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.

There are species of Coracias in Europe, Asia, and Africa, but none in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Java, or Borneo.