FAMILY COEREBIDAE 



499 



particularly distinguished songsters; they are often completely silent 

 and at best their vocalizations are harsh or high, thin notes exchanged 

 between mated pairs or given when another bird approaches too closely. 

 Nests are always placed in trees and are cup shaped in all except Coere- 

 ba, which builds a globular nest. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF COEREBIDAE: HONEYCREEPERS 



1. Upper surface dark gray or brown, with no blue tinge 2 



Upper surface not dark gray 4 



2. Bill sharp, slightly decurved 3 



Bill up-tilted and hooked at tip. 



Slaty Flower-piercer, Diglossa baritida. p. 505 



3. Undersurface gray or buff. 



White-eared Conebill, Conirostrum leucogenys leucogenys. p. 508 

 Throat gray, rest of undersurface yellow. 



Bananaquit, Coereba flaveola. p. 500 



4. Most of body rich bright blue; bill slender, long 5 



Body not rich bright blue; bill shorter, conical, or not slender 7 



5. Throat black 6 



Throat blue. 



male Red-legged Honey creeper, Cyanerpes cyaneus carneipes. p. 513 



6. Black of throat extending to chest, body blue, not purplish. 



male Shining Honeycreeper, Cyanerpes lucidus isthmicus. p. 509 

 Black limited to throat, body tinged purplish. 



male Purple Honeycreeper, Cyanerpes caeruleus chocoanus. p. 511 



7. Most of body light blue or black 8 



Body green or gray, tinged blue 10 



8. Crown blue 9 



Crown black. 



male Green Honeycreeper, Chlorophanes spiza arguta. p. 516 



9. Undersurface blue 10 



Undersurface black ; thighs red. 



male Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Dacnis venusta. p. 522 



10. Throat black. 



male Blue Dacnis, Dacnis cayana. p. 518 



Throat blue. 



male Viridian Dacnis, Dacnis viguieri. p. 521 



11. Upper surface green 12 



Upper surface gray, tinged light blue, especially on rump. 



female Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Dacnis venusta. p. 522 



12. Crown blue or grayish blue 13 



Crown green 14 



13. Crown bright blue. 



female Blue Dacnis, Dacnis cayana. p. 518 



Crown grayish blue. 



female Shining Honeycreeper, Cyanerpes lucidus isthmicus. p. 509 



