Luzon Boobook

SCI Name:  Ninox philippensis
Protonym:  Ninox philippensis Compt.Rend. 41 p.655
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Ninox
Taxonomy Code:  phihao1
Type Locality:  No locality = Philippine Islands by inference.
Author:  Bonaparte
Publish Year:  1855
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

NINOX
(Strigidae; Ϯ Brown Hawk Owl N. scutulata lugubris) Portmanteau of genera Nisus Cuvier, 1800, hawk, and Noctua de Savigny, 1809, owl; “Genus NINOX, nobis (a Niso et Noctua).   Type NINOX Nipalensis, nobis.   Character.—Bill, disc, conch, and feet as in Noctua.—General contour, with the character of the plumage, strictly falconidine.  Wings long and firm, 3d quill longest, 1st and 2d moderately gradated; the primes, pretty strongly emarginated high up from the tips; their edges, entirely or nearly so.  Tail long, straight and even.  Type, Ninox Nipalensis, nobis.  Habitat, central region of Nepal.  Habits, insectivorous and crepuscular.  The experienced Shikaree who brought me, recently, a fine male specimen of this bird, asked me, when he put it in my hand, whether it was a Baaz (hawk) or an Ulu (owl)? And the more I examined its graceful form, its unrelaxed plumage, its strong and ample wings and tail, and even its peculiar colouring, the greater reason did I perceive to admire the man’s acuteness of observation. It is an owl, undoubtedly, but the most accipitrine of owls; and, much as the peculiar attributes of Noctua had prepared me to expect, in or near this group of the Strigidæ, the type and symbol of the Accipitrinæ, I did not hope that the forests of Nepal would so soon yield that type to my own hands.*   SPECIES new, Nipalensis nobis.   ...   *I regret I have no species of Surnia wherewith to compare our bird. Surnia may possibly dispute with it the honour of typifying the nobler races of the Falconidæ: but the thickly plumed toes and wedged tail of Surnia, sufficiently indicate that our bird is not of that genus.” (Hodgson 1837); "Ninox Hodgson, Madras Journ. Lit. Sci., 5, 1837, p. 23. Type, by monotypy, Ninox nipalensis Hodgson = Strix lugubris Tickell." (Peters 1940, IV, 136).
Synon. Berneyornis, Cephaloglaux, Cephaloptynx, Ctenoglaux, Hieracoglaux, Rhabdoglaux, Rhodoglaux, Spiloglaux.

