390 



BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 4 



Females (6 from Colombia and Venezuela), wing 78.0-84.2 (80.8), 

 tail 45.9-51.3 (49.3), culmen from base 9.5-11.5 (10.6), tarsus 14.3- 

 15.6 (15.0) mm. 



Resident. Rare, known from only a few records in Darien and 

 eastern Province of Panama. There is no definite proof that this species 

 nests in Panama, and as it is known to be migratory in Venezuela 

 (Schaefer, Auk, 1953, p. 406), it is possible that the Swallow-Tanager 

 may be only a nonbreeding visitant in Panama. Although E. A. Gold- 

 man collected 5 males in "immature" plumage at Cana, Darien, in the 

 spring and summer of 1928, Griscom (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 

 69, 1929, p. 186) noted that this patchy blue and green plumage may 

 be retained into the bird's second year. Schaefer (op. ext., p. 452) 

 reports that flocks of adults and newly fledged immatures leave the 

 nesting area a few weeks after the young have taken their first flights 

 from the nest, so that Swallow-Tanagers may be found far from 

 where they nest when still quite young. Goldman collected Swallow- 

 Tanagers in April and June of 1912, and in the spring and summer of 

 1928, as already mentioned. There are also reports from Tapalisa, 

 Darien, and the hills north of El Llano, in eastern Province of Panama, 

 where N. G. Smith saw a group of 11 on September 3, 1973. Oustalet, 

 quoted by Salvin and Goldman (Biol. Centr.-Amer., vol. 1, (pt. 26), 

 1883, p. 246) mentions that this bird was collected "sur les bords du 

 Golfe de Darien" in 1877. Ridgely (in litt.) found Swallow-Tanagers 

 common at Cana in late February-early March, mostly in the valley at 

 550 m (especially in open forest around the mine clearings and the air 

 strip), but also in undisturbed tall forest on the flanks of the Pirre 

 massif to 700 m. The birds were seen daily, generally in small groups, 

 usually not with other species. There was no indication of breeding 

 behavior. 



This race also occurs from Colombia to Peru, Bolivia, the Guianas, 

 and northern Brazil. Other races are found from southern Brazil to 

 northern Argentina and in the Santa Marta region of northern Co- 

 lombia. 



The Swallow-Tanager inhabits woodlands with clearings, where it 

 feeds in the canopy layer, catching insects in the manner of a flycatcher 

 and eating fruit. The commonest call note is a frequently uttered, single 

 sharp tsee, harsh and loud. The song of the male is a "metallic clinking 

 twitter of four to seven syllables tsee-wi-tit-tit-tit" (Shaefer, op. cit., 

 p. 413). Schaefer found that nests were placed in cavities in cliffs, 

 earth walls, or manmade structures, but not in tree holes, as has been 

 reported elsewhere. The nests were 1 to 3 m from the ground. The 



