FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE 177 



ICTINIA PLUMBEA (Gmelin): Plumbeous Kite; Gavilan Plomizo 

 Figure 36 

 Falco plumbeus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 1, 1788, p. 283. (Cayenne.) 



Long wings, notched tail, and plain gray color mark this species, 

 usually seen soaring at the edge of forest. 



Description. — Length 290 to 350 mm. Adult, head, neck, upper 

 back, and under surface, including under surface of wings, gray; 

 lower back, wings, and tail black, with a slight sheen of gray; dis- 

 tal half of inner webs of primaries cinnamon-brown ; tail with two 

 broken bands of white. 



Immature, upper surface dull black; head and neck with feathers 

 edged narrowly with white; back and wings with feathers tipped 

 lightly with buff, or buffy white; primaries tipped more widely with 

 white; tail with three prominent white bands; under surface white, 

 streaked heavily with dusky neutral gray; under wing coverts dark 

 neutral gray, edged and tipped with white and buffy white. 



Iris deep red ; bill black ; cere dusky neutral gray ; tarsus and toes 

 orange-yellow ; claws black. 



Measurements (from Friedmann, U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 50, pt. 

 11, 1950, p. 126).— Males, wing 270-313 (298), tail 123-167 (148), 

 culmen from cere 15.5-18.0 (16.6), tarsus 37.0-42.4 (38.5) mm. 



Females, wing 274-320 (307), tail 139-161 (145), culmen from 

 cere 16.0-19.5 (17.1), tarsus 34-42 (37.7) mm. 



Migratory, fairly common. Breeds in areas of open forest through- 

 out the lowlands. Arrives from early February to the beginning of 

 March, and remains through September, occasionally into October. 

 Found on San Jose, Trapiche, Pedro Gonzalez, and Rey Islands in 

 the Perlas group. 



Early arrival dates : Cerro Pirre, February 7, 1961 ; San Felix, 

 February 21, 1956; Chiman, February 26, 1950; Armila, San Bias, 

 February 27, 1963; El Uracillo, February 28, 1952; Boca de Paya, 

 March 2, 1959. Late dates of occurrence : Cocoli, Canal Zone, August 

 1, 1955 (specimen in U.S. National Museum) ; Barro Colorado 

 Island, Canal Zone, August 17, 1927, (Van Tyne, in Eisenmann, 

 Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol. 117, 1952, p. 14) ; Isla San Jose, latter 

 part of September (Morrison, in Wetmore, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 

 106, no. 1, 1946, p. 26) ; Almirante, Bocas del Toro, October 10, 

 1960, male collected by R. Hinds. 



While not abundant this kite is widely distributed and so is seen 

 with fair regularity. It is found about groves and open stands of 



