Of the ten Parrots found in Celebes, eight are peculiar. Among
them are two species of the singular raquet-tailed parrots
forming the genus Prioniturus, and which are characterised by
possessing two long spoon-shaped feathers in the tail. Two allied
species are found in the adjacent island of Mindanao, one of the
Philippines, and this form of tail is found in no other parrots
in the whole world. A small species of Lorikeet (Trichoglossus
flavoviridis) seems to have its nearest ally in Australia.
The three Woodpeckers which inhabit the island are all peculiar,
and are allied to species found in Java and Borneo, although very
different from them all.
Among the three peculiar Cuckoos, two are very remarkable.
Phoenicophaus callirhynchus is the largest and handsomest species
of its genus, and is distinguished by the three colours of its
beak, bright yellow, red, and black. Eudynamis melanorynchus
differs from all its allies in having a jet-black bill, whereas
the other species of the genus always have it green, yellow, or
reddish.
The Celebes Roller (Coracias temmincki) is an interesting example
of one species of a genus being cut off from the rest.
