FAMILY FALCONIDAE 287 



FALCO PEMORALIS FEMORALIS Temminck: Aplomado Falcon; Halcon 



Azulado 



Falco fetnoralis Temminck, Planch. Col., livr. 21, April 1822, pi. 121. (Brazil) 



Of medium size, with light throat and upper breast ; a heavy black 

 patch on lower breast and sides, in some partly divided by pale mark- 

 ings at center. 



Description. — Length, 315 to 360 mm. Adult (sexes alike), upper 

 surface very dark gray, in some with faint shaft lines of black, with 

 a light wash of brown; rump, and upper tail coverts paler, barred 

 with white; primaries black, edged lightly with white; secondaries 

 tipped prominently with white ; tail black, barred and tipped narrowly 

 with white ; forehead, a narrow broken line over the eye, that broadens 

 behind and joins with the companion line of the opposite side as a 

 narrow band across the hindneck, white or buff ; a broad band through 

 eye to side of neck, and moustachial stripe black ; cheeks, throat, 

 f oreneck, and upper breast white or pale cinnamon-buff ; sides and 

 lower breast black, barred narrowly with white; abdomen, tibia, and 

 upper tail coverts cinnamon, with this color mingled with the black 

 in the central line of the lower breast; under wing coverts buff to 

 pale cinnamon, streaked and barred with black; tmder surface of 

 remiges dark neutral gray, barred broadly with white. 



Occasional birds have the lighter markings cinnamon throughout. 



Immature, blacker above, with a wash and edgings of brown ; 

 rump, and upper tail coverts like back ; upper breast streaked heavily 

 with black. 



Iris brown; cere and bare space around eyes yellow; base of 

 mandible and sides of maxilla yellowish ; rest of bill slate, becoming 

 black at the tip, and along the culmen ; tarsus and toes yellow ; claws 

 black. 



Measurements (specimens from Colombia, Venezuela, and north- 

 ern Brazil).— Males (12 specimens), wing 226-240 (233), tail 142- 

 159 (149), culmen from cere 14.0-15.9 (15.0), tarsus 40.6-43.2 

 (41.9) mm. 



Females (15 specimens), wing 245-273 (258), tail 155-186 (167), 

 culmen from cere 16.9-18.9 (17.9), tarsus 41.3-48.8 (45.2) mm. 



Resident. Rare, in the lowland savannas: Recorded from Code 

 (near Aguadulce), Veraguas, Herrera (Paris, Potuga), and the 

 Canal Zone (Barro Colorado Island). 



This is a falcon little known in Panama that lives in savanna 

 country bordered by groves. It was first recorded for the Republic 

 by Griscom (Amer. Mus. Nov. no. 280, 1927, p. 1) from one taken 



