426 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 2 



Of medium size; upper surface dark metallic bronze-green. 



Description. — Length 275-300 mm. Adult male, above, including 

 side of head, dark metallic bronze-green ; hindneck with a broad 

 band of white ; outermost rectrices and inner webs of others, except 

 central pair, spotted or barred with white, these markings concealed 

 in the folded tail ; scapulars with concealed markings of white ; lower 

 eyelid with a crescentric spot of white; some with a narrow white 

 supraloral line of white of varying length, others without this mark ; 

 throat, foreneck, lower breast, abdomen, and under tail coverts 

 white; a broad band on lower foreneck and upper breast cinnamon- 

 rufous ; a submalar line, and others on sides, dark metallic green ; 

 under wing coverts white ; under surface of wing with broad mark- 

 ings of white. 



Adult female, like male, but without rufous breastband ; breast 

 laterally broadly metallic green, often with the two sides joined by 

 a narrow line of this color. 



Immature, wing coverts with small spots of white; breast as in 

 female, but lightly washed or spotted with cinnamon and buff. 



Iris brown; bill black in adult, tinged with brown on lower sur- 

 face of mandible at base in immature; tarsus and toes black. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Costa Rica, Panama, and western 

 Colombia), wing 130.5-136.2 (133.3), tail 74.7-79.7 (77.2), culmen 

 from base 68.6-74.7 (71.2), tarsus 12.3-13.9 (13.4) mm. 



Females (10 from Panama), wing 132.0-138.8 (135.5), tail 77.2- 

 84.2 (79.5), culmen from base 70.8-75.2 (73.5), tarsus 13.0-14.0 

 (13.5) mm. 



Resident. Common along rivers in the lowlands throughout the 

 Republic, ranging inland along open streams into the higher foothills 

 in the mountains. Recorded in Darien at 575 meters on the Rio 

 Tacarcuna, and at 550 meters along the headwaters of the Rio 

 Seteganti, on Cerro Pirre. 



These kingfishers are found along the open courses of rivers, 

 commonly on their quieter channels, but also in the higher areas 

 of swift current over stony beds where these are not closely over- 

 hung by forest. In stocky form they resemble the migrant belted 

 kingfisher that comes during the period of northern winter, but 

 are identified at a glance by the dark green color of the back, that 

 at a distance may appear black. In flight they seem more graceful 

 as they progress with a more sweeping movement. The usual note 

 is a harsh check or chet, sometimes repeated rapidly so that it re- 

 sembles a rattle. More rarely I have heard them utter series of 



