Piratic Flycatcher

SCI Name:  Legatus leucophaius
Protonym:  Platyrhynchos leucophaius Nouv.Dict.Hist.Nat. 27 p.11
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Tyrannidae / Legatus
Taxonomy Code:  pirfly1
Type Locality:  'I''Amerique meridionale''; type from Cayenne, fide Hellmayr, 1927, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 13, pt. 5, p. 117.
Author:  Vieillot
Publish Year:  1818
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

LEGATUS
(Tyrannidae; Ϯ Piratic Flycatcher L. leucophaius) Specific name Muscicapa legatus Lichtenstein, 1823; "ELAINIA PLACENS.   ...   This is the only species of true Elainia which I have yet met with from Mexico, the Elænia texensis of my Mexican lists being strictly a Myiozetetes, and the Elænia variegata belonging to a section which I intend to denominate Legatus (type, Legatus albicollis (Vieill.) = Muscicapa legatus, Licht.)" (P. Sclater 1859); "Legatus Sclater, 1859, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 27, p. 46 (in text). Type, by original designation, "Legatus albicollis (Vieillot) = Muscicapa legatus, Licht." = Platyrhynchos leucophaius Vieillot." (Traylor in Peters 1979, VIII, 219). The Piratic Flycatcher is aptly named, noisily pestering caciques and oropendolas and taking over their pendant nests.

legatus
L. legatus  governor  < legare  to appoint  < lex, legis  law, rule.

leucophaius
Gr. λευκοφαιος leukophaios whitish-grey, ash-coloured  < λευκος leukos  white; φαιος phaios  dusky (cf. λευκοφαης leukophaēs  gleaming white).
● ex “Barbichon de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 830, and “Suirirí chorreado sin roxo” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 186 (Legatus).

Leucophaeus
(syn. Larus Ϯ Dolphin Gull L. scoresbii) Gr. λευκοφαιος leukophaios  whitish-grey, ash-coloured  < λευκος leukos  white; φαιος phaios  dusky (cf. λευκοφαης leukophaēs  gleaming white); "XII. Leucophaeus Bp.  Schmuckmöven.  Gefieder dunkel, gegen den Schwanz hin lichter werdend.  Schnabel und Füsse dick und stark.  Schwimmhäute stark ausgeschnitten.   62) haematorhynchus King.   Süd-America." (Bruch 1853); "212. Leucophaeus, Bp. 1852.  (Leucophaius. - Larus, part., Gr.)  Rostrum robustissimum: pedes validi; membrana interdigitali profunde excisa; halluce brevissimo, ungue obtuso.  Alae elongatae; remigibus nigris: cauda aequalis.  Color obscurus, caudam versus dilutior.  Analogiam cum PROCELLARIIDIS et cum LAREO genere BLASIPA praebet.    Am. m. occ.  3.    1. LARUS scoresbii, Trail. (haematorhynchus, King.   ...   *2. LARUS fuliginosus, Gould.  (Adelarus neptunus, Bp. in litt. adult - Ad. belcheri, p. Bruch. - Ad. fuliginosus, Bp. 1854. - Leucophaes fuliginosus, Bp.)   ...   3. LARUS belcheri, Vig. 1829." (Bonaparte 1857); "Leucophaeus (Bonaparte MS.) Bruch, Journ. Orn., 1, p. 108, 1853—type, by monotypy, Larus haematorhynchus King = Larus scoresbii Traill." (Hellmayr & Conover 1948, XIII, 251).   Var. Leucophaius, Leucophoeus.

SUBSPECIES

Piratic Flycatcher (variegatus)
SCI Name: Legatus leucophaius variegatus
variegatum / variegatus
L. variegatus  variegated  < variare  to variegate  < varius  various, diverse.
● ex “Actenoïde variée” of Hombron & Jacquinot 1846 (syn. Actenoides hombroni).
● ex “Variegated Sandpiper” of Latham 1785 (syn. Aphriza virgata).
● ex “Grive 2da” of Fermin 1769, and “Variegated Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Campylorhynchus turdinus).
● ex “Tinamou varié de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 828, “Tinamou varié” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and Bajon 1777, and “Variegated Tinamou” of Latham 1783 (Crypturellus).
● ex “Coucou tacheté de l’île de Panay” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Eudynamys scolopaceus mindanensis).
● ex “Grand Indicateur, femelle” of Levaillant 1806 (Indicator).
● ex “Garza varia” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 361 (syn. Ixobrychus involucris).
● ex “Mésange Grisette” of Levaillant 1803, pl. 138 (syn. Melaniparus cinerascens).
● ex “Guêpier à collier gros-bleu” or “Guêpier Sonnini” of Levaillant 1807 (Merops).
● ex “Courly tacheté de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (subsp. Numenius phaeopus).
● ex “Râle tacheté de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 775, and “Variegated Rail” of Latham 1785 (syn. Pardirallus maculatus).
● ex “Averano” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Procnias averano).
● “It has been pointed out to me by Mr. T. Iredale that the name Tetrao variegatus Burchell ...[1824] is preoccupied by Tetrao variegatus Gmelin ...[1789], bestowed on the Variegated Tinamou of Latham, and now known as Crypturus variegatus. As there appears to be no synonym for this distinct species of Sandgrouse, I propose to rename it after the discoverer” (W. Sclater 1922) (syn. Pterocles burchelli).

Piratic Flycatcher (leucophaius)
SCI Name: Legatus leucophaius leucophaius
leucophaius
Gr. λευκοφαιος leukophaios whitish-grey, ash-coloured  < λευκος leukos  white; φαιος phaios  dusky (cf. λευκοφαης leukophaēs  gleaming white).
● ex “Barbichon de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 830, and “Suirirí chorreado sin roxo” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 186 (Legatus).