328 
THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY . Vol 123. No. 2. June 2011 
SlateS ‘ Brazil with localit y of colleciion of museum specif 
2008 (white circles). Colored Las reore^nr Species corded in field surveys in October 2007 andFebnur. 
(red), and mangroves (blue). P vegetation remnants in the region: Atlantic Forest (green). resting 
analysis revealed a slight tendency for northern 
populations to have a darker tail (more extensive 
black bands) than birds from the rest of the 
distribution: this has gone unnoticed in traditional 
morphological analysis of this species (ineludino 
the present study). 
Taxonomy of White-collared Kite.-Leptodor, 
forbesi is a valid species and should be recog- 
mzed. However, its diagnostic characters must be 
redefined in light of the new evidence. The two 
specimens of L forbesi (type and MZUSP) as well 
as the three from the MN (Teixeira et ai 1987- 
153) and 22 of 27 (81.5%) individuals recorded 
by us m the field have all-white coloration of the 
underwmg coverts, (Fig. 2B), differing from the 
Jrtl, ° f L cnyanemis - One individual had the 
greater coverts and carpal patches black on an 
otherwise white underwing; another had only tb‘ 
greater coverts black, the rest white; and one bin- 
had a mostly white underwing with two bro ' 1 
areas in the proximal half of each wing; this was a 
juvenile molting to adult plumage. Darkcolom 
lion in the underwing of L forbesi specin' 1 ' 
should not be considered a constant in the aJi'li 
plumage of this species. The character *colora» 1 ' 11 
on the underwing coverts' can still be recogni^ 
as a diagnosis for the taxa in question with *-■ 
cayanensis presenting all or most feathers 1,1 
this region. 
The two specimens of L forbesi (tyl* jr “ 
MZUSP) and 13 of 17, (76%) birds observed >> 
the field showed noticeable white coloration 111 
the leading edge of the wing, while four (24 o 
the individuals observed in the field had me° n ' 
