548 BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 4 



light brown, streaked with darker brown; wings dark brown with 

 white less extensive than in other plumages; tail dull brown, with white 

 less extensive than in other plumages; throat, breast, sides, and flanks 

 light brown, with some fine darker streaking; throat and center of 

 breast faintly washed rosy red; rest of undersurface white; underwing 

 coverts light rosy red. 



Adult female, lores, superciliary, stripe under eye, and central crown 

 stripe white; sides of head and rest of crown dark brown; rest of up- 

 per surface streaked brown; wings dark brown; undersurface white, 

 washed buff on throat, breast, sides, flanks, and undertail coverts, and 

 streaked dark brown; underwing coverts orange-yellow. 



Measurements. — Males ( 10 from the breeding range, taken in May) , 

 wing 99.8-105.9 (102.6), tail 67.8-77.9 (75.4), culmen from base 17.7- 

 20.5 (18.9), tarsus 21.3-22.6 (21.9) mm. 



Females (10 from the breeding range, taken in May), wing 98.1- 

 105.0 (101.5), tail 66.0-77.0 (72.9), culmen from base 18.3-20.2 (19.5), 

 tarsus 20.8-22.9 (22.0) mm. 



Migrant and winter visitor from the north. Fairly common through- 

 out as a transient and less common during the northern winter, when it 

 ranges as far south as Peru. In Panama, it has been found as high as 

 1800 m near Cerro Punta, Chiriqui (Leek and Hilty, Bird-Banding, 

 1968, p. 318), and has also been collected on San Miguel in the Pearl 

 Islands (Thayer and Bangs, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 46, 1905, p. 

 159). One banded at Almirante, Bocas del Toro, on November 10, 

 1962, was retaken there October 12, 1963 (Loftin, Rogers, and Hicks, 

 Bird-Banding, 1966, p. 43). 



The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is found in Panama from late Septem- 

 ber until late April. It frequents forest clearings and second-growth 

 woodland; I have often seen it feeding on fruit. A male taken in Janu- 

 ary weighed 47.2 g (Strauch, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 1977, p. 65). It is 

 usually in small groups, especially when migrating. Ridgely {in litt.) 

 has seen such groups as early as March, but more often later in that 

 month and in early April. Males molt into alternate plumage during 

 February and March. I have not heard them sing in Panama, but they 

 give their metallic pink call regularly. 



PASSERINA CYANOIDES (Lafresnaye) : Blue-black Grosbeak, 

 Piquigrueso Negriazul 



Medium size; bill very thick; male very dark blue; female dark 

 reddish brown. 



Description. — Length 142-170 mm. Adult male, lores and area 



