Vol. 30, No. 6 by Frank P. Frazier Jr. in 1966 I Lived for About Five Months

EBBA NEWS - Vol. 30, No. 6 259 "BACK-YARD" BIRDS IN EASTERN PERU By Frank P. Frazier Jr. In 1966 I lived for about five months, from May to September, at an hacienda on the eastern slopes of the Andes near the town of San Ramon, Peru; this sojourn, together with fairly regular visits at other times during my 4f years of residence in Lima on the coast, afforded an acquain tance with the biros of that region on a ''back-yard" intimate basis, more so than was possible on excursions from Lima to various other parts of the country, especially since I was able to use mist-nets here. San Ramon is about 200 miles northeast of Lima, at about 11° south of the Equator, at an elevation of approximately 2,300 feet above sea level. The hacienda is some 400 feet higher. It is in a region known in Peru as the Ghanchamayo Valley (often cited in reports of certain orni thological expeditions), in the upper part of the humid tropical zone. However, its location only 35 miles by road and much less directly, from the mountain city of Tarma at 10,500 feet altitude, appears to account for the occasional presence of subtropical and even, at times, mountain birds. At the hacienda, warm days (never as hot as New Jersey at its wannest) and cool, sometimes chilly nights are the rule. ~ C' L PERU ) II I 0 lc.o A 260 EBBA Nt~S - Vol. JO, No. 6 FRAZHR - Birds in Eastern Peru 261 The original forest has largely been cut away, although some apparent table magnet for birds, which fed there throughout the day. At times, ly virgin jungle persists on hill tops visible from the hacienda, and most there might be JO or 40 hummingbirds and 20 or so Bananaquits in it at of the region is dedicated to coffee and avocado plantations - both of one time, together with a few larger birds. · which, fortunately, afford conditions comparable to second-growth forest since coffee needs shade, and most of the nearby plantations were more or Many of the birds often seen around the house fed in this tree with less left alone except for sporadic thinning of underbrush. Not much of varying regularity, but by far the most abundant bird there was a large this was being done while I was there due to economic and labor troubles hununingbird, genus Colibri - very similar to the Sparkling Violet-ear throughout the region. (~libri coruscans) of western ~ean slopes, and possibly conspecific WJ.th it; there were, however, dJ.fferences, but I was never able to sat Most of my observations were made at and around the hacienda, about isfy myself, at the museum in Lima, which ·of the several other possible two miles outside of San Ramon. The house, on a hillside, is surrounded species this was. Unfortunately, none of these hummers ever entered a by low grasses and thick shrubbery with occasional trees, and just beyond, net. Second in abundance at the Oropel tree was the Banananuit (Coe reba flaveola)wJ?-ch, unlike the Colibri '1-Thich I seldom saw elsewhere, is an by ·~ods", i.e. largely untended coffee and avocado plantation. Most of the time, I kept one or two nets set along the edge of the shrubbery not abw:'dant bird around the hacienda.. So are the icterids, the Yellow-rumped far from the house and occasionally, when time pennitted (as this was not ~cJ.que (Cacicus cela) and Russet-crowned Oropendola (Psarocolius angus an ornithological expedition and business needed attention), I set nets tJ.frons); a few of each - particularly the Cacique - wero ahrays in the back farther in the woods. While these tended to catch only a certain Oropel in September. element of the local birdlife - the "skulkers" and low-level birds - the nets produced many birds I might not have observed otherwise, at least Parakeets (but never parrots) occasion not well enough to identify. No banding was done, as I was not there long ally flew over the hacienda in noisy, high enough to conduct any organized project, and the loeal residents would flying groups, but the only ol".Cls I was able have little idea of what a band meant, should they find a bird wearing one. to identify 1-1ere v.hlte-eycd Par:"keets (Ara tinp;a leucophthalnrus), 12 to 20 of which came A table summarizing my observations follows but one phenomenon de in a flock every morning shortly after dawn, serves special mention. In front of the hacienda house was a tall tree, to feed in the Oropel. Two other species some 50 or 60 feet tall, known as an Oropel (genus Erythrina; I know no were seen only in this tree '1-!h:Ue it was in other name for it). Host of the time this tree had nothing to call atten bloom - a sin le female Black-throated ~Iango tion to it except for its size, but during the second half of August it (Anthracocorax nigricolli s), a drab humming gradually lost its leaves, and then produced countless small red flowers bird with a black line do>m the middle of the which lasted until late September. In its flowering period, when from underparts, and from one to three pairs of afar it was a red patch against the deep green background, it was a veri- Barred Antshrike Purple Honeycreepers (Cyanorpa,c; caeruleus ), ('fhrunnophilus doliatus) male and female almost ahrays together, which came regularly while the tree was in bloom. The following table lists the 83 species of birds found in and around the hacienda, with symbols under the habitat columns to indicate their rel ative abundance. The habitat columns are headed as follows: 1. Shrubbery and low trees near the hacienda house and/or around the town of San Ramon. 2. Higher trees in settled area; flying overhead. 3. The "woods" - seldom or never seen around the house. 4. Open country - fields at the hacienda or in the level land below, along the river and near town. 262 EBBA NEWS - Vol. JO, No. 6 FRAZIER - Biros in Eastern Peru 263 Where none o:f the above apply, appropriate notes are made, Symbols Common Name Scientific Name _1_ L ...L 4 indicating abundance are: Emerald Toucanet Aulacornynchus prasinus s A. Abundant, many seen daily. Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus u Gold-fronted Piculet Picurnnus aurlfrons u c. Common, one or more seen daily. Yellow-tufted Woodpecke~ Melanerpes cruentatus c Red-stained Woodpecker Venilornis affinis 1 (2) u. Uncommon, seen regularly but not daily. Little Woodpecker Venilornis passerinus c s. Scarce, seen quite infrequently but not so much so as to be con Great Antshrike Ta.raba major 1(2: a pair) sidered rare. Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus A Stripe-chested Antwren Myrmotherula longicauda 2 1 ,2,3 etc. Rare: the number refers to nwnber of occasions seen; a Black-crowned Tityra Tityra inquisitor 1 number in parentheses following this, indicates the number o:f Little Ground-tyrant Muscisaxicola fluviatilis Near river: C individuals seen i:f more than one on any occasion. Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans A Long-tailed Tyrant Colonia colonus u * (Asterisk) - see notes on certain individual species at end o:f the table. Tropical Kingbird T,rrannus melancholicus A A A .Streaked F1.ycatcher l1yiodynastes maculatus s C' Common Name Scientific Name 2 __l_ 4 Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis •) c Gray-capped Flycatcher Hyiozetetes granadensis Cattle i~gret Bubulcus ibis 1 (6 )* Common Tody-~catcher Todirostrum cinereum c 'furkey Vulture Catha.rtes aura c Giant El.aenia Inaenia gigas 1 (2) Plumbeous Kite Ictinia plumbea 2(3) Olive-striped Flycatcher l1ionectes olivaceus 1 Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus ( 1 : 7,000 ft. alt.) Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo albonotatus 1 Ochre-bellied Flycatcher Pipromorpha oleaginea u White-winged Swallow Tachycineta albiventer S* Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris c Blue & rNhite Swallow Notiochelidon qyanoleuca A Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyu:rus s White-banded Swallow Atticora fasciata u Speckled Chachalaca Ortalis euttata u c Rough-winged swallow Stelgidopte~ ruficollis c c Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia Riverside ( 1 ) ~ House hlren Troglodytes aedon A Ruddy Ground .Dwe Columbigallina talpacoti c A Q Swainson's Thrush Hylocichla ustulata Gray-fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla u Black-billed Thrush Turous ignobilis S* U* c Russet-crowned Warbler Basileuterus coronatus 1 White~yed Parakeet Aratinga leucophthalma Oropel tree: see River Warbler Basileuterus rivularis Bushes near river: Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana u above c Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani c A Bananaquit Coereba na veola A A Barn Owl Tyto alba 4 Purple Honeycraaper Cyanerpes caeruleus Oropel tree (3 pr.) Blue Dacnis Dacnis cayana s Band-bellied Owl Pulsatrix melanota 1 * * Sand-colored Night 'ha1oik Chordeiles rupestris Swallow-Tanager Tersina vi ridi s s A* Purple-throated Euphonia Tanagra chlorotica c Pauraque Nyctidro!ID.ls albicollis A \Vhite-collared SWift streptoprocne zonaris S* Thick-billed Euphonia Tanagra laniirostris 2 Chestnut-collared SWift Cypseloi.des :rutilu s 1 * Golden-bellied Euphonia Tanagra chrysopasta * Paradise Tanager Tangara chilensis 1 (4) Fork-~~iled Wood Nymph '!'hal urania furca ta A Blue-necked Tanager Tangara cyanicollis c Black-throated ~ango Anthracocorax nigricollis Oro pel tree ( 1 ) Turquoise Tanager Tangara mexicana u Violetear (sp.?) Colibri sp. Oro pel tree (A) 3luish-fronted Jacamar Galbula qyanescens s Black-spotted Barbet Capito niger u 264 EBBA NEI~S - Vol. 30, No. 6 FRAZit:R - 3irds in Eastern Peru Common Name Scientific Name _1_ 2 4 _l_ (*) Individual species notes: Blue & Yellow Tanager Thraupis bonariensis U* Blue-gray Tanager Thra.upis virens A A Cattle Egret - (cf.

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