ORIOLID.E 



Family I. ORIOLIDiE. 



Bill moderately strong, pale reddish brown in adults and generally black 

 in young birds ; a slight notch on the upper mandible near the tip ; nostrils 

 exposed ; rictal-bristles obsolete. Wing of ten primaries ; first primary more 

 than half the length of the second one. Tail of twelve feathers, rounded 

 and shorter than the wing. Tarsus rather short, not longer than the culmen. 



Sexes often similar in plumage ; young streaked. An Autumn moult 

 only. Nest cup-shaped and suspended between small branches. 



The family is confined to the Eastern Hemisphere and comprises some 

 fifty species, of which eight are confined to the Ethiopian Region, and one, 

 0. galbula, migrates into Europe to breed. 



Genus ORIOLUS. 



Type. 



Oriolus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 160 (1766) 0. galbula. 



Galbulus, Bp. C. R. xxxviii. p 535 (1854) .... 0. galbula. 

 Baruffius, Bp. t. c. p. 538 0. brachyrhynchus. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. Head mostly yellow or green, with no black on the crown. 



a^. Head mostly yellow in adults; no bluish grey edges to the wing- 

 feathers. 

 a^. Wings with no bright yellow edges to the feathers galbula. 3 

 b". Wings with bright yellow edges to the feathers. 

 «•''. Outer tail-feathers black at the base .... auratus. -T 

 b^. Outer tail-feathers almost entirely yellow . . . notatus. s 

 b^. Head entirely green in adults ; some broad bluish 



grey edges to the wing-feathers chlorocephalus. ^ 



b. Head black, at least in adult males. 



c^. Tail yellower, no black bases to the feathers . . . monachus. !i 

 d^. Tail with black bases to the feathers. 

 c°. Breast golden yellow. 



c^. Primary coverts with white ends. 

 a*. Larger, wing more than five inches; bill 



longer larvatus. ' ^ 



b^. Smaller, wing less than five inches ; bill 



slightly shorter brachyrynclms. ' } 



rf". Primary-coverts entirely black yiigripennis. ; f 



d'^. Breast yellowish white crassirostris. ■, 



