FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE 185 



Measurements. — Males (5 from Panama), wing 200-204 (201.8), 

 tail 132.8-140.0 (137.4), culmen from cere 15.1-17.3 (16.1), tarsus 

 41.5-44.3 (42.8) mm. 



Females (4 from Panama), wing 207-216 (211.7), tail 139.1-149.7 

 (144.7), culmen from cere 15.4-16.4 (16.0), tarsus 40.5-43.8 (42.6) 

 mm. 



Resident. Tolerably common in forested areas throughout the main- 

 land ; Isla Coiba. (There are no definite records for the provinces of 

 Code or Los Santos, but I feel quite certain that the bird is found 

 there.) 



Primarily this is a bird of forested areas, where it is encountered 

 not only in heavy stands but also where the tree growth is fairly open. 



Fig. 39.— Head of double-toothed kite, gavilan bidente, Harpagus hidentatus 



fasciahis. 



It is thus able to find suitable cover in second growth and comes also 

 into groves and lines of trees that border fields, pastures, and streams 

 in savanna country. Because of its small size it is little molested, and 

 so usually it is not especially wary. Often I have seen them close 

 at hand, perched low down in leafy branches. They also come to low 

 perches in the open in cultivated fields. They feed mainly on lizards 

 and large insects that they capture in the trees, when necessary climb- 

 ing, walking, or hopping actively along sloping branches in pursuit. 

 While these kites are attracted occasionally by squeaking, the small 

 forest birds show no fear at their presence, though they may scold or 

 dart at them. I have never seen them attack a bird. 



On March 26 and 27, 1955, at the base of Cerro Chame I found a 

 pair at the foundation of a nest of small sticks placed in a crotch 12 

 meters from the ground in open forest. The location, within 15 

 meters of a trail, was open without any screen of leaves or branches 

 for concealment. Laughlin (Condor, 1952, pp. 137-139) described a 



