184 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



PICAZUROS PICAZURO REICHENBACHI (Bonaparte) 



Crossophthahnus reichenbacJii Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., vol. 2, 1857, p. 55. 

 (Patagonia.) 



When Doctor Hartert °^ pointed out that the picazuro pigeon from 

 northern Argentina differed from that from more northern regions 

 and named it Columha picazuro venturiana^ he overlooked the fact 

 that another name was available for it, probably because the name 

 here used, that of Bonaparte, had been placed by Salvadori"' in 

 the synonymy of Notioenas maculosa. Crossojjhthalmus reiclienbacM 

 was described by Bonaparte from an adult from Patagonia and a 

 juvenile (at least so characterized) from Paraguay. On scanning 

 the original reference it will be seen that the adult refers to Picazuros 

 picazuro and the supposed young bird to Notioenas rruiculosa., since 

 the former is said only to have the wing coverts margined with 

 white, while the latter has the feathers of the back and the superior 

 wing coverts terminally spotted with white. As the adult of this 

 composite is picazuro the name should be restricted to that bird. 

 It will apply to the form that has been described as venturian^ and 

 must supplant that name. The type-locality given as Patagonia 

 may be erroneous, but may perhaps be determined by examination 

 of Orbigny's original specimen if still extant. 



An adult male of the dark southern form of the picazuro pigeon 

 was taken at San Vicente, Uruguay, on January 26, 1921. Since 

 a specimen in the collection of the United States National Museum 

 from Corrientes is also representative of the dark southern bird, 

 the question of the identity of the bird from Paraguay, the type- 

 locality of the typical form, naturally arises, as Corrientes is not 

 far from the Paraguayan border. The fact that a bird from the 

 Formosan Chaco is pale does not necessaril}^ indicate that one from 

 east of the Paraguay River in the same latitude would be the same, 

 since the specimen in question came from the interior of the Chaco 

 in a region where pale forms, similar to those from the Paraguayan 

 Chaco, occur. In other words, it is not improbable that a pale bird 

 may range in the Paraguayan Chaco and that a dark one may occupy 

 eastern Paraguay. 



Several of these pigeons were recorded at the Estancia Los 

 Yngleses, near Lavalle, Buenos Aires, October 23, 1920, and one 

 was seen on November 9. In southern Uruguay I found them com- 

 mon. One was seen at La Paloma, January 23, while near San 

 Vicente, from January 25 to February 2, the birds were common and 

 were breeding. They were most common in the extensive pahno.res, 

 where forests of palms covered broad marshy areas in the lowlands. 

 The pigeons rested in the tops of the palms and flew out with loudly 



^ Nov. Zool.. vol. 16, December, 1900, p. 260. 

 " Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. 21, 1893, p. 273. 



