482 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. i04 



able to fly yet giving the impression of having but recently left the 

 nest. If this were true, then this turkey vulture must nest in April 

 or May. 



Family Accipitridae: Hawks, Eagles, Kites 



Leptodon cayanensis (Latham) 



Falco cayanensis Latham, Index ornithologicus, vol. 1, 1790, p. 28 (Bahia, 

 Brazil) . 

 1 cf, Caicara, May 26, 1952; gonads very small; iris brown, bill and cere black, 

 facial skin and feet dull blue gray; gizzard contained hymenopterous adults and 

 larvae and a large quantity of pulpy material; apparently it had eaten a whole 

 wasps' nest! A fully adult bird in fairly fresh plumage. 



A rare, quite Buteo-like hawk, typically encountered in pairs along 

 the Guarapiche River at Caicara. It was not heard to utter a sound. 

 The gizzard contents of the example collected proved quite a surprise 

 to the collector; the bird had obviously eaten a wasps' nest- — paper, 

 wasps, larvae, and all. Stresemann (1940, p. 144) has ah-eady re- 

 ported on this food habit. 



Gampsonyx swainsonii leonae Chubb 



Gampsonyx swainsonii leonae Chubb, Bull. British Orn. Club, vol. 39, 1918, p. 22 

 (Le6n, western Nicaragua). 



Whereas the collector previously found this little hawk to be very 

 silent, in recent years he has occasionally seen it soaring in circles 

 with much flapping, and often uttering a high-pitched scolding 

 kitt-y, kitt-y, kitt-y note. 



Rostrhamus sociabilis sociabilis (Vieillot) 



Herpetotheres sociabilis Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 18, 1817, p. 318 

 (Corriente and Rio de la Plata). 

 1 9 , Caicara, May 26, 1952; gonads enlarged; iris yellow, feet and facial skin 

 orange, bill and nails black; gizzard contained snails. 



Although the snail kite was known to local hunters, only one was 

 seen and taken by the collector on the Guarapiche River at Caicara. 



Accipiter bicolor bicolor (Vieillot) 



Sparvius bicolor Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 10, 1817, p. 325 (Cayenne). 

 1 9, Caicara, April 15, 1950; skull well ossified; gonads enlarged, the largest 

 ovum 11 mm. in diameter; iris bright yellow; facial skin and feet greenish yellow; 

 bill black, bluish basally; plumage worn. 



This accipiter, while uncommon, was typical of the deciduous 

 seasonal woods, both at Cantaura and Caicara. The female collected 

 was uttering a series of loud cak-cak-cak-cak notes as it approached 

 the collector. Judging from the condition of the gonads, the bird may 

 have been breeding nearby and may have been scolding as the nest 

 site was neared. The bird has the habit of perching quietly on the 



