I30 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — PART 2 



Rio Sixaola to the shores of Bahia Almirante, Bocas del Toro ; the 

 middle Chagres Valley (Juan Mina). Isla Cebaco; Isla Gobernadora. 



The groove-billed ani, like the related species, ranges in areas of 

 open fields and pasturelands, where woodland is scant or open. It does 

 not penetrate heavily forested areas until there are clearings. Its his- 

 tory in the Isthmus is obscure. Since it was first reported from south- 

 ern Veraguas, and the area of the Canal Zone, and is not yet known 

 (as of 1964) from Darien or the San Bias, it is possible that it entered 

 Panama from Central America, where it was recorded in Costa Rica 

 in the travels of the earliest naturalists more than a hundred years ago. 



The first record for Panama is of 2 forwarded by McLeannan, taken 

 near the railroad, apparently in late 1862 or early 1863, as they are 

 listed in a paper read by George N. Lawrence before the Lyceum of 



Figure 17. — Groove-billed ani, garrapatero sabanero, Crotophaga sulcirostris 

 sulcirostris. 



Natural History in New York on April 27, 1863, and published in 

 the Annals of the Society under date of May. Soon after, the species 

 was reported from Veraguas by Salvin (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 

 1870, p. 211) from specimens taken by Arce at Calovevora and Cas- 

 tillo. Goldman shot 1 in the savanna country between Chepo and the 

 Rio Pacora on March 20, 1911. The next record of note is that of a 

 female taken by Kennard near Almirante, Bocas del Toro, February 

 12, 1926, and of several from Changuinola and Almirante collected by 

 H. von Wedel in 1926 and 1927. On the Pacific side Chapman noted 

 it near Pacora in January 1929. The first record for Chiriqui was a 

 female collected near San Felix, December 3, 1931, by Mrs. M. E. 

 McLellan Davidson. Aldrich found them common at the head of 

 Golfo de Montijo, Veraguas, in February 1932. 



In my own studies groove-billed anis were common in February 

 and March 1948, through Herrera and Los Santos to Punta Mala, 

 and in 1949 I recorded them through the eastern Province of Panama 



