FAMILY ALCEDINIDAE 425 



tail 82.5-90.5 (87.1), culmen from base 55.0-61.5 (57.1), tarsus 

 11.0-12.0 (11.6) mm. 



Females (10 specimens), wing 153.8-165.0 (159.4), tail 84.0-94.0 

 (89.7), culmen from base 51.0-61.0 (55.9), tarsus 10.0-13.2 (12.0) 

 mm. 



Migrant from the north. Found regularly, but in small number, 

 mainly along both coasts, including the offshore islands ; less fre- 

 quently on the larger rivers and at inland lakes, except that they 

 winter regularly on Gatun Lake and the lower Rio Chagres. 



Recorded from October 1 to April 2. In my experience they 

 have been more common around the Laguna de Chiriqui than else- 

 where. They range in lesser numbers than on the mainland to off- 

 shore islands, where I have recorded them at islas Parida, Canal de 

 Afuera, Gobernadora, Cebaco, Taboga, Urava, and San Jose. Charles 

 O. Handley, Jr., caught 1 in a mist net set over the mouth of the 

 lagoon on Isla Escudo de Veraguas. 



This kingfisher is a winter visitor, often not recognized, found 

 on the coasts, along the lower courses of rivers and around the larger 

 lakes, where these have open shores. Usually they range alone and 

 are silent and wary, so that I have taken only a few specimens 

 of the several dozen that I have seen during the course of my work 

 in the field. Around Isla Taboga I noted that they showed definite 

 fear of another migratory fisherman from the north, the osprey. 

 Not many seem to go far offshore as I did not record the species 

 during the 5 weeks that I lived on Isla Coiba, and in the Archipielago 

 de las Perlas saw it only at Isla San Jose. 



In the fifth edition of the Check-list of North American Birds of 

 the American Ornithologists' Union (1957, p. 309) this species and 

 the one following {Ceryle torquata) are listed under the generic 

 name Megaceryle. From a careful comparison of the characters 

 of these two with the type of Ceryle, recognition of a separate genus 

 for them is not justified. 



Phillips (Anal. Inst. Biol. Univ. Mex, vol. 33, 1962, pp. 336-338) 

 in a survey of extensive series concludes that current division of 

 this species in two geographic races on differences in size, and of 

 form of the wing tip is not justified. With this I agree, as large 

 and small birds are found at random throughout the extensive range. 



CHLOROCERYLE AMAZONA MEXICANA Brodkorb, Amazon 

 Kingfisher, Martin Pescador Matraquero 



Chloroceryle amazona mexxcana Brodkorb, Auk, vol. 57, no. 4, October 2, 1940, 

 p. 543. (Barra de Cahuacan, Chiapas, Mexico.) 



