FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE 20/ 



Immature, like the adult, but with crown indistinctly lined with 

 white ; tail grayish cinnamon-buff, with many narrow hair brown 

 crossbars ; tibia whitish, barred with reddish brown ; under wing 

 coverts mainly white. 



The bright brown color of the upper surface of the tail in the adult 

 fades decidedly before the feathers are molted, as the birds perch and 

 soar much at hours when they receive the full force of the tropical 

 sun. 



Measurements (from Friedmann, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 50, pt. 10, 

 1950, p. 266).— Males, wing 368-377 (372.2), tail 207.0-216.5 

 (213.6), culmen from cere 25.0-26.7 (25.4), tarsus 87.0-90.5 (88.6) 

 mm. 



Females, wing 397-410 (402.2), tail 222-239 (229.2), culmen from 

 cere 26.0-28.0 (26.8), tarsus 85.0-95.3 (87.1) mm. 



Resident. Tolerably common in the subtropical and temperate zones 

 in the higher mountains of Chiriqui and Veraguas ; found casually 

 east to the Canal Zone. 



There is indication that formerly, when lowland forests in Veraguas 

 were extensive, these hawks came down the mountain slopes into the 

 tropical zone, as there is a specimen in the British Museum collected 

 by Arce marked Castillo. Arce secured specimens also in the moun- 

 tains of Veraguas near Chitra and Calobre. Red-tailed hawks that 

 are supposed to be this race are seen casually east as far as the low- 

 lands of the Canal Zone. The only specimen presumed to come from 

 this area is one in the British Museum, sent to Salvin by McLeannan 

 when he was stationed at Lion Hill (Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. London, 1864, p. 369). J. M. Abbott informs me that he saw a 

 red-tailed hawk at Fort Clayton, February 1, and another near Pedro 

 Miguel on March 3, 1942. Dr. and Mrs. Scholes recorded one along 

 the Chiva Chiva trail back of Fort Clayton on December 23, 1951 

 (Condor, 1954, p. 166). It is my supposition that these were probably 

 wanderers of the subspecies found in the western mountains. 



Most of the specimen and other records refer to the mountains of 

 Chiriqui, which is the main area of present day occurrence. Here 

 the birds may be noted over the higher slopes of the volcano, and also 

 on the mountains that adjoin the main Volcan Baru. One was taken 

 at Boquete by W. W. Brown, Jr., and a series by Monniche at 

 Chiquero, Horqueta, and Lerida, in that same area. A skin in the 

 California Academy of Sciences was taken by Mrs. Davidson on 

 December 24, 1929, at Barriles across the Rio Chiriqui Viejo from 

 Cerro Pando. I have recorded them from time to time over Pando, 

 near Santa Clara (Chiriqui), near Sereno on the Costa Rican bound- 



