BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA H 



cere and anterior half (more or less) of mandibular rami wholly nude; 

 pileum with a more compressed erectile crest of elongated, rigid termi- 

 nally recurved feathers, and forehead with an egg-shaped tubercle or 

 protuberance. 



Bill deep at base, compressed, its greatest basal width equal to less 

 than three-fourths (sometimes barely two-thirds) its height; culmen 

 strongly decurved, not ridged, much shorter than length of mesorhinium, 

 the latter more or less arched proximally, sometimes much compressed 

 (almost ridged), sometimes broad and flattened basally ; cere and anterior 

 half (more or less) of mandibular rami, sometimes loral and at least 

 part of orbital region also, wholly nude; nostril more or less comma- 

 shaped, rounded anteriorly, acute or subacute posteriorly, in anterior 

 middle portion of cere sometimes touching base of rhinotheca, overhung, 

 at least for proximal half, by a convex membranous operculum. Wing 

 relatively large and broad, the very large and broad secondaries extend- 

 ing beyond tips of primaries ; primaries rigid, strongly rounded, composed 

 of 12 rather rigid, broad, roundish-tipped rectrices, then decidedly in- 

 curved terminally and slightly but distinctly bent vertically, the tail thus 

 convex above and concave beneath. Tarsus long and stout, less than 

 one- fourth to nearly one-third as long as wing, entirely nude, the acro- 

 tarsium and planta tarsi both with a continuous series of large and 

 broad transverse scutella; middle toe nearly to about two-thirds as long 

 as tarsus, the inner toe reaching about to its penultimate articulation, 

 the outer toe slightly longer ; hallux incumbent, longer than first two 

 phalanges of outer toe; claws rather large, strongly curved (especially 

 that of hallux), moderately compressed. 



Plumage and coloration. — Plumage in general rather soft, but feathers 

 distinctly outlined, except on sides and under portion of head and on 

 upper neck, where short and velvety, and abdomen, flanks, and under 

 tail coverts, where very soft and full ; pileum with an erectile compressed 

 crest of elongated, rigid feathers, recurved at tips. Adult males plain 

 black, more or less glossed, especially on upper parts, with greenish, 

 bluish, or purplish, the abdomen, flanks, and under tail coverts — some- 

 times also tips of rectrices — white. Adult female with plumage more 

 or less barred, sometimes with rufescent and ochreous hues predominat- 

 ing; in one species diiTering from adult male only in having the feathers 

 of the crest barred with white. 



Range. — Southern Mexico to Brazil. (Seven species with several 

 additional subspecies. Only a single species, with two races, in the re- 

 gions covered by this work.) 



