4/0 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 2 



upper and under sides of tongue deep black; tarsus dark neutral 

 gray ; toes fuscous-brown ; scutes of tarsus and toes outlined in dull 

 white ; claws black. 



Measurements. — Males (21 from Panama), wing 108.5-115.9 

 (111.7), tail 77.8-87.2 (81.7), culmen from base 38.6-50.0 (43.4), 

 tarsus 19.0-21.0 (19.9) mm. 



Females (15 from Panama), wing 111.0-119.0 (114.4), tail 80.0- 

 89.0 (83.5), culmen from base 40.7-48.0 (43.4), tarsus 19.4-21.0 

 (20.4) mm. 



Resident. Widely distributed in the tropical lowlands throughout 

 the Republic. 



As the white-necked puff bird lives in areas of rather open forest 

 it is absent through the broad expanses of savanna in the western 

 area of the Pacific slope, though it ranges along their borders. T 

 found it near Parita in Herrera, but it seems to be rare in the southern 

 end of the Azuero Peninsula as it was not seen to the south in Los 

 Santos. On the Atlantic side it ranges throughout, including the 

 San Bias, where it has been collected at Bahia Caledonia (specimens 

 in the Los Angeles County Museum taken in April 1939) and at 

 Perme. It is not found on the offshore islands. 



These birds rest quietly on open perches above the undergrowth 

 or in the open on forest edge, turning the head to watch for insect 

 prey. When such food is seen they fly out to seize it from leaves 

 or twigs, often at distances of 25 or 30 meters. Usually the prey 

 is brought back to the original perch, where it is beaten on the branch 

 before being swallowed. Birds that I examined had eaten many 

 beetles and orthoptera. At Puerto Armuelles I noted especially that 

 they were taking a large, shining green scarabaeid, identified in our 

 Department of Entomology as Macraspis lucida Oliv., a species pres- 

 ent in abundance in the high tree crown, taken also by other large 

 insect-eaters. On Barro Colorado Island, R. A. Johnson found these 

 puffbirds occasionally watching near raiding swarms of ants, on the 

 alert to seize fleeing insects which were caught in the air and then 

 brought back to a perch to be killed by beating. 



In early morning puffbirds often are found resting in the sun, the 

 open branches of the guarumo (Cecropia) being especially favored. 

 Along the coast I encountered them occasionally on the landward 

 side of taller growths of mangroves. I was told that their eggs were 

 placed in burrows dug in arboreal nests of termites, but did not 

 observe this personally. From February to July birds usually show 



