FAMILY BUCCONIDAE 473 



the same habit of perching quietly as the larger species, it is probably 

 more common than this summary of the few known records indicates. 



Their food of insects includes beetles and orthoptera, seized from 

 branches or leaves. The bird then returns to a perch, often the one 

 from which it had flown, beats the insect on the branch, and swallows 

 it. 



Skutch (Wilson Bull., 1948, pp. 81-89) on Barro Colorado Island, 

 watched a pair while they dug a nest burrow in the side of a large 

 termite nest, located about 10 meters from the ground in a small tree 

 that grew beside an opening in second-growth forest. Excavation 

 of the nest hole, begun March 28, proceeded slowly, with both male 

 and female working at it for short periods, as it was not completed 

 until about April 10. When finished it was about 180 mm. deep by 48 

 in diameter (7 inches by If inches). The first egg was found April 

 23, with others at 2-day intervals until 3 were laid, all pure white in 

 color. This first setting was destroyed, but the birds occupied the 

 nest hole again, as a second set of 3 was found on May 30. Both 

 sexes shared in incubation. He noted the voice as "low, whispered 

 peeps . . . and a nasal sound uttered when they were disturbed 

 at the nest." 



NOTHARCHUS TECTUS SUBTECTUS (Sclater) : Pied Puffbird, 

 Juancito Negro 



Figure 58 



Bucco subtectus P. L. Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pt. 28, August 1860, 

 p. 296. (Esmeraldas, Ecuador.) 



In color pattern like the white-collared and black-breasted puffbirds, 

 but of sparrow size; forecrown and tail spotted with white, and a 

 white spot on each side of the back. 



Description. — Length 140-155 mm. Adult (sexes alike), upper 

 surface and side of head black, changing to slate on the rump ; crown 

 spotted with white (in varying amounts) ; lores and line over eye 

 white ; scapulars tipped broadly with white to form a spot on either 

 side ; upper tail coverts tipped and barred lightly with white ; wings 

 slate-black, with primaries and outer secondaries edged narrowly with 

 white ; rectrices black ; central pair tipped narrowly with white, others 

 barred broadly and tipped widely on inner web with white; under 

 surface white, with a black breastband, somewhat variable in width ; 

 flanks slate, tipped indistinctly with white ; under surface of primaries 

 and secondaries proximally white; longer under wing coverts slate; 

 others and edge of wing white, mottled faintly with black. 



