FAMILY BOMBYCILLIDAE 



193 



tuft, the top being covered. It was made of grasses and other soft 

 vegetation, and contained 3 eggs. The female tried to decoy me with 

 fluttering wings. The eggs were vinaceous-buff marked with wood 

 brown; one had fine streaks all over the surface, slightly denser at the 

 blunt end; the second had very fine spots and a ring of blotches at the 

 blunt end; the third had fine speckles scattered at the pointed end, be- 

 coming denser toward the blunt end. This last egg, the only one now 

 unbroken, measured 17.3 X 14.0 mm. 



J. R. Karr (Eisenmann in litt.) during a study in La Jagua grass- 

 land (July 1968- July 1969), found three nests; September 12, 1968— 

 2 eggs; January 4, 1969 — 2 young; January 15, 1969 — 3 eggs. 



Ridgely notes (in litt.) that this species appears to be quite par- 

 ticular in its habitat requirements, and leaves areas that no longer suit 

 it, only to return once again if they revert back. During the last 15 

 years this cycle has taken place several times along the dike over the 

 Tocumen marsh, which, when heavily grazed, provides good habitat, 

 but otherwise does not and the birds are not present, even at the same 

 times of the year. 



Two birds collected by Burton (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 1975, p. 85) 

 at the military instruction center near Pacora weighed 13.0 and 13.5 g. 



Family BOMBYCILLIDAE: Waxwings, Chinitos 



The 3 species of waxwings breed in temperate Eurasia and North 

 America. All are primarily fruit and berry eaters, also taking some 

 insects on the wing; when not nesting they wander irregularly in flocks 

 searching for food. The Cedar Waxwing is an irregular visitor to Pan- 

 ama, not seen every year; it has been recorded as far south as Colombia 

 and Venezuela. 



BOMBYCILLA CEDRORUM Vieillot: Cedar Waxwing, Chinito Cedroso 



Figure 17 



Bomby cilia cedrorum Vieillot, 1808, Ois. Amer., September (1807), 1, p. 88, pi. 57. 

 (Amerique depuis le Canada jusqu' au Mexique = eastern North America.) 



Medium size; slim, crested; mostly brown, with gray wings and tail; 

 tail tipped bright yellow. 



Description. — Length 153-172 mm. Adult (sexes alike); lores 

 black; black stripe through and below eye extending to rear of crown 

 but not meeting; narrow white line surrounding black, including lower 

 rear edge of eye; crown dark cinnamon, crested; upper back olive- 

 brown; lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts gray; tail blackish 



