 1991.
  6. Bird Families of the World, Cameron and Harrison, Harry N Abrams Inc. Publishers, New York, 1978.
  7. International Ornithological Committee World Bird List (v11.1), F. Gill et al., 2020.
  8. "International Ornithological Committee Species Update Version 11.2 (July 10, 2021)"

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