Volume 17, Plate IX / Ornithology (Birds)

Crimson Nut-Cracker

Perenestes sanguineus

An extraordinary finch bearing perhaps the thickest and most massive bill of any bird, the lower mandible even more powerful than the upper, used to break nuts of stone-like hardness, often chipping its own edges. The bill forms a perfect cone with a small basal tooth, the head, neck, breast, and tail-covers are bright glossy crimson, the tail dull red, and the remaining plumage a deep uniform sepia brown.