﻿450 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. loo 



(but not in unison). The preferred time for calling was early in the 

 morning and late in the evening, when other hawks were generally 

 silent. The collector always had the impression that this bird was 

 somewhat nocturnal in habits, although he can cite no particular 

 example. 



Local name, "barco va," in imitation of the call note. 



DAPTBIUS ATER VieUIot 



Daptrius ater Vieillot, Analyse d'une nouvelle ornithologie ^Mmentaire, 1816, 

 p. 68 (Brazil). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 d^, September 12, 1948; gonads small; iris brown, cere and facial skin pale 

 yellow-green, bill blue, gray-yellowish at tip, feet yellow; plumage immature and 

 much abraded, especially the tail feathers; breast and abdomen sooty black barred 

 with dull brownish white, the bars much narrower than the dark interspaces and 

 the rectrices basally white barred with black. 



Although this hawk was well known in Caicara, it was recorded by 

 the collector only twice, in July and September, each time in a small 

 flock of four or five individuals. The September specimen was one 

 of three young birds that were following two adults, presumably the 

 parents. 



The call note was a loud ca-caa-o, given rapidly with the accent on 

 the second syllable. 



Local name, "cacao," in imitation of the call note. 



MILVAGO CraMACraMA CORDATUS Bangs and Penard 



Milvago chimachima cordata Bangs and Penard, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 

 62, 1918, p. 35 (San Miguel Island, Pearl Islands, Bay of Panama). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 ? , Caicara, November 13, 1947; gonads enlarged; iris dull yellow, bill dull 

 light blue, facial skin and cere dull blue with greenish cast, feet dull blue; gizzard 

 contained insects; active molt in wings and tail, otherwise in good plumage. 



This bird was rather common locally on the savanna and in the 

 deciduous seasonal woods edge. It was encountered throughout the 

 year, generally in singles or groups of three to five individuals. One 

 would not expect, ordinarily, to see more than a dozen birds in a day's 

 work. 



The gizzard of the specimen taken contained insects. The bird 

 was often seen perched on the backs of cattle, eating ticks (whence its 

 local name) and other external parasites. The collector observed one 

 clinging to the hanging nest of the oriole. Icterus nigrogularis, in an 

 unsuccessful attempt to get the fledglings within. 



Three call notes were recorded: A loud, catlike eeeeah-eeeeah; a 

 djay, not unUke that of the North American blue jay, Cyanocitta 

 cristata; and a thin whistle. 



Local name, "garrapatero," tickbird. 



