“Young birds in winter plumage.—Only differ from the plumage of the adult female in being rather more olive-brown, with the rufescent edges to the feathers of the mantle and inner secondaries broad and strongly pronounced; lower back and rump uniform ashy olive; the under surface of the body is clear yellow, with a tinge of saffron-color on the throat and chest.” (Sharpe.)
The Japanese yellow bunting is a somewhat abundant but inconspicuous migrant in the Philippine Islands. It was found in Calayan Island in November and in Tarlac Province, Luzon, in the month of March. It has also been taken in the vicinity of Manila.
Family PLOCEIDÆ.
Bill short and very stout, both deep and broad; culmen flat and slightly curved; outline of bill, viewed from above, kite-shaped; nostrils small and round, pierced near the frontal feathers and situated nearer to the culmen than to the cutting edges; primaries ten.
Subfamily VIDUINÆ.
First primary narrow and pointed, shorter than primary-coverts. All the Philippine members of this subfamily are of small size and social habits.
Genera.
- a1. Forehead not blue; sides of breast
not green.
- b1. Larger; width of bill at nostril little more than one-half the culmen from base; tail slightly rounded Padda (p. [687])
- b2. Smaller; width of bill at nostril about two-thirds of culmen from base; tail wedge-shaped, the central pair of rectrices pointed.
- a2. Forehead blue; sides of breast green Reichenowia (p. [692])
Genus PADDA Reichenbach, 1850.
Bill large, length of culmen about twice the width of upper mandible; tail nearly square; rectrices but slightly, if at all, pointed; legs and feet stout. Head and chin black; a large white patch covering face and ear-coverts; young with under parts buff and the head without the black and white markings.