268 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I50 



There appears to be no definite report of their breeding. Indians in 

 Surinam told the Penards that these hawks made large nests of 

 sticks, twigs, and similar materials in trees during the little dry 

 season. On Barro Colorado Island F. W. Loetscher, Jr., recorded 

 two grown young resting in a tree on July 20, 1949. 



While there is much individual variation in color in this species, 

 differences that may be correlated with geographic range are slight. 

 Birds from Mexico south through Central America to Darien, 

 recognized as the race naso, average blacker above, and in the im- 

 mature stage usually have the dark barring on the under surface 

 somewhat heavier. The population of Panama is especially black. 

 This subspecies extends into northwestern Colombia, and according to 

 Hellmayr and Conover, (Cat. Birds Amer., pt. 1, no. 4, 1949, p. 

 244) ranges south to western Ecuador. Typical M. semitorquatus 

 semitorqiiatus of Vieillot, with type locality in Paraguay, in the 

 adult is more brownish black above, especially on the head. Immature 

 birds are slightly lighter colored above, and usually are less heavily 

 barred below. This race extends from northern Antioquia (Taraza) 

 and Bolivar (probably also from Cordoba) in northwestern Colombia 

 east through Venezuela, and south to northern Argentina and south- 

 ern Brazil. 



Many persons do not distinguish between the adults of this species 

 and the laughing falcon because of their similarity in color and in 

 color pattern. 



MICRASTUR RUFICOLLIS INTERSTES Bangs: Barred For est -falcon; 

 Halcon del Monte Rayado 



Micrastur interstes Bangs, Auk, vol. 24, no. 3, July 1907, p. 289. (La Estrella, 

 Cartago, Costa Rica). 



A small forest-falcon with rounded wings and long tail, dark gray 

 above and narrowly barred black and white below; immature a 

 miniature of the collared forest-falcon. 



Description. — Length 320-350 mm. Adult, grayish black above; 

 tail black, with 2 or 3 narrow bars and tip white ; wings like back, or in 

 some brownish black ; chin white ; side of head and foreneck dark 

 gray ; rest of under surface and under wing coverts barred narrowly 

 with grayish black and white ; under surface of flight feathers dark 

 gray, banded narrowly and irregularly with white. 



Immature, brownish black above, with head, hindneck, and tail, 

 blacker, the latter with 5 narrow bars and tip white ; a narrow white 

 collar around base of hindneck; underneath white or buffy white, 

 with a narrow line of grayish black or gray down the sides of the 



