l88 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I50 



note from near sea level on the San Bias coast to 2,000 meters 

 elevation above Cerro Punta. The immature bird in dark phase — 

 black above and white heavily streaked with black below — is especially 

 striking in appearance, since it is so different from the adult in light 

 phase. 



The stomach of one taken at Cana was filled with 55 pupae and 

 38 adults of a wasp (Odynerus pachyodynerus) with a few bits of an 

 ant {Asteca. sp.). Haverschmidt (Condor, 1962, p. 154) in Surinam 

 reports them as eating a variety of insects. In one he found a frog and 

 in another the shell of a small bird's e^gg. 



Schon wetter (Handb. Ool., pt. 3, 1961, p. 155, pi. 6, fig. 7) gives 

 the measurements of 3 eggs from Trinidad as 53.4-54.3x42.2- 

 45.0 mm. His plate illustrates an egg that is elliptical in form, and 

 plain white in color. Haverschmidt (Journ. f. Orn., 1964, p. 66) 

 considers the identification doubtful as the measurements appear 

 small for a bird of this size. 



Specimens from southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia to northern 

 Argentina are larger (wing in a male from the Paraguayan Chaco 

 355, tail 250 mm.), as indicated by Hellmayr and Conover (Cat. 

 Birds Amer., pt. 1, no. 4, 1949, p. 25), and are to be recognized, ac- 

 cording to Hellmayr, as Leptodon c. monachus Vieillot, described as 

 Sparvius monachus Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., vol. 10, 

 June, 1817,p.341. ("Bresil") 



CHONDROHIERAX UNCINATUS UNCINATUS (Temminck) : Hook-billed 

 Kite ; Gavilan Piquiganchudo 



Figure 40 



Falco uncinatus Temminck, Nouv. Rec. Planch. Col., livr. 18, Jan., 1822, pis. 103, 

 104. (Baia, Brazil.) 



The large, somewhat compressed, strongly hooked bill is the im- 

 portant character on which to recognize this species ; in its dark and 

 light color phases it varies greatly in color. 



Description. — Length 380 to 420 mm. Adults, dark phase, from 

 dark gray to fuscous-black, with a broad white band across the center 

 of the tail, which has a gray end, bordered narrowly at the tip with 

 white ; concealed bases of the feathers back of the center of crown and 

 of the nape white. Adults, light phase, fuscous-black above, grayish 

 on the sides of the head and wing, and barred broadly below with 

 buffy white and bright brown (the latter color bordered with dark 

 gray below) ; imder side of wings barred with white; the tail band 

 gray. 



