FIRST NESTING RECORD

December nesting of the Collared in western Mexico

With notes on identifi'cation

Ralph S. Widrig

URINGTHE WINTER of 1977-1978 I limetersexposed on its larger end, sug- ling just old enoughto fly was collected spent some months in San Bias, gestingthat incubation was far advanced May 13, 1952 at the Isthmusof Tehuan- Nayarit, Mexico studyingthe abundant and that hatchingwould probablyoccur tepec,Veracruz (Binford, 1968)and very birdlife of thisremarkable area. Having a within a few days. small chicks were observed with their particularinterest in shorebirds,I wanted On December 2, I checked the nest parentsin ChiapasMay 20, 1952 (Ama- to find the Collared Plover ( again. An adult was incubatingthe 3 don and Eckelberry1955). A year after collaris), whichhas been reported as oc- eggs, the secondadult was presentsome my observation,on December 23, 1978, casionalthere (Clow 1977), and is found 90 m from the nest site, and neither Kenn Kaufman found a nest near the regularly in small numberson the San displayed. town of San Blas. Bias Christmas Bird Count. For several I VISITEDTHE NEST again on December 4. "The nestlocality was just inlandfrom days I searchedfeeding flocks of Semi- One of the adultswas incubating,and the town of San Blas, at the junctionof palmatedPlover (C. semipalmatus),Wil- the second adult was about 45 m from the Highway 54 and the road to Mantanchen son's Plover (C. wilsonia), and Snowy nestwhen I approached.The incubating Bay. The surroundingarea was man- Plover (C. alexandrinus)on the outer bird departedas usual, but the second grove swamp,but therewas a large open beachesand estuarybars, but could not adult commenceda slow, continuousrun mudflat at the corner where the two roads find any C. collaris. On November 30, with head and tail low, as if concealing met. The nestsite was surroundedby an 1977, I was scanningan extensivearea of its departure,unlike the short,rapid runs extensivepatch of short( + 3" tall), light dryingmud, or marisma,about 5 km in- observedon the previousdays. I could green succulentplants; it was separated land when I discovereda small, beauti- see no chicks. The nest contained one from the nearestopen water by about100 fully markedplover feedingalone. As I egg, and therewere no shellfragments or yardsof dampflats. The nestitself wasa approachedthe bird for a better view, a evidenceof predation.I believe the sec- circularscrape with a few dry twigscov- secondbird, which seemedto be execut- ond adultwas tendingtwo chicksat some ering the bottom. When found, the nest ing a "rodent run", appearedoff to my distancefrom the nest site when I ap- containedone egg and one very recently left The first bird was, beyondquestion, proached.I could not find them near the hatcheddowny young (still had egg tooth C collaris. I retreated and concentrated nest, and assumed the second bird had on bill). While we examined the nest, on observingthe bird that had run off to hidden them before commencingits both adultsremained in the area, calling the left. After about 20 minutes it re- "concealed departure." I did not ap- anxiously,but they gave no distraction traced its course, bobbed its head, and proach the area where the chicks may displayof any sort.On December24 the settledin the incubatingposture typical have been hiddenfor fear of steppingon nest was empty; there were no signsof of small . As I rose to approach, them. predation,and both adultswere showing the bird ran off at least 60 m with no I returnedto the siteon the morningof apparent concern at our presence, so we display. The nestlay in a cattle track in December 5. I saw no adults and the re- assumedthat the secondegg had hatched damp but firm mud, sparselylined with mainingegg was cold. I assumedthat the and that bothyoung were hidingnearby" dry grass, and contained 3 tan-colored adults had taken the chicks to another (pets. comm.). eggs, dotted and scrawled with dark areafor feedingand rearing.I neversaw Later in December I located two more brown. Meanwhile, the first bird ob- themagain. The remainingegg measured adult pairs of this uncommonplover served stood motionlessapproximately 30 by 21 millimeters. Both were in similar habitat--drying 100 m from the nest. In the literatureI have found no pre- mud with shallow water nearby--and On December 1, I again approached viousnest record of this speciesnorth of bothpairs were exhibitingwhat I believe the nest, and again the incubatingbird , although evidence of was courtship behavior. One bird ap- departedwithout any display. I thendid a breedingin Mexico has been reported proachedthe other,puffing out its breast float checkof oneof the eggs,using luke- and Monroe (1968) alsoreported downy feathers and, with head erect, chased the warm water. The eggfloated with 10 mil- youngC. collaris in Honduras.A fledg- other bird in a continuous run for about

Vol 37, Number 3 273 45 m Both then stoppedabruptly, verschmidt(1968) mightbetter be usedto LITERATURE CITED and the chasewas repeatedan the oppo- notethis mark. More important,the leg sitedirection. After perhaps2 minutesof colorof C. collarisappeared in thefield, AMADON, D. and D.R. ECKELBERRY this performance, the birds resumed very muchthe sameas C. semipalmatus 1955. Observations on Mexican Birds Condor 57:65-80. feedingtogether. Semipalmated and Wil- in winter:pale yellow-orange. Although BINFORD, LAURENCEC. 1968.A prelimi- son'splovers were present in the display both Ridgely(1976) and Land (1970) nary surveyof the avifaunaof theMexican area; C. collaris appearedto tolerate mentionthe yellowish color of the legs; stateof Oaxaca. Unpubl. Ph.D. disserta- them. I foundno morenests; possibly the mostother books indicate that the legs are tion,Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge two displayingpairs nestedin a nