FAMILY ICTERIDAE 



367 



flower reveals a patch of chestnut-brown matching the adult male's 

 plumage and, Morton hypothesizes, "repels" the bird, so that it moves 

 to unopened flowers in another Erythrina. 



At Almirante, Bocas del Toro, a male I watched feeding with North- 

 ern Orioles (/. galbula) on the pink blossoms of a vine, pecked at the 

 other orioles, and, when they did not respond, pulled at their rump 

 feathers. The only time I saw this species feeding near the ground was 

 in January 1961 at Corozal, Canal Zone, when I watched 4 or 5 search- 

 ing the rank grasses that grew up one-third or so of the height of a 2.5-m 

 chain-link fence. I have occasionally heard Orchard Orioles singing in 

 February. Skutch (A Naturalist in Costa Rica, 1971, p. 104) has 

 heard them sing in Costa Rica in late July and August and for 2 months 

 before their departure in April; he noted that immature males still in 

 the green plumage sang more than full adults. 



ICTERUS DOMINICENSIS PRAECOX Phillips and Dickerman: 

 Black-cowled Oriole, Parao Encapuchado 



Icterus prosthemelas praecox Phillips and Dickerman, 1965, Wilson Bull., 77, p. 

 298. (Almirante, Bocas del Toro province, western Panama.) 



Medium size; black, with bright yellow on lesser and middle wing 

 coverts, bend of wing, lower back, and lower undersurface. 



Description. — Length 173-193 mm. Adult (sexes alike), entirely 

 black, except for lesser and middle upper wing coverts, bend of wing 

 and underwing coverts, lower back, and undersurface from belly 

 through undertail coverts, which are bright yellow. 



Immature, as adult, but back yellowish olive-green. 



Measurements. — Males (5 from Bocas del Toro and Costa Rica), 

 wing 88.1-91.0 (89.6), tail 89.3-91.7(90.3), culmen from base 20.1- 

 20.9 (20.6), tarsus 20.5-23.1 (21.9) mm. 



Females (7 from Bocas del Toro and Costa Rica), wing 80.3-87.5 

 (83.8), tail 82.2-90.6 (85.7), culmen from base 19.4-21.9 (20.4), tar- 

 sus 21.1-23.1 (22.1) mm. 



Resident. Uncommon in lowlands of western Bocas del Toro and 

 adjacent parts of Costa Rica on the Carribbean slope. Other races of 

 the prosthemelas group are found on the Caribbean slope north through 

 Central America into southeastern Mexico; and the dominicensis group 

 is found on some islands of the Bahamas and Antilles. In Panama this 

 oriole is usually found near river banks, in humid woodland borders, 

 clearings with trees, and in banana plantations. Specimens have been 

 collected at Changuinola, Almirante, Western River, and Chiriquicito 



