594 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Genus CYANOCOMPSA Cabanis. 



Cyanocompsa^ Cabanis, Journ. fiir Orn., ix, Jan., 1861, 4. (Type, Cyanoloxia 

 pareUina Bonaparte. ) 



Unicolored, or nearlj' unicolored, round-winged Fringillidaj with 

 stout, conical bill; adult males bluish l)laek or dark blue, becoming 

 more bluish or bright blue on forehead, cheeks, and lesser wing-coverts 

 (sometimes on rump also); females and young uniform brownish. 



Bill very variable in relative size, but stout and conical, deeper than 

 broad at base, with the mandibular tomium strongly angulated or 

 (in C. cyanea and C. 2>afdlina and allies) strongly arched. Nostrils 

 exposed, rather small, nearly circular, opening against anterior edge 

 of the very broad and rounded nasal f ossre. Rictal bristles inconspic- 

 uous. Wing rather short (less than four times as long as tarsus), much 

 rounded (seventh to fifth primaries longest, the ninth shortest); prima- 

 ries exceeding secondaries by less than two-thirds the length of the 

 tarsus. Tail nearly as long as wing, much rounded (difference between 

 longest and shortest rectrices equal to length of gonys), about half 

 hidden by the upper coverts, the rectrices broad, but with rather 

 pointed tips. Tarsus a little longer than middle toe with claw; outer 

 claw reaching about to base of middle claw, the inner not quite so far; 

 hind claw much shorter than its digit. 



Color's. — Adult males uniform dark dull l)lue, brighter l)lue on 

 forehead, cheeks, and lesser wing-coverts; adult females and young 

 uniform brown. 



Range. — Mexico to southeastern Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and 

 western Ecuador. 



With a close superficial resemblance to Guiraca.f this genus is very 

 distinct in its much shorter and very much rounded wing (ninth pri- 

 mary shorter than first instead of longer than fifth), more rounded 

 tail with much broader rectrices, and conspicuously more turgid bill. 



For a time I was disposed to separate G. cyanea and C. parelUna from 

 C concreta and C. cyanoides as a distinct but unnamed genus or sub- 

 genus,^ on account of marked differences in the form of the bill, but the 

 first-named species is so clearly intermediate in this respect between 

 C. concreta and C. jxtrellina that it seems best to consider them all as 

 belonging to one group. The bill in 0. concreta and its southern sub- 

 species is very stout, conical, much deeper than broad at base, with 

 nearly straight outlines; the culmen (from ])ase) about as long as tarsus, 

 ver}^ slightly convex for terminal half (more or less), straight basally 

 (extreme base arched), scarcely or not at all ridged; the gonys straight, 

 shorter than distance from nostril to tip of maxilla; the maxilla nearly 

 as deep as the mandible, its tomium decidedly' convex in middle, 



'^"' Kvavoc,, blau und Ko/xipoz, geschmiickt." 



^The type of Cyanoloxia, by elimination, in J'l/rrliiiln (jlmico-cxrulea D'Orbigny. 



