A Sight Record of the Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia from Central Peru

Michael Gochfeld* and G. Stuart Keith*

The Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia .The were moving slowly through (Chlorophonia pyrrophrys) is known from the canopy along a ridge close to the Tingo northwestern Venezuela through the Colombian Maria-Hufinuco road, and we observed them at Andes to eastern Ecuador (Meyer de Schauen- about eye level, from a distance of about 75 see, The Species of Birds of South America, meters, through a 25 power telescope. We had Livingston, 1966). On September 23, 1972, at ample opportunity to recognize the diagnostm 6800 ft. (2060 meters) elevation on the northeast features of the male as it perched for about two slope of the CarpishMountains, Department of minutes on an exposed branch. We noted the Hufinuco, central-eastern Peru, Dan and Erica *Department of Ornithology American Museum of Tallman and the authors observeda pair of these Natural History, New York, NY 10024.

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Volume 28, Number 5 961 green throat bordered by a narrow black band, malesof thetwo speciesare, however,strikingly the rusty central abdomenwith yellow sides and different. flanks, and the greenupperparts with bright blue This sight record is apparentlythe first report crown and yellow rump. The female was gener- of this speciesfrom Peru, and extendsits known ally duller, lacking the "chestnut" central abdo- range about 550 miles (880 kilometers) from its men and yellow rump, but possessingthe blue nearest known locality in eastern Ecuador. The crown. The authorswere previously familiar with occurrenceof a pair together suggeststhat they two other members of the genus, the Golden- were resident birds, rather than migrantsor wan- browed Chlorophonia, C. (occipitalis) derers. Further field work is needed to document callophrys, and the Blue-naped Chlorophonia, this record and determine the status of the C.cyanea. The former is known only from Costa species in central and northern Peru. Rica and Panama, while the latter is widespread It is worth mentioning that in Colombia, this •n South America, and is the only Chlorophonia speciesis known from all three Andean ranges, known from Peru (Meyer de Schauensee, 1966, but apparently not at all from the Pacific slope ot. cit.). One additional South American species, except in Narifio, (Meyer de Schauensee,The the distinctive Yellow-collared Chlorophonia Birds of Colombia, Livingston, 1964). On April (C.fiavirostris) is known from a very few speci- 11, 1973, Guy Tudor, Michel Kleinbaum, Robert mens from southwestern Colombia and Ecuador. Gochfeld, and one of the authors (M.G.) We were shortly able to comparethe male we observed a pair of these chlorophoniason the observed with a colored plate in Meyer de crest of the western Andes, one kilometer north Schauensee'sThe Birds of South America (plate of the Cali-Buenaventura road, Department of 40). In examiningskins of this and other species Valle, Colombia, at an altitude of about 6600 ft. •n the American Museumof Natural History, we (2000 meters). Thus it would be no surpriseto further confirmed our identification, We did find that this speciesof subtropicaland temperate notice that there is individual variation in the elevationsoccurs elsewhere on the Pacific slope extent of the "chestnut" color on the underparts of Colombia. This is significantsince, except for of the males. Moreover, we remarked that the the Pacific slope, forests are rapidly being de- female of musica aureata, the Peru- stroyed in Colombia. wan race of the Blue-hooded Euphonia, has a We would like to thank the variouspeople who pattern remarkably similar to that of the female participated in the trips to Peru and Colombia, Chestnut-breastedChlorophonia. Both of these Mr. Manuel Plenge of Lima, and F. Carlos b•rds lack the yellow rumps present in their Lehmann of the Museum of Natural History in respective males, and both have bright blue Cali, were particularly helpful in providing crowns (different in shade), with chestnut lores information on their respective countries. We meetingabove the bill. The female Chlorophonia thank EugeneEisenmann for readingand criticis- •s brighter green, particularly on the throat. The ing the manuscript.

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962 American B•rds, October, 1974