Maui parrotbill

Description

The psychiatrum of Maui or kiwikiu ( Pseudonestor xanthophrys Rothschild,1893) is a passerine bird of the family Fringillidae,the only species ascribed to the genus Psittirostra Rothschild,1893.The psittorinco has an unmistakable appearance,which is very reminiscent of a parrot : the body is tough and sturdy,with short squared tail and elongated wings,the head is large with a voluminous beak but flattened sideways and extremely hooked both above and beyond inferiorly,with the upper part about twice as long as the lower part.The plumage is olive green on the vertex,nape,back,wings and tail,with a tendency to darken on the latter two and to take yellowish shades on the tail: cheeks,throat,chest,abdomen and hips are yellow,while the undertail is White.Sexual dimorphism is present,because the females have less yellow extension,especially in the ventral area (which is in fact white): in both sexes,between the sides of the beak (which is black at the top with ivory-pink margin,while the mandible is ivory-colored ) and the eye (which is brown) is a black mask,while the eyebrow is yellow.Even the legs are black in both sexes.