FAMILY PSITTACIDAE 75 



Near Sona, Veraguas, in June 1953, I collected several in scattered 

 tracts of forest, the first report of the species from this province. 



These parakeets have been better known from the Almirante region 

 in western Bocas del Toro, where Kennard secured 3 in February 

 1926, and von Wedel forwarded 2 others taken later. From mid- 

 January to early March 1958, in Almirante, scores came each evening 

 to roost in the palms in the residence area. They began to arrive at 

 sunset in pairs and small flocks with much shrill chatter, a body of 

 noise that increased steadily as more birds appeared. There was much 

 activity among them until dark, as they fluttered and climbed about. 

 Lone birds hung head down at the ends of long palm fronds, swinging 

 about, and occasionally changing to cling with the bill. Others rested 

 quietly, or dressed their feathers. Pairs at times seemed almost brutal 

 in preening their grown young, holding a youngster between them 

 while they pulled out its wings and nibbled at the feathers on various 

 parts of its body. At dark they became quiet, except for an occasional 

 note, until at dawn their chattering began again, increasing at sunrise 

 when they started off in pairs and groups to their feeding grounds. In 

 an hour the last had flown, and none were seen through the day until 

 the evening flight began. I estimated that more than 500 were present 

 each night. Friends resident in Almirante reported that a few para- 

 keets had been noticed in these roosts in 1944, but none were observed 

 prior to 1940. They were said to have increased greatly in number 

 since 1950. 



Much squabbling among them takes place over roosting quarters, 

 and I saw one parakeet driving a pale-vented pigeon out of the palms. 

 Birds that I supposed were males, when engaged in grooming a mate 

 often fought off intruders viciously, when these came sidling along the 

 fronds to assist. In addition to the usual shrieking calls, they uttered a 

 comfortable, rattling chatter that was rather froglike in tone, so much 

 so that I listened to it for several evenings before I was certain that 

 the sound came from the birds and not from some unknown batra- 

 chian. When heavy rains fell immediately before dawn the parakeets 

 were far less noisy than usual, and if the morning continued gloomy 

 most of them remained in the shelter of the palms for an hour or more 

 after the normal time of departure. I was told that when earth tremors 

 were felt during the night the parakeets aroused with much chattering. 

 They were said to nest in July, when the size of the evening roost was 

 much reduced. 



In spite of the numbers that came nightly, in 2 months in the field 

 in this region on only one occasion did I find a feeding group in the 



