Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula Part 7

_Habia gutturalis_ (Sclater): Red-throated Ant-tanager.--The only breeding records previously available for this species on the peninsula are for May 18 (Paynter, 1955a:280) and June 25 (Paynter, 1955b).

Specimens taken between July 14 and August 2 were in full breeding condition. A male (40882) and female (40883) taken 7-1/2 km. W Escarcega were known to be mated. Plumages in all specimens are worn and for that reason specimens were not identified to subspecies.

Specimens (6): [Male], 40882, testis 14 9 mm., 38.9 gm. (July 14), [Female], 40883, ovary 5 5 mm., 29.0 gm. (July 14), and [Male], 40887, testis 10 7 mm. (July 16), 7-1/2 km. W Escarcega; [Male], 40885, juv. (rectrices and remiges ensheathed basally) (July 28), and [Female], 40886, ovary moderately active, 30.5 gm., molting--2nd primaries ensheathed (July 28), Pueblo Nuevo X-can; [Male], 40884, testis 15 8 mm. (August 2), 4 km. WSW Puerto Juarez.

_Saltator atriceps_ (Lesson): Black-headed Saltator.--Previously, breeding has been noted in this species in February, March, and April (Paynter, 1955a:284). A male taken on July 16 was in full breeding condition.

Specimens (3): [Male], 40895, testis 15 9 mm., 80.4 gm. (July 16), and [Female], 40896, 73.5 gm. (July 17), 7-1/2 km. W Escarcega; [Male], 40894, 71.6 gm. (July 29), Pueblo Nuevo X-can.

_Saltator coerulescens_ (Vieillot): Gray Saltator.--The only previous breeding record for this species is for April 26. Our one specimen, No.

40897, a juvenal male barely able to fly, taken on July 21 at Piste, weighed 43.8 grams.

_Richmondena cardinalis_ (Linnaeus): Cardinal.--The only record of breeding previously reported is of a male with enlarged testes taken on June 4 (Paynter, 1955a:287). Adult males with enlarged testes were obtained on July 11 and August 10, and three juveniles were taken southwest of Sisal on August 10, 16, and 18.

Specimens (7): [Male], 40903, testis 9 7 mm., 39.7 gm. (July 11), and [Female], 40904, 34.0 gm. (July 11), 5 km. S Champoton; [Male], 40898, testis 7 4 mm., 33.8 gm. (August 10), and [Female], 40899, juv. (rectrices and remiges ensheathed basally), 32.8 gm. (August 10), 13 km. WSW Sisal; [Male], 40900, fledgling, 18.4 gm. (August 18), 2 km. WSW Sisal; [Female], 40901, ovary granular, 37.4 gm., molting--1st primaries ensheathed (August 15), and [Male], 40902, imm., 34.0 gm. (August 16), 4 km. NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

_Cyanocompsa parellina_ (Bonaparte): Blue Bunting.--Specimens (2): [Male], 40906, imm. (July 15), and [Male], 40905, testis 10 7 mm., 15.2 mm. (July 15), 7-1/2 km. W Escarcega.

_Tiaris olivacea pusilla_ (Swainson): Yellow-faced Gra.s.squit.--The only records of breeding, thus far, are by Paynter (1955a:291) for March 12 and June 14. A male (40907) taken 4 km. NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto on August 14 had fully enlarged testes (8 5 mm.).

_Tiaris olivacea intermedia_ (Ridgway): Yellow-faced Gra.s.squit.--Although females taken on Isla Cozumel exhibited no reproductive activity, two males had moderately enlarged testes. These seem to be the first records of breeding in this subspecies, which is endemic to Isla Cozumel.

Specimens (5): [Male], 40908, testis 6 z 4 mm., 10.5 gm. (August 8), [Female], 40912, ovary inactive, 9.5 gm. (August 8), [Female], 40909, ovary inactive, 10.4 gm. (August 9), [Male], 40910, testis 5 3 mm., 11.5 gm., molting--1st primaries ensheathed (August 9), and [Male], 40911, 11.5 gm. (August 10), all from {2-1/2}-{3-1/2} km. N San Miguel, Isla Cozumel.

_Sporophila torquiola morelleti_ (Bonaparte): White-collared Seedeater.

--Breeding is known for this species in May and a male collected on September 2 was in breeding condition (Paynter, 1955a:293). Our records seem to be the first for the summer. Specimens taken in July and August were breeding.

Specimens (7): [Female], 40918, 9.2 gm. (July 8), 1 km. SW Puerto Real, Isla del Carmen; [Male], 40919, testis 7 6 mm., 8.2 gm.

(July 15), 7-1/2 km. W Escarcega; [Female], 40913, ovary inactive, 7.9 gm. (August 4), 4 km. WSW Puerto Juarez; [Male], 40914, testis minute, 7.8 gm. (August 14), [Female], 40915, ova to 6 mm. (August 15), [Female], 40917, ovary moderately active, 7.0 gm. (August 16), and [Male], 40916, testis 7 5 mm., 7.6 gm. (August 16), 4 km. NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

_Volatinia jacarina splendens_ (Vieillot): Blue-black Gra.s.squit.--The only previous record of breeding is a male having slightly enlarged testes taken on June 1 (Paynter, 1955a:293). Our specimens showed various stages of reproductive activity when taken on July 10.

Specimens (6): [Male], 40926, 8.9 gm. (July 10), and [Male], 40925, testis 2 1 mm., 8.5 gm. (July 10), 1 km. S Puerto Real, Isla del Carmen; [Male], 40924, testis 4 2 mm. (July 10), [Male], 40922, testis 6 4 mm., 8.3 gm. (July 10), [Female], 40923, ova to 2 mm., 10.3 gm. (July 10), and [Male], 40921, 8.2 gm. (July 10), 5 km. S Champoton.

_Arremonops rufivirgata verticalis_ Ridgway: Olive Sparrow.--Apparently the only previous record of breeding was the laying female on June 14 reported by Paynter (1955a: 294). Males collected in July and August had enlarged testes; a juvenile, barely able to fly, was taken on August 14. Two specimens were beginning to molt.

Specimens (9): [Female], 40932, ova to 1 mm., 20.8 gm. (July 21), and [Male], 40933, testis 8 6 mm., 21.2 gm. (July 21), Piste; [Female], 40930, ovary moderately active, 23.2 gm. (July 26), and [Male], 40931, imm., 22.7 gm. (July 26), 3-1/2 km. N Piste; [Male], 40934, testis 6 4 mm., 24.5 gm., molting--1st and 2nd primaries ensheathed (August 14), [Male], 40935, juv. (remiges and rectrices ensheathed basally), 17.7 gm. (August 14), [Female], 40936, imm., 25.0 gm (August 14), [Female], 40937, ovary granular, 22.6 gm., molting--2nd primaries ensheathed (August 15), and [Male], 40938, testis 7 5 mm. (August 15), 4 km. NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

_Arremonops chloronota chloronota_ (Salvin): Green-backed Sparrow.-- Evidence presented by Monroe (1963) indicates that _A. chloronota_ and _A. conirostris_ are not conspecific. Specimens collected in breeding condition in July seem to be the first breeding records of this species on the peninsula.

Specimens (7): [Female], 40942, ova to 3 mm., 29.6 gm. (July 11), 5 km. S Champoton; [Male], 40944, testis 10 6 mm., 27.0 gm. (July 14), [Male], 40943, testis 5 3 mm., 23.1 gm. (July 14), and [Male], 40945, testis 7 4 mm., 25.5 gm. (July 15), 5-{7-1/2} km.

W Escarcega; s.e.x? 40939, 22.9 gm. (July 20), 6-1/2 km. W Piste; [Male], 40940, imm., 21.5 gm. (August 4), 4 km. WSW Puerto Juarez; [Female], 40941, 26.5 gm., extensive body molt, (August 15), 4 km.

NNE Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

TABLE 2. An Alphabetical List of Species of Mallophaga Removed from Birds Collected on the Yucatan Peninsula in 1962.

======================================================================== | |KU Catalogue MALLOPHAGA | Hosts |Nos. of | |specimens | | of hosts ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _Actornithophilus ochraceus_ |Snowy Plover |40426, 40431 _Amyrisidea spicula_ |Chachalaca |Specimen not | |preserved _Austromenopon sachlebeni_ |Willet. |40441 _Carduiceps zonarius_ |Sanderling |40443, 40444 _Ciconiphilus obscurus_ |American Egret |40402 _Colpocephalum foetens_ |Black Vulture |Specimen not | |preserved _Colpocephalum megalops_ |King Vulture |40403 _Columbicola macrourae_ |Zenaida Dove |40399 _Columbicola_ sp. |Red-billed Pigeon |40457 _Craspedorrhy_ sp. |Gray Hawk |40415 _Lunaceps holophaeus actophilus_ |Sanderling |40444 _Myrsidea_ sp. |Tropical Mockingbird |40771 _Myrsidea_ sp. |Cave Swallow |40690, 40704 _Myrsidea_ sp. |Sulphury Flat-billed | | Flycatcher |40685 _Philopterus excisus_ |Cave Swallow |40697 _Philopterus_ sp. |Sulphury Flat-billed | | Flycatcher |40682, 40686 _Philopterus_ sp. |Great Kiskadee |40664 _Philopterus_ sp. |Turquoise-browed Motmot |Specimen not | |preserved _Philopterus_ sp. |Yellow-green Vireo |40804 _Penerirmus_ sp. |Red-capped Green | | Woodp.e.c.k.e.r |40594 _Quadraceps a.s.similis major_ |Snowy Plover |40431 _Quadraceps a.s.similis major_ |Wilson Plover |40432, 40436 _Quadraceps carrikeri_ |Willet |40442 _Quadraceps ravus_ |Spotted Sandpiper |40438 _Quadraceps_ sp. |Laughing Gull |40449 _Saemundssonia brevicornis_ |Cabot Tern |40452

SUMMARY

Locality records are given for each of 136 species of birds represented by 493 specimens and sight records are given for eight additional species.

The Yellow-headed Vulture is reported apparently for the first time from the peninsula. The specimens of the Streak-headed Woodhewer and the Louisiana Waterthrush are the second ones of each species taken on the peninsula. The Purple Martin taken on August 14, the Barn Swallow on August 18, and the Louisiana Waterthrush on August 14 represent earliest known autumn dates for these transients.

Evidence for breeding is given for 20 species for the first time and extensions of the known breeding seasons are presented for 41 species.

Fourteen genera, representing about 19 species, of Mallophaga are reported for 20 different species of bird hosts.

At Piste and Puerto Juarez, species of birds such as the Blue Honeycreeper and the Red-capped Manakin, normally thought of as characteristic of more humid areas, were found breeding in numbers near _cenotes_. However, they were not seen to venture far into the surrounding deciduous forest. The availability of suitable habitat brought on by the rainy season and the regular occurrence of _cenotes_ helps to explain the presence of such species far outside the Rain Forest zone.

LITERATURE CITED

BLAKE, E. R.

1953. Birds of Mexico a guide for field identification. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, xxix + 644 pp.

BRODKORB, P.

1943. Birds from the gulf lowlands of southern Mexico. Misc. Publ., Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan., 55:1-88, January 30.

FRIEDMANN, H., GRISCOM, L., and MOORE, R. T.

1950. Distributional check-list of the birds of Mexico Part I. Pac.

Coast Avif., 29:1-202, June 30.

JOHNSTON, R. F.

1962. The taxonomy of pigeons. Condor, 64:69-74, January 30.

LOWERY, G. H., JR. and BERRETT, D. G.

1963. A new Carolina Wren (Aves: Troglodytidae) from southern Mexico.

Occas. Papers Mus. Zool., Louisiana St. Univ., 24:1-3, December 20.

MILLER, A. H., FRIEDMANN, H., GRISCOM, L., and MOORE, R. T.

1957. Distributional check-list of the birds of Mexico Part II. Pac.