Marchese Gerini's Woodpecker ... in Italian (1 Viewer)

Let´s have a look at a very obscure bird and the totally unexplained eponym gerinii ... not listed (at least not with that particular spelling) in today's HBW Alive Key, that only gives us:

gerini
● Giovanni Marchese Gerini (d. 1751) Italian art collector, ornithologist (?syn. Amazona aestiva, ?syn. Bucco sp.).
● ?M. Gérin (unident.; Centurus sp?).

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I assume I´m going for the latter bird because it´s a Woodpecker (Centurus/Melanerpes/Picus) I´m looking at, as in:

• "Picus gerinii" TEMMINCK 1827 (here, in text):

Le Picus varius indicus de Gerrin, Orn. , tab. 171 , forme une troisième espèce distincte, donnée par Latham comme variété; il portera le nom de Picus gerinii.

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This quote above is found in Temminck's entry for PIC SOURCIL BOIR Picus superciliaris (here, Plate 433, is on the page before) [= OD of today's West Indian Woodpecker Melanerpes superciliaris TEMMINCK 1827, attached].

However; Temminck's only reference for the "Picus gerinii" refer to "Picchio vario Indiano — Picus varius Indicus" (not a trinomal, I assume, but simply Latin), Plate 171, in Gerini's (alt. Manetti's) Ornithologia methodice digesta atque iconibus aeneis ad vivum illuminatis ornata. Storia naturale degli Uccelli. Florence , vol 2, 1769, (Plate here, and text, here; CLXXI). Plate also attached.

Surely we´re (also here) dealing with Marchese Giovanni Gerini, whose portrait is found in the first volume (1767, here), the collector from whose extensive collection of specimens Manetti worked chiefly. And, if so, what about the "Patrizio/Fiorentino" part?

Thereby I assume it commemorates the same guy as in James's other birds/eponyms, as in the first quote above! Surely it ought to be possible to find his birth, him being a Noble, "IL SENAT. E. MARCH. PATRIZIO", and all ... (if you know Italian, that is)

And regarding the Identification of this bird? Anyone have an idea?

Couldn´t this be a very brightly painted version of the debated (and extinct) subspecies Grand Bahama West Indian woodpecker Melanerpes superciliaris "bahamensis" CORY 1892 (today most often incl. in M. s. nyeanus RIDGWAY 1886)? Or either one of the also extinct populations "sanfelipensis" or "florentinoi" ... ? Alt. a completely different Melanerpes/Tripsurus/Centurus Woodpecker? Does the Italian text tell us anything of its origin?

However: Enjoy!

Björn
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It looks like Melanerpes flavifrons to me. (A fairly good plate, actually; not sure why it has been causing problems.)

There is obviously a typo in Temminck's text, as Gerrin should in principle not produce the name gerinii. I think it's quite conceivable that a handwritten "Gerini" might end up read "Gerrin" by a typographer. (Temminck had a rather terrible handwriting, by the way.)
Anyway, well found indeed :t:

The two other Identification issues ...

Thanks Laurent ... and while we´re at it; what about the other unidentified birds/synonyms in James's Key, the two:

(?syn. Amazona aestiva, ?syn. Bucco sp.).

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... which I assume is equal of:

• "Bucco Gerini" LATHAM 1790 (here, p.207), based on "Picus indicus magna ex parte cæruleus, Ger. Orn. ii. p. 51, t. 181" (= 1769; text, here and Plate, here). Or see attached Plate.

• "Psittacus Gerini" LATHAM 1790 (same volume, p.119), based on "Psitt. brasil. viridis capite albo, Ger. Orn. i. p. 95. t.109." (= 1767; text, here and Plate, here). Or see attached Plate.

The true identity of those two birds are far beyond me!

Anyone who recognize, or could identify, them?

Björn
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With a large dose of salt the parrot could be Amazona oratrix; the other bird looks like an artefact based on ?Atelornis pittoides?

The parrot certainly looks like an Amazona; the plate caption says it's Brazilian and white-headed; unless part of this is wholly incorrect, I think the least-worst match may still be A. aestiva aestiva, as suggested in the Key.

The other bird... Well, even identifying it down to an order is not at all straightforward.
The plate caption calls is an Indian 'woodpecker' which is largely sky blue. The text says (presumably about the depicted bird) that, in the genus Bucco established by Brisson (in Italian he calls these birds 'barbets'), there are birds that appear in all respects similar to woodpeckers, except for their bill which is slightly decurved, convex above, compressed laterally, and which has rigid, hair-shaped feathers pointing frontwards at its base.
It's probably (?) far-fetched but, if South American like the other birds ("Indian" in the sames sense as the Melanerpes), with its blue tail, blue wings, blue head sides encircling a black cap, and some rufous in the body plumage, I'd be tempted to suggest a poor depiction of a (turquoise-browed?) motmot with broken tail feathers.

James Jobling said:

With a large dose of salt the parrot could be Amazona oratrix; the other bird looks like an artefact based on ?Atelornis pittoides?

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If Amazona oratrix I would guess A. o. hondurensis/"guatemalensis" (subspecies with the palest head) ... if not a partially leucistic specimen!

And the "Bucco", if that specimen, and if possibly an artefac,) was based on Pitta-like Ground-Roller, the guy mounting it truly must have been in a strange, "wild and crazy" mood. If so it sure was supplied with a spectacular bill (and different troat and head pattern). Very inventive!

Anyone with different views?

Yes, Laurent, I can see where you are going with the motmot suggestion; a poorly executed and tail-less Eumomota superciliosa or a Momotus momota could fit the bill. Alas, we shall never know.
Regarding the Amazona, the shoulder and wing patterns, and the markings on the tail, agree more with oratrix than with aestiva, but the difference is certainly marginal.

• "Gerini's Barbet", here and here

• "Gerini's P." [Parrot], here, a k a "Gerini's Amazon", here:

[...]

Status Known only from Manetti's plate. which agrees with no known parrot.

Putative range Brazil.

Unidentifiable but Fisch (1868) suggests a variety of Yellow-billded Parrot Amazona collaria.

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For what it´s worth!

/B
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Regardless the tricky identities of Gerini's three birds ... what about the eponyms gerini/gerinii, and the guy behind them, the Marquess (Marchese) Gerini, himself:

Calalp said:

...
Surely we´re (also here) dealing with Marchese Giovanni Gerini, whose portrait is found in the first volume (1767, here), the collector from whose extensive collection of specimens Manetti worked chiefly. And, if so, what about the "Patrizio/Fiorentino" part?
...
Surely it ought to be possible to find his birth, him being a Noble, "IL SENAT. E. MARCH. PATRIZIO", and all ... (if you know Italian, that is)

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Anyone clever who understand what it says? Or know who he was?

Calalp said:

Anyone clever who understand what it says?

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"Il Senatore e Marchese Giovanni Gerini, Patrizio Fiorentino", i.e., "The Senator & Marquess Giovanni Gerini, Florentine Patrician".
Born in 1685, deceased in 1751, according to the Latin version of the footnote on [p.3 of the work].

Laurent, you rule! :t:

Thereby; Giovanni Gerini (1685–1751), it was/is ... Italian (alt. Florentian) Senator and Marquess/Marquis (Marchese), from Florence (Firenze), ... and so on.

Also confirmed; here, here, or elsewhere. He´s not that hard to find (mostly in contexts as an Art collector).

gerini/gerinii ... over and out!