philippense / philippensis
Philippine Is. (Felipina, an early name (1543) given to the island of Leyte in honour of the Infante Felipe (Philip) of Spain, later Philip II (1527–1598: reigned 1556–1598)).
● ex “Rubetra philippensis major” of Brisson 1760, “Grand traquet des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 185, fig. 2, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Traquet de Manille” of Salerne 1767 (syn. Agropsar philippensis).
● ex “Rasle rayé des Philippines” of Brisson 1760 (Hypotaenidia).
● ex “Petite Grive des Philippines” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Philippine Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Ixos philippinus).
● ex “Perruche des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 520 (Loriculus).
● ex “Bucco philippensis” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Megalaima haemacephala).
● (Statius Müller 1776) ex “Merle solitaire des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 339 (subsp. Monticola solitarius).
● (Boddaert 1783) ex “Merle solitaire des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 339 (syn. Monticola solitarius philippensis).
● ex “Pélican des Philippines” of Brisson 1760, and “Philippine Pelican” of Latham 1785 (Pelecanus).
● ex “Merle des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 89 (syn. Pitta sordida).
● Erroneous TL. Philippine Is. (= Cayenne); ex “Cancrophagus philippensis” of Brisson 1760, “Crabier des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 898, “Petit Crabier” of de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Philippine Heron” of Latham 1785 (syn. Zebrilus undulatus).
● ex “Moucherolle des Philippines” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Philippine Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Luzon Boobook (philippensis)
SCI Name: Ninox philippensis philippensis
philippense / philippensis
Philippine Is. (Felipina, an early name (1543) given to the island of Leyte in honour of the Infante Felipe (Philip) of Spain, later Philip II (1527–1598: reigned 1556–1598)).
● ex “Rubetra philippensis major” of Brisson 1760, “Grand traquet des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 185, fig. 2, and de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Traquet de Manille” of Salerne 1767 (syn. Agropsar philippensis).
● ex “Rasle rayé des Philippines” of Brisson 1760 (Hypotaenidia).
● ex “Petite Grive des Philippines” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Philippine Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Ixos philippinus).
● ex “Perruche des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 520 (Loriculus).
● ex “Bucco philippensis” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Megalaima haemacephala).
● (Statius Müller 1776) ex “Merle solitaire des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 339 (subsp. Monticola solitarius).
● (Boddaert 1783) ex “Merle solitaire des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 339 (syn. Monticola solitarius philippensis).
● ex “Pélican des Philippines” of Brisson 1760, and “Philippine Pelican” of Latham 1785 (Pelecanus).
● ex “Merle des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 89 (syn. Pitta sordida).
● Erroneous TL. Philippine Is. (= Cayenne); ex “Cancrophagus philippensis” of Brisson 1760, “Crabier des Philippines” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 898, “Petit Crabier” of de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Philippine Heron” of Latham 1785 (syn. Zebrilus undulatus).
● ex “Moucherolle des Philippines” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Philippine Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

Luzon Boobook (ticaoensis)
SCI Name: Ninox philippensis ticaoensis
ticaensis / ticaoensis
Ticao I., Philippines.

Luzon Boobook (centralis)
SCI Name: Ninox philippensis centralis
centralis
L. centralis, centrale  central, in the middle  < centrum  middle point, centre  < Gr. κεντρον kentron  sharp point, stationary point of a pair of compasses.  A good proportion of the names here refer to forms collected in "Central Africa," i.e. the eastern Congo and the Rift Valley lakes (e.g. subsp. Bradypterus baboecala, subsp. Chlorocichla flaviventris, subsp. Malimbus rubricollis, subsp. Sarothrura pulchra, subsp. Turdus pelios).  Some further examples follow.
• "Dieselbe steht in Bezug auf Grösse zwischen cardinalis und massaicus in der Mitte." (Neumann 1900) (subsp. Dendropicos fuscescens).  
• "Distribution. Endemic to Peru on east Andean slope from Río Huallaga through Pasco to Junín west of the Río Ene and north of the Río Mantaro  ...  The scientific name reflects the range of this species near the geographic center of Peru." (Hosner et al. in M. Isler et al. 2020) (Grallaria).
• "Intermediate in size between N. f. flavicollis (Vieill.) and N. f. melanoxantha (Lcht.)" (Hellmayr 1907) (subsp. Hemithraupis flavicollis).
• "These birds are intermediate between N. famosa and N. cupreonitens, and resemble birds labelled by Neumann in the Tring Museum with the MS. name Nectarinia famosa centralis" (van Someren 1916) (subsp. Nectarinia famosa).
• "RANGE. —Eastern part of the central Solomon Islands (Kulambangra, New Georgia, Vangunu, and Gatukai)." (Mayr 1932) (subsp. Pachycephala pectoralis).
• "zentralbrasilianischen Hochlandes (Matto-grosso.  S. Goyaz.  N.-São Paulo.  W.-Minas Geraës)" (Hellmayr 1920) (subsp. Ramphocelus carbo).
• "the Central American form is named CICCABA VIRGATA CENTRALIS, subsp. nov.  ...  Chivela, Oaxaca, Mexico." (Griscom 1929) (subsp. Strix virgata).
• "Tang- (Dang-) la Range, Central Tibet, Tang-la Pass" (Sushkin 1926) (subsp. Tetraogallus tibetanus).