FAMILY PTILOGONATIDAE 173 



a dozen that may casually split apart or regroup in flight or at a feeding 

 tree. Similarly, nests are often situated within 25 to 100 m of one an- 

 other in "colonies" of up to five pairs, or may be entirely by themselves. 



Figure 14. — Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Capulinero Colilargo, Ptilogonys 



cauda tus, male. 



The birds defend an area around the nest of no more than 30 m, some- 

 times less, and often disregard intruders entirely. 



The nesting season, in Costa Rica at least, begins in April, with the 



