544 



BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA— PART 4 



terminate 35%; the female's stomach held the remains of 2 beetles, one 

 at least a carabid, the other probably another species, all finely ground 

 20%, 29 seeds of Solanaceae sp., a large amount of fragments 80%. 



PITYLUS GROSSUS SATURATUS Todd: Slate-colored Grosbeak, 

 Piquigrueso Apizarrado 



Figure 44 



Pitylus grossus saturatus Todd, 1922, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 35, p. 91. 

 (Guacimo, Costa Rica.) 



Large; bill thick, serrated, and hooked; entirely bluish gray, with 

 center of throat white; male has sides of head, sides of throat, and 

 breast black. 



Description. — Length 178-191 mm. Adult male, lores, sides of head, 

 sides of throat, and breast black; center of throat white; entire upper 

 surface, including wing coverts, bluish gray; remiges black, with outer 

 webs edged bluish gray; rectrices black; undersurface slightly lighter 

 gray; underwing coverts white. 



Adult female, like male, but lacking black pattern on head and breast; 

 undersurface duller gray. 



A male collected at the Peluca Hydrographic Station, February 20, 

 1961, had the iris dark brown; bill dark orange-red; tarsus and toes 

 blackish fuscous. A female taken at the head of the Rio Guabal, Code, 

 on February 26, 1962, had the iris brown; line on tip of culmen and 

 base of culmen fuscous; rest of bill dark red; tarsus, toes, and claws 

 dusky neutral gray. 



Measurements. — Males (10 from Panama), wing 91.0-99.0 (94.3), 

 tail 74.8-87.9 (81.8), culmen from base 19.3-21.6 (20.6), tarsus 20.9- 

 22.4 (21.9) mm. 



Females (10 from Panama), wing 92.5-99.0 (94.8), tail 74.1-84.9 

 (82.6), culmen from base 18.5-22.6 (20.7), tarsus 18.2-23.6 (21.6) 

 mm. 



Resident. Fairly common in the lowlands and foothills of the entire 

 Caribbean slope; on the Pacific slope, found in the foothills from Vera- 

 guas eastward and in the lowlands from the Canal Zone eastward. 

 Beyond Panama this race ranges north on the Caribbean slope to Nica- 

 ragua and south to western Fcuador; other races are found south to 

 northern Argentina. 



This grosbeak inhabits forests and forest borders, where it is more 

 often heard than seen. It is one of the better songsters of the forest; 

 the song is a variety of high, whistled phrases; witchee-weeoo, cheeoo 



