TSE MALAYAN IiONG-TAILKD FAHROQTTET 
PaliTomis httgkauda (Bodd.) 
Malay tiarne: — Bay an. 
Description: — This beautiful parroquet is quite unmistak- 
able and resembles no other local species. It is a typical parrot 
in appearance except for the tail which in adult birds has the 
centre feathers very long and almost whip-like. The general 
appearance presented is that of a grass-green bird with a rose- 
pink head. 
The sexes vary slightly in plumage. In the adult male 
the crown is bright green, the back pale green^ washed with 
pale blue on the rump, the wings golden green, the quills 
washed with bluish-green- The underparts are yellowish-green 
and the tail blue. The sides of the head and the neck are rose- 
pink and there is a long) broad black "moustachial patch''. 
The female is a very poor edition of the male, the black mous- 
tache being replaced by green and the rose colour restricted to 
small patches on the sides of the head. 
The irides are yellow ^ the beak mostly red and the feet 
greyish. 
Length from 16 to 17 inches ; wing about 7 inches. 
Status iH Singapore : — A common bird but almost exclu- 
sively seen as a migrant : it appears in flocks in the late summer 
and autumn, These may often be seen flying high over the 
open spaces on the island such as the golf-courses. When the 
birds settle it is usually on the tops of tall trees. 
Distribittion:— -This is a truly Malaysian bird being found 
in the Malay Peninsuiaj Borneo and Sumatra. 
Field Notes: — In Singapore one's attention is usually first 
attracted to this bird by hearing sharp, unfamiliar cries over- 
head and then glancing up one sees the flock of perhaps a 
dozen or twenty birds or even more, hurrying along. The 
birds f!y fast and well and their rounded heads and long thin 
tails streaming out behind reveal their identity. Sometimes 
they may be seen, usually several together, climbing about in 
the top of a fruit tree. 
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