Luzon Racquet-tail 30 cm; 102–142 g. Bill pale greyish; dull green on upperparts, yellowish-green below; forehead and face blue shading to green on lower cheeks and rear ear-coverts; mid-crown red; tail spatules blackish.
The Luzon Racquet-tail Female has the entire head green but for blue tinges and has shorter spatulas.
Immature like a female without spatulas, but has narrow feathered extensions. Sympatric with P. luconensis and P. discurus, but first-named has a blue crown in both sexes, without a red crown patch in Luzon Racquet-tail male,
while last-named is now rare and usually found below the elevational range of present species, is uniform pale yellow-green, yellower around the face, and has a blue upper tail.
Systematics History
Part of the P. platenae clade (which see). Frequently united with P. waterstradti, less commonly with P. verticalis, too, but case recently made for species status. Monotypic.
Subspecies
Monotypic.
Distribution
Mountains of Luzon (N Philippines).
Habitat
Primary montane forest above 700 m to as high as 2900 m.
Movement
Partial displacements from the highlands may occur with some regularity.
Diet and Foraging
Fruits of a fine-leafed tree growing low inside the forest appear to be the only specific record, but Luzon Racquet-tail seeds, nuts, berries, and fruits are all mentioned in the diet. Some visit cultivation in company with P. luconensis.
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Gives shrill screeching notes.
Breeding
Aug–Sept; but juvenile collected Jul. Luzon Racquet-tail Nest recorded 5–6 m up in tall oak (Quercus) stub.
Conservation Status
Not globally threatened. Currently regarded as Near Threatened. Previously regarded as Vulnerable. CITES II. Restricted-range species.
Population estimated at between 1500 and 7000 mature individuals within the overall range of 10,400 km2. Although common in both the Cordillera Central and the Sierra Madre, the combination of habitat loss, hunting, and trapping for the cagebird trade is predicted to inflict serious damage on populations.
