Zoological Illustrations/VolIII-Pl141
PSITTACUS chryseürus,
Golden-tailed Parrot.
Generic Character.—See Pl. 1.
Specific Character.
- P. nitidè viridis; fronte genisque fulvo colore tinctis; rectricium brevium, parium, pennis mediis viridibus, cæteris aureis, omnium apicibus nigris.
- Shining green; front and sides of the head tinged with fulvous; tail short, even, tipt with black, the two middle feathers green, the rest golden.
I was fortunate in procuring both sexes of this very rare bird in the vicinity of Pernambuco, being the only individuals I ever met with in Brazil: they appeared as if tired from a long flight, which led me to suppose they had migrated from the interior towards the coast. I do not find the species noticed by any writer, nor have I seen it in any collection.
The total length is six inches and a half; the plumage generally of a rich emerald green, rather obscure on the top and sides of the head, but very bright on the back and rump, where it is tinged with blue; the feathers round the base of the bill, front, and sides of the head, are tinged with buff colour; the scapulary feathers (protecting the base of the wings and lesser quills) are chocolate brown, the quills themselves black, margined externally with green and internally with olive. The most beautiful part of the bird is the tail, which is short and even, each feather having the tips margined by a narrow line of black, the middle pair being green, and all the rest of a rich golden yellow colour; the under plumage and wing covers are nearly of as deep a green as the wings, but on the flanks there is a tinge of olive.