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SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 397

JANSON,C. H., J. TERBORGH,AND L. H. EMMONS. 1981. ogy of tanagersand honeycreepersin Trinidad. Auk Non-flying as pollinating agentsin the Am- 88:291-322. azonian Forest. Biotropica (Suppl) 13:l-6. TODD, F. S., N. B. GALE, AND D. THOMPSON. 1973. KRUKOFF,B. A., AND R. C. BARNEBY.1974. Conspectus BreedingCrimson-rumped Toucanetsat Los Angeles of speciesof the genusErythrina. Lloydia (Cinci.) 37: Zoo. Int. Zoo Yearb. 13:117-l 20. 332-459. TOLEDO,V. M. 1974. Observations on the relationship RILEY, C. M. 1986. Foraging behavior and sexual di- between hummingbirds and Erythrina .Lloy- morphism in Emerald Toucanets in Costa Rica. dia (Cinci.) 371482-487. M.Sc.thesis, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville. WHEELWRIGHT,N. T., W. A. HABER,K. G. MURRAY,AND SKUTCH,A. F. 1944. The life history of the Prong-billed C. GUINDON. 1984. Tropical fruit-eating and Barbet. Auk 61:61-88. their food plants: a survey of a Costa Rican lower SNOW,B. K., AND D. W. SNOW. 1971. The feeding ecol- montane forest. Biotropica 16:173-192.

The Condor88:397-398 OT ‘he Cooper Ornithological Soaety 1986

SPEED OF FLAPPING FLIGHT OF AND PEREGRINE ’

WILLIAM W. COCHRAN Illinois Natural History Survey,607 E. PeabodyDr., Champaign, IL 61820 ROGERD. APPLEGATE Division of Scienceand Mathematics, M120, Parkland College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign, IL 61821

Key words: Flight; speed;Falco peregrinus;Falco col- speedsof one peregrine, in 12-min and lo-min straight umbarius; migration;flappingjlight. tracks, were 64 and 62 km/hr, respectively. In general, flight speedsreported in the literature have Flapping flight speeddata were obtained for four Merlins emphasized maximum capabilities; for the peregrine, (Falco columbarius)and six PeregrineFalcons (Falcoper- claimed by some to be the fastestbird in the world, reports egrinus)while they were being radio tracked during a mi- may sometimes have been exaggerated.Although maxi- gration study. The study involved over 16,000 km of ob- mum speedcapabilities of Merlins and peregrinesare cer- servationsof 29 birds and provided copiousdata on average tainly higher than we show, our data on flight speedsare speed in mixed or unknown flight modes. Merlins and more typical and probably representspeed ranges provid- peregrines usually soared during migration and seldom ing good aerodynamic efficiency. flew steadily on a straight path when hunting (Cochran We thank T. Erdman and D. Berger for trapping the 1975:33).This behavior severelylimited opportunitiesfor falcons studied and M. Anderson, P. Lazarevich, and es- measuring speed of flapping flight. The data presented pecially A. Raim for assistancein tracking. W. Edwards were obtained by a variety of radiotelemetric techniques and R. Larkin critically reviewed the manuscript. (Cochran 1972, 1985) and were selectedfor periods when (1) the flight path was known to be approximately straight, (2) continuous telemetric and intermittent visual obser- vation confirmed a flapping mode of flight, and (3) the TABLE 1. Average speedsof Merlins and peregrinesin birds were in approximatelylevel flight below about 100-m flapping flight on straight migratory flights, measured to altitude, where winds were measured and taken into ac- the nearest 0.5 km/hr. count. Our fastest peregrine speeds (Table 1) were less than most lower limits of speedranges reported in the literature: 63 to 290 km/hr (Dorst 1974:34), 241 to 322 km/hr (Bent /I/m 20 48.5 48.5 1938:59-60), and a lOO-km/hr groundspeedin level flight Merlin/I/m 28.5 30 30.5 (Meinertzhagen 1955). Of course,speeds reported in dives Merlin/A/f 30.5 74 (400 km/hr, Newton 1985) and in airplane chases (287 Merlin/I/f 40.5 30 4: km/hr, Storer 1952), are not comparable to those of the peregrineswe observedin unstressedlevel flight. The fast- Mean = 45.6 39.3 est Merlin airspeed,48 km/hr, is the same as that reported Peregrine/A/f :: E 50 49 by Bond (1936). We found no other referencesto Merlin Peregrine/I/f 49.5 36.5 flight speed. Both the mean and the maximum peregrine Peregrine/I/f 9 53 53.5 airspeedsexceed those of the Merlin, but the difference of Peregrine/I/m 9 36.5 36.5 means was not significant(P > 0.05, t = 0.83, df = 8). In Peregrine/I/m 17 70 50.5 addition to flapping flight speeds,horizontal gliding air- Peregrine/I/m 129.5” 35 36 Mean = 48.8 43.7

aA = adult, I = immature, f = female, m = male. ’ ’ Received 13 November 1985. Final acceptance 31 b Time interval over which speed was calculated. March 1986. r Flights in strong cross winds. 398 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

LITERATURE CITED grationConf. for Migration Associationof . BENT, A. C. 1938. Life historiesof North American birds DORST,J. 1974. The life ofbirds. Vol. 1. Columbia Univ. of prey. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 170. Press,New York. BOND, R. M. 1936. Speedand eyesightof a pigeonhawk. MEINERTZHAGEN,R. 1955. The speedand altitude ofbird Condor 38:85. flight (with notes on other ). Ibis 97:81-l 17. COCHRAN,W. W. 1972. Long distancetracking of birds. NEWTON,I. 1985. Birds of prey-the raptors, p. 102- NASA SP 262~39-59. 121. In C. M. Penins and A.L.A. Middleton [eds.], COCHRAN,W. W. 1975. Following a migrating peregrine The encyclopediaof birds. Facts-On-File, New York. from Wisconsin to Mexico. Hawk Chalk 14:28-37. STORER,J. H. 1952. aerodynamics. Sci. Am. 186: COCHRAN,W. W. 1985. Ocean migration of Peregrine 24-29. raicons:=_1.. ~~ IST- .I._me aaun-J--II male_--1. pelagic:.--1--:_” r-rot.n_-- r-nawnTT_...,.ivu-%I:

TheCondor 88:398-401 0 The CooperOmlthological Society I986

OBSERVATIONS ON THE BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY OF THE MARIANA CROW ’

DIANA F. TOMBACK~ Department of Zoology and Entomology, Colorado State University,Fort Collins, CO 80523

Key words: Mariana Crow; Mariana Islands; Guam: Guam’s endangeredavifauna is currently in preparation, Rota; endangeredavifauna; . much of the anecdotal information available for these specieshas come primarily through the efforts of J. Mark The Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryz?is found on the is- Jenkins (1983). lands of Guam and Rota in the Mariana Islands of Mi- I observed the Mariana Crow on Guam and Rota for cronesia.An attractive, fairly tame island inhabitant, the 15 days during July 1980. Although the study was brief, Mariana Crow is small with short, broad wings, a green the observations supplement the information in Jenkins glossto the black head plumage, and a blue glossto the (1983), presenting additional details on the ecology and black body plumage. Patches of gray feather basesin the behavior of the crow. body plumage and white feather basesin the neck region STUDY AREAS AND METHODS are often exposed. The bill and feet are black, eyes are brown, and nasal bristles are prominent. As in other cor- The Mariana Islands lie above the Equator, midway be- vids, the juveniles have short, flutTy head plumage. In tween and New Guinea and about 2000 km east of addition, young Mariana Crows are disheveled in ap- the Philippines; Guam and Rota are situated about 14”N pearance;exposed feather baseson the breast show aslight and 145”E. Guam, a United States trust territory, is the patches, the black plumage has a brown cast, and flight largestand best known of the Mariana Islands. Rota, ad- feathers may appear worn at the tips. As suggestedby ministered by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar- Baker (195 I), C. kubaryi may be closelyrelated to C. enca iana Islands, lies about 59 km northeast of Guam. For of the Malayan and Philippine regions. He further spec- both islands the year-round climate is humid, with day- ulatesthat “C. kubarvi is an isolated and modified suecies time temperaturesabout 30°C or higher. Details concem- of crow, which probably has been living at Guam and ing the geology, weather, flora, and fauna of Guam are Rota for a considerablelength of time.” Features which available in Stone (1970) Moore and McMakin (1979) differ from the candidate ancestral speciesinclude small and Eldredge(1983). Plant communities referred to in this size, slender bill, and dull coloration. Goodwin (1976) report are found on both Guam and Rota and have been believes, however, that aside from the geographicprox- described in detail by Moore and McMakin (1979) and imity of C. enca, any Corvusspecies could be ancestral. Jenkins (1983). The Mariana Crow is a little-known specieswhose pop- I observed the Mariana Crow on Guam from 4 to 11 ulations have suffereddeclines over the past 25 years. In and 25 to 27 July 1980, in limestone forest and coastal 1975, the crow was placed on the Trust Territory Endan- gered Specieslist; in 1984, it was placed on the U.S. Fed- eral EndangeredSpecies List alongwith the Bridled White- TABLE 1. Flock sizes observed for the Mariana Crow. eye (Zosteropsc. conspicillatus),Guam Flycatcher (Myi- agra freycineti), Micronesian Kingfisher (Halcyon c. cin- No. of times namomina), Vanikoro Swiftlet (Aerodramusvanikorensis Flock sire observed bartschii),Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropusguamI>, and Guam Rail (Rallus owstoni; revised nomenclature, Guam 1 5 Pyle and Engbring 1985). Although a recovery plan for 2 5 4 1 5 2 Rota 1 1 ’ Received 19 November 1985. Final acceptance3 April : 104 1986. 4 3 2 Presentaddress: Department of Biology, University of 6 1 Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO 80202.