Syn., p. 48. Breeds from Texas all over the United States, to the Fur Countries, Missouri, Rocky Mountains, and Columbia river. Nostrils basal, dorsal, oblong, oblique, half-closed by a bare membrane. Head large, neck short, body robust. Feathers of the head long, narrow, rather loose, pointed, and erectile, in the form of a longitudinal crest, of which the anterior feathers are longest.
Wings longish, the third primary longest.
Tail short, even, of twelve broad rounded feathers. A white spot before the eye, and a slight streak of the same colour on the under eyelid. Quills brownish-black, the base of the primaries barred with white, the secondaries blue on the outer web. A broad band of white across the neck, broader anteriorly and including the chin and throat. A band of blue across the fore part of the breast.