306 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
was taken August 15, 1902. The Doves are very tame and barely 
fly out of one’s way. One pair was repeatedly seen in the streets and 
yards of houses in Las Cruces. Another pair was seen among the 
tornillos feeding with a half dozen Mourning Doves. Others were 
seen mostly along grain fields” (MS). They run along with quick 
short steps and graceful movements of the head. Their habit of 
holding the tail upright gives them quite a bantam-like appearance 
(Simmons, 1925, 89). Both parents incubate the eggs. It is to be 
hoped that these delightful, friendly little Doves may be found in other 
parts of southern New Mexico. 
INCA DOVE: Scardafella mca (Lesson) 
Description. — Length: About 8 inches, wing 3.7, tail 4~4-4- Adults: Whole 
body apparently scaled: upperparts grayish brown, tail brown and black, two outer 
feathers largely white, wing coverts largely chestnut; under wing coverts brown and 
black; underparts pale grayish pink, changing to buff on belly; iris dull orange to 
bright red, bill blackish, legs and feet flesh-color to carmine pink. Young: Similar but 
duller, upperparts mottled with pale grayish buffy. 
Range. —Lower Sonoran and Tropical Zones from northeastern Lower Cali¬ 
fornia, Arizona, and southern Texas south to Cuatemala. 
State Records. —An adult male Inca Dove appeared in Silver City, May 26, 
1924, and remained there until taken by Mr. Kellogg on July 17, 1924. It was 
apparently the first record for New Mexico. A second specimen was taken by Mr. 
Ligon, June 17, 1926, 18 miles northwest of Lordsburg, Hidalgo County. 
General Habits. —The long-tailed, scaled Inca Dove, found so far 
in only two places in the State, should be watched for in the Lower 
Sonoran valleys of the southern part of the State, especially about towns 
and villages, as it is normally “strictly a bird of the towns.” If heard 
outside, when not seen, however, the character of its notes may lead 
to its discovery. Its monotonous coo-oo-coor, or who-oo-who, repeated 
rapidly over and over, is very different from the soft, drawled coo-oo-coo f 
coo , coo , coo of the Mourning Dove. Its notes have a blowing quality, 
Mr. and Mrs. Swank say, and become louder and more insistent as 
the nesting season approaches (1928, p. 28). 
PARROTS, MACAWS, PAROQUETS, etc: Order Psittaciformes 
PARROTS AND PAROQUETS: Family Psittacidae 
In the Parrots, the bill is hooked and used largely in climbing, 
the tongue is thick and fleshy and modified to make “a delicate tactile 
organ,” used to some extent in prehension, and the peculiar develop¬ 
ments of tongue and throat enable some of the group to articulate 
human speech. Their toes arc paired, as in the Cuckoos and Road- 
runners. 
THICK-BILLED PARROT: Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha (Swainson) 
Description. — Length: 16-16.7 inches, wing 8.5-10.5, tail 6.3-7, graduated for 
2.2-2.3, bill 1.4-1.5, height of bill at base 1.6-1.7. Bill very large and greatly 
compressed, tip of lower mandible elongated, cut off, and flattened; tail graduated 
