FAMILY CATHARTIDAE 165 



While this species is usually known as noneca in Panama, it is 

 called also uura, aura tinosa, and by some catana. 



CATHAilTES AURA AURA (Linnaeus) 

 Vultur Aura Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 86. (Veracruz, Mexico.) 



Characters. — Under surface brownish black; wing coverts edged 

 with brown; definitely less dark throughout than C. a. ruficollis; 

 head in life entirely red. 



Measurements. — Males (21 specimens), wing 462-495 (478), tail 

 226-249 (238), culmen from cere 22.8-25.1 (22.6), tarsus 58.8-64.5 

 (62.4) mm. 



Females (12 specimens), wing 471-495 (482), tail 231-251 (241), 

 culmen from cere 22.7-25.9 (24.1), tarsus 58.6-66.5 (62.5) mm. 



Migrant. Common, October to April, through the isthmus. 



Birds with the wholly red heads that mark this race and the next, 

 C. a. meridionalis, are recorded in my notes throughout the republic. 

 Museum specimens of the subspecies aura have been examined from 

 Empire and Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone; Alhajuela, Panama; 

 Jaque, Darien ; and Isla San Jose, Pearl Islands. 



CATHARTES AURA MERIDIONALIS Swann 



Cathartes aura meridionalis Swann, Syn. Accipitres, pt. 1, Sept. 28, 1921, p. 3. 



(Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia.) 

 Cathartes aura teter Friedmann, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 46, Oct. 26, 



1933, p. 188. (Riverside, California.) 



Characters. — Similar in color of plumage and of bare head to C. a. 

 aura, but larger, as indicated by longer wing. 



Measurements. — Males (25 specimens), wing 487-528 (509), tail 

 237-268 (253), culmen from cere 22.2-26.6 (24.5), tarsus 60.6-65.1 

 (63.7) mm. 



Females (16 specimens), wing 495-526 (511), tail 245-272 (259), 

 culmen from cere 24.0-26.3 (25.2), tarsus 62.5-67.6 (64.9) mm. 



Migrant. Common, October to April, throughout the republic. 



As stated above, birds with wholly red heads are recorded in my 

 notes from all of the political divisions. Museum specimens of the 

 race C. a. meridionalis have been examined from Paracote, at the head 

 of Montijo Bay, Veraguas; Empire and Barro Colorado Island, 

 Canal Zone; Puerto Obaldia, San Bias; and Isla San Jose in the 

 Pearl Islands. 



The type of Swann's race meridionalis from Colombia named in 

 1921 is a migrant bird from western North America (see Wetmore, 

 Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol. 146, no. 6, Aug. 14, 1964, p. 4.) 



