COMMONEST BIRDS OF THE CANAL ZONE 



Panama City. Great Blue Herons, cor- 

 morants, anhingas, pelicans, jacanas and 

 J^pspreys, are birds also occasionally seen 

 along the lake from the windows of the train. 

 A flock of Muscovy Ducks (Cairina mos- 

 ^jchata), large birds, dark-colored with white 

 wing-areas conspicuous in flight, is not a 

 rare sight on the upper Chagres near the 

 Gamboa station. 



Birds of prey are quite numerous in species, 

 but aside from the vultures, rather few in 

 individuals. The Plumbeous Kite (Ictinea 

 plumbed), the Large-billed Hawk (Rupornis 

 magnirostris ruficauda), the Mexican Black 

 (Urubitinga a. anthracind) , the Osprey 

 (Pandion haliaetus), and in the winter months, 

 Marsh Hawk (Circus hudsonius), are per- 

 -. haps the most likely to be noticed. In the 

 ^ Pearl Islands the Yellow-headed Caracara 

 ^(Milvago chimdchima cor data) is common. 



One bird that will probably not be seen, 

 the little tinamou (Crypturus soui panamen- 

 sis), a secretive inhabitant of thick jungles 

 gOand brush, must nevertheless be mentioned 

 because its calls may be heard and cannot 

 tf^fail to arouse curiosity in the hearer.. The 

 1/7 pure, remote, silvery whistle of several suc- 

 cessive notes ascending by changes of pitch of 

 about a quarter of a tone is repeated at inter- 

 vals by day and by night, the angelus of the 

 jungle. 



Shore birds, practically all migrants, are 

 more abundant on the Pacific side than else- 

 where. The enormous numbers of the Semi- 

 palmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus} 

 and the large flocks of the genus Ereunetes, 



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