Bill stout and strong; nostrils at base of bill and visible from
above, partly covered by long stiff bristles; wings moderate; first
primary very short; tail short and nearly square; rectrices ten;
toes four, the outer one reversed, middle and inner ones united for
their basal joints.
Suborder CAPITONES.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Family CAPITONIDÆ.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Genus XANTHOLÆMA Bonaparte, 1854.
Bristles about bill reaching beyond its tip; a small bunch of
shorter bristles on chin; a narrow circle of bare skin around eye;
prevailing color green with patches of red and yellow; length, about
150 mm. Individuals of the Philippine species are solitary and may be
observed perched in dead trees where they remain for an hour or more
at a time, repeating a single monotonous note. Eggs three or four,
pure white; deposited in a hole excavated in a limb of a tree.
Species.
a1. Chin, throat, and subocular band yellow. ... hæmacephalum (p. 390)
a2. Chin, throat, and subocular band red. ... roseum (p. 391)