COMMONEST BIRDS OF THE CANAL ZONE 



fer's Hummingbird (Amazilia t. tzacatl), 

 easily identified by its long rufous tail, and 

 the Allied Emerald (Chlorostilbon assimilis). 



Two or three swifts abound in the Zone 

 but are exceedingly difficult to tell apart. 



The commonest and most widely dis- 

 tributed woodpecker is a small species, Wag- 

 ler's Woodpecker (Centurus rubricapillus 

 wagleri), that will nest anywhere it can find a 

 rotten limb of a tree in which to make a hole. 

 Its loud and characteristic call will betray 

 its proximity. 



If the traveler by rail keeps a sharp look- 

 out, he can hardly fail to see one or more 

 kingfishers along the shores of the lake or 

 canal. The large Ringed Kingfisher (Mega- 

 ceryle t. torquatus) and, during the winter 

 months, the common Belted Kingfisher (Mega- 

 ceryle a. alcyon) of the United States, may be 

 seen; but by far the most numerous species 

 about the lake is the small Chloroceryle 

 americana isthmica. 



The cuckoos are mainly birds of the jungle, 

 but in the late winter and spring the strange 

 minor whistles of the "Tres Pesos," the 

 Northern Striped Cuckoo (Taper a ncevia ex- 

 cellens), variations of tres, tres, tres, pesos; 

 pesos, pesos, pesos, will be heard frequently 

 along the road to Gamboa in the Zone, and 

 near the Panama golf course. Tracing the 

 source of the whistle, the performer will be 

 located stolidly perched on a low tree or 

 high bush, monotonously reiterating his com- 

 plaint, answered from some distance by a 

 fellow malcontent. Straggling flocks of anis 

 may be seen sitting on the fence posts of pas- 

 ii 



