96 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 2 



A male taken at Guanico Arriba, Los Santos, January 27, 1962, 

 had the iris dark brown ; bare space about eye dull blue ; a spot of 

 dull red on sides of maxilla at base ; lower surface of mandible at 

 base dull brownish white ; rest of bill and cere dull black ; tarsus and 

 toes dull greenish gray ; claws black. 



A female, collected near Puerto Armuelles, Chiriqui, February 24, 

 1966, was similar except that the tips of the maxilla and mandible 

 were fuscous, the rest of the bill dull brownish red, and the tarsus 

 and toes dull olive, with the scutes outlined in white. 



Measurements. — Males (20 from Panama and northern Colom- 

 bia), wing 170-178 (173.3), tail 70.2-74.5 (72.5), culmen from cere 

 21.3-25.7 (23.4), tarsus 19.0-21.0 (19.8) mm. 



Females (18 from Panama and northern Colombia), wing 160-178 

 (169.8), tail 65.0-76.0 (69.7), culmen from cere 21.1-24.8 (22.9), 

 tarsus 19.0-20.6 (19.7) mm. 



Resident. Found in the Tropical Zone of both slopes; recorded 

 in Darien to 550-575 meters in the foothills of Cerro Pirre (Cana), 

 and on the Rio Tacarcuna at the base of Cerro Mali ; Isla Coiba; Isla 

 Canal de Afuera; Isla Cebaco; Archipielago de las Perlas (islas San 

 Jose, Pedro Gonzalez, del Rey, and Cafias). 



The casanga, though kept in captivity in lesser numbers, is as well 

 known throughout Panama as the larger parrots because of its wide 

 distribution. Its slightly smaller size often is emphasized by the tail, 

 in which the tip becomes worn away by friction in the nesting hole 

 toward the close of the breeding season. When in flocks, casangas 

 usually fly in loose formation, rather than divided in pairs. Also the 

 flight seems more rapid, more like that of parakeets, in contrast to 

 the steady direct progress of the larger parrots. 



The nesting season comes from February to April. One female 

 taken at Almirante February 6 was laying. In Darien, on the Rio 

 Jaque, I saw young in the possession of Choco women on March 29, 

 1947, and all through the first half of April pairs were active about 

 their nesting holes. As one curious incident (already noted above) 

 we found a female casanga in company with a female red-eared 

 parrot, with the two grooming one another, and playing around a 

 hole in a dead branch. 



Outside the nesting period casangas range in flocks of from half 

 a dozen to 30 or more, the larger groups assembling where food is 

 abundant. They are troublesome around small cornfields, where 

 they do considerable damage, so that there is much complaint against 

 them. Boys and men often are stationed in the fields to drive them 



