VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 487 



Polyborus cheriway cheriway (Jacquin) 



Falco cheriway Jacquin, Beytrage zur Gcschichte der Vogel, 1784, p. 17, pi. 4 

 (Aruba and coast of Venezuela). 



Additional observations by the collector add to our knowledge of 

 this caracara. 



A nest of this caracara was found at Cantaura on March 25, 1950. 

 It was a large, well built nest of fine sticks, with no lining, placed 

 about 30 feet up on a horizontal branch and contained two brown, 

 heavily mottled eggs. Both parents came to scold the collector, 

 perching about ten feet from him and uttering [a pebbly eh-eh-eh-eh 

 note. 



In December 1952 a flock of about 75 birds assembled on the golf 

 course to eat "caterpillars" (beetle larvae) which had reached plague 

 proportions in the grass there. At this time one was observed to 

 capture a wounded fork-tailed flycatcher (Muscivora tyrannus). 

 The flycatcher was perched on a small clod and the caracara, about 

 fifty feet away, did not appear to notice it. A passing car frightened 

 the smaller bud, which tried to fly. The caracara noticed the bird's 

 flutterings immediately and, flying about a yard above the ground, 

 captured the flycatcher with its feet. The bill was used only to kill 

 the bird. On another occasion, two were seen eating a dead lizard 

 (Iguana). At the approach of the collector, one of the birds grasped 

 the lizard with its feet and flew off about 50 yards with it. These 

 two instances are unusual in that the birds are commonly seen 

 carrying objects in their bills. 



Falco femoralis femoralis Temniinck 



Falco femoralis Temminck, Nouveau recueil de planches colorizes d'oiseaux, livr. 

 21, pi. 343, and livr. 50, pi. 121, 1822 (Brazil, ex Natterer). 



Although no additional specimens were obtained, the foUowing 

 notes add to what we recorded earlier of the aplomado falcon: This 

 falcon often hunted in pairs and, like the pigeon hawk Falco columbarius, 

 was often seen hunting in the late evening after sunset. The bird 

 was recorded eating the small doves Scardafella squammata and 

 Columbigallina talpacoti. One was seen trying to capture a pigeon, 

 Columba cayennensis, a bird about as large as the domestic pigeon we 

 (1950, p. 451) reported taken by tliis falcon. On September 18, 

 1950, another was seen hunting shore birds on the open savanna. 

 These birds would take to the air each time the falcon appeared, 

 except for the Cayenne lapwing (Belonopterus chilensis) which refused 

 to flush and, in fact, appeared to take slight notice of the danger. 

 The flock of shore birds included golden plover (Pluvialis dominica), 

 greater and lesser yeUowlegs (Totanus melanoleucus and T. Jlavipes), 

 pectoral sandpiper (Erolia melanotus), and unidentified "peep" sand- 

 pipers. 



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