6o6 



BIRDS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PART 4 



this sparrow living in thickets near the beaches and at the borders of 

 the swampy lowland forests as well as inland in the undergrowth of the 

 high gallery woodland across the central part of the island. It was 

 found low down near the ground, in pairs or small groups, often in the 

 same localities as the Streaked Saltator (Salt at or albicollis). Prob- 

 ably some supply of berries or other food brought the two together. 

 At this season they were not singing. Ridgely (in litt.) noted that in 

 April 1976 this species was not singing on Coiba while it was on the 

 mainland. 



[AMMODRAMUS SAND WICHENSIS (Gmelin): Savannah Sparrow, 

 Gorrion Sabanero 



Emberiza sandwichensis Gmelin, 1789, Syst. Nat., 1, p. 875. (Unalaska, Alaska.) 



A sparrow seen at France Field, Canal Zone, on December 31, 1976, 

 by D. Engleman and others was probably of this species (Ridgely, in 

 litt. ) . The Savannah Sparrow has been recorded as far south in Cen- 

 tral America as Honduras.] 



AMMODRAMUS SAVANNARUM (Gmelin): Grasshopper Sparrow, 

 Gorrion Saltamontes 



Fringilla savannarum Gmelin, 1789, Syst. Nat., 1(2), p. 921. (Jamaica.) 



Small; upper surface streaked brown and gray; undersurface buff; 

 white on center of belly. 



Description. — Length 102-116 mm. Adult (sexes alike), upper sur- 

 face dark brown, with feathers edged gray, producing a streaked ef- 

 fect; lores buff, becoming dark yellow on forepart of superciliary, to 

 first third of eye, remainder of superciliary gray; fine central crown 

 stripe buff; lesser wing coverts nearest bend of wing, and bend itself, 

 yellow; rest of wing feathers blackish brown, tipped reddish and edged 

 whitish or buff; tail blackish brown, finely edged whitish; throat, 

 breast, sides, flanks, and undertail coverts buff; center of undersurface 

 white; underwing coverts white. 



The Grasshopper Sparrow is a secretive, though widely distributed, 

 grassland finch found in most of North America and the Greater An- 

 tilles, except Cuba, through Middle America as far as Panama, with 

 2 subspecies isolated in Curasao and Bonaire and in Colombia and 

 Ecuador. Three distinct subspecies are found in Panama (Olson, 

 1980, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 93(3); pp. 757-759); 2 are resident and 

 1 is a migrant. 



