10 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 2 



the distal portion grayish brown ; wing coverts and inner secondaries 

 like back, but slightly paler; primary coverts, alula, primaries, and 

 distal secondaries dusky ; outermost primaries with a narrow edging 

 of white ; throat drab-gray ; rest of under parts purple-drab, with the 

 bases of the feathers gray ; under tail coverts dull grayish white, tipped 

 lightly with gray ; axillars and under wing coverts neutral gray. 



Adult female, similar, but slightly duller, and with a narrower white 

 neck band. 



Immature, decidedly duller, without the white neck band, or the 

 metallic color on the hindneck. 



An adult female, taken near Cerro Punta, Chiriqui, March 5, 1955, 

 had the iris cinnamon ; edge of eyelids, space in front of eye, a narrow 

 line encircling the lower eyelid, and a very faint line encircling the 

 upper eyelid, dull rose-red ; rest of bare skin around eye neutral gray ; 

 bill honey yellow, with the tip of the oilmen dusky neutral gray ; tarsus 

 and toes bright yellow ; claws black. 



Another female, shot February 24, 1965, at 2,150 meters on Volcan 

 Baru, Chiriqui, had the iris light red and the bill yellow. In the adult 

 male the iris is reddish brown. 



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

 tail 118.2-127.7 (122.5), culmen 18.8-20.4 (19.6), tarsus 27.3-30.2 

 (28.8) mm. 



Females (6 from Chiriqui), wing 196-207 (200.2), tail 117.8-128.0 

 (122.1), culmen 18.3-19.5 ( 18.9) , tarsus 26.3-27.6 (26.8) mm. 



Resident. Found in high mountains from the Costa Rican boundary 

 east to eastern Veraguas (Chitra) . 



At the present time (1965) band-tailed pigeons are locally common 

 around Volcan Baru above El Volcan, and from near Cerro Punta to 

 Lerida, Pena Blanca, and Quiel above Boquete. They range mainly 

 above 1,600 meters, descending less often to 1,250 meters. Arce sent 

 specimens from Veraguas labeled Chitra, Boquete de Chitra, Calo- 

 vevora, and Calobre, but there are no modern reports from that area. 



In March I have found them in small bands above Cerro Punta, 

 where at times they are not especially wild, though frequently difficult 

 of approach because of the steepness of the hill slopes. They often 

 perch in the tops of tall dead trees in pasture lands. Rarely, I have 

 seen them near the Rio Chiriqui Viejo near Palo Santo. The white 

 band on the neck in adult birds is a prominent mark in flight. 



The species is one of the recognized game birds of the area, known 

 among Americans as the "band-tail," while in Spanish it is usually 

 lumped with other large pigeons as a torcaza. 



There is no record of the breeding of this race. 



