FAMILY THRAUPIDAE 



423 



species 15%, the other had the legs and other remains of bees 40%, 3 

 seeds of Ehretiaceae (Bourreria?) 30%, 1 pit not determined, bits of 

 wild fruit skin 30%. Apparently they often associate with flocks of 

 other tanagers (Ridgely, 1976, p. 318). 



TANGARA INORNATA (Gould): Plain-colored Tanager, 

 Tangaro Inadornado 



Calliste inornata Gould, 1855, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 23 ("Bogota," Colombia.) 



Small; gray, with lower breast and abdomen white or buff; a bright 

 blue shoulder patch. 



Description. — Length 115-125 mm. Adult (sexes alike), upper sur- 

 face and sides of the head dark gray, slightly paler on the rump; wings 

 and tail sooty black; lesser wing coverts glossy turquoise-blue, more 

 purplish at edge; some males with a slight tinge of blue on forecrown; 

 lores and extreme upper throat black; foreneck, upper breast, and sides 

 light gray; lower throat paler; lower breast, abdomen, and undertail 

 coverts white or, in one race, buff. 



Immature, some with a very faint wash of pale buff on abdomen and 

 undertail coverts. 



Juvenile, plain gray, paler below on breast and side, still paler on 

 abdomen; undertail coverts pale buff; wings and tail sooty black. 



These tanagers range in more open forests, so that I have found them 

 most common on the Pacific side of the Isthmus. Here they frequent 

 second growth, groves, borders of clearings, and gallery forest. When 

 the tree growth is heavy they are seen around the borders, but also 

 spread over the upper levels of the high tree crown, where they are 

 concealed from below. They are found in pairs or in small groups but 

 also gather in groups of 10 or more that move about in loose company, 

 often with quick flitting movements of the wings and twitching tails. 

 Ridgely (in litt.) finds that they usually forage independently of other 

 species, while Moynihan (Smiths. Misc. Coll., vol. 143, no. 7, 1962, pp. 

 40-45) considered them significant to mixed flocks of tanagers and 

 honeycreepers. The paired birds often glean open branches for insects 

 and other animal food, frequently swinging head or back down to ex- 

 amine the underside of twigs. The drupes of berry-bearing trees and 

 shrubs attract the larger groups. The average weight of 6 taken at 

 Barro Colorado Island in the Canal Zone was 17.8 g (Leek, Bird- 

 Banding, 1975, p. 203); 4 taken by Strauch (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 

 1977, p. 65) weighed from 17.4 to 19.1 g. While they are active in 

 movements, individual groups appear to have rather limited areas in 

 which they range. Three banded on Barro Colorado Island in Novem- 



