FAMILY THRAUPIDAE 



409 



as 1200 m (Bangs, Proc. New England Zool. Club, vol. 3, 1902, p. 64). 

 Beyond Panama, this race occurs in Costa Rica and in northern Co- 

 lombia and Venezuela; other races range to Bolivia and central Brazil. 



This euphonia is widespread in clearings, gardens, woodland, and 

 forest borders, where it is usually found in groups that may often in- 

 clude other species. Among its calls are a sweet chweet, a wheep, and a 

 clear peet-peet. Like E. violacea of South America, laniirostris mimics 

 the calls of other birds. Morton (Wilson Bull., 1976, pp. 485-487) 

 noted in the Canal Zone that they most often imitate the alarm calls of 

 other species that nest concurrently and mob nest predators; in this way 

 when their own nest is threatened they draw other species to their aid 

 while not actually defending their nest or young themselves. Of the 

 many euphonias that are kept as cage birds in Panama, this species is 

 the most popular. 



Gladys C. Barnard studied this species in the Canal Zone from 1938 

 to 1953 (Condor, 1954, pp. 98-101) and found them nesting from 

 March into September. Around Pedro Miguel many nested in hanging 

 pots of ferns and orchids on suburban porches. The nests were domed, 

 with a deeply down-curving entrance on the side under a small over- 

 hang. Four, and occasionally 5, eggs form the clutch; they are white 

 or pinkish white thickly streaked at the larger end with dusky brown. 

 The incubation period was found to be between 13 and 16 days; the 

 young remain in the nest 20 or 21 days. As many as three broods may 

 be reared by one pair in a single nest. As in other euphonias, males 

 breed before acquiring their adult plumage. 



Seven collected by Strauch (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 1977, p. 64) 

 weighed from 14.2 to 16.5 g. 



EUPHONIA HIRUNDINACEA GNATHO (Cabanis): Yellow-throated 

 Euphonia, Tanagra Gargantiamarilla 



Phonasca Gnatho Cabanis, 1860, Journ. f. Ornith., 8, p. 335. (Costa Rica.) 



Very small; bill thicker than that of most other euphonias; male, 

 forecrown yellow; sides of head and rest of upper surface glossy dark 

 blue; entire undersurface yellow; female, upper surface yellowish 

 green; most of undersurface greenish yellow; belly white. 



Description. — Length 95-109 mm. Adult male, forecrown, ending 

 above middle of eye, yellow; lores, sides of head, and entire upper sur- 

 face including wing coverts, glossy dark blue; remiges blackish with 

 outer webs edged dark blue and inner webs, especially of secondaries, 

 white at base; rectrices blackish, edged dark blue, with inner webs of 



