A Manual of Philippine Birds

by Richard C. McGregor

Adult (sexes similar).—Above greenish yellow; feathers of crown with dusky centers; lores and sides of head lighter; a circle of feathers around eye bright yellow; under parts uniform bright yellow; wings and tail brown, the edges of the feathers greenish yellow, those of secondaries more yellowish. Upper mandible black; lower mandible pale yellowish, dusky along the edge; legs and nails dark brown. Length, 115. A male from Palawan: Wing, 59; tail, 48; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 13. Female, wing, 55; tail, 48; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 6; tarsus, 13.

Young.—Three nestlings collected in Benguet Province, Luzon, on June 1, 1903, resemble the adults, but the upper parts are darker and more greenish; rump and edges of secondaries and coverts pale yellow and entire lower parts pale yellow, brightest on the abdomen.

“The nine specimens collected by us in Tawi Tawi have the back slightly greener and show rather less yellow on the rump than do typical birds from the central Philippines. A deep woods bird with rather a pleasant song. Quite easy to obtain when once seen, as it is not at all shy.

“Three males from Tawi Tawi average: Length, 118; wing, 59; tail, 48; culmen, 14; tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 11. Seven females, length, 113; wing, 54; tail, 44; culmen, 14; tarsus, 12; middle toe with claw, 11. Iris nearly black; legs and feet dirty yellowish brown; upper mandible black, lower yellow.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus CRYPTOLOPHA Swainson, 1837.

Bill slender, depth and breadth equal at nostril; nasal and rictal bristles few and weak; wing longer than tail by less than length of tarsus; first primary more than one-half of second and less than one-half of third; fourth and fifth nearly equal and longest; tarsus slender and more than twice the bill from nostril. Small, inconspicuous birds with olive and yellowish green plumage; sexes similar. Some of the species resemble the members of the genus Acanthopneuste, but the very short first primary in the latter genus serves to distinguish it.

Species.

• a¹. Top of head olive-green, more or less streaked with ashy gray.
  • b¹. Lower parts white, more or less streaked and washed with pale yellow.
    • c¹. Chin and throat white, streaked with pale yellow. olivacea (p. [474])
    • c². Chin and throat uniform light yellow. cebuensis (p. [474])
  • b². Lower parts nearly uniform greenish yellow.
    • c¹. Smaller, wing and tail shorter; lower parts lighter yellow. nigrorum (p. [475])
    • c². Larger, wing and tail longer; lower parts darker yellow. mindanensis (p. [476])
• a². Top and sides of head chestnut. xanthopygia (p. [476])

437. CRYPTOLOPHA OLIVACEA (Moseley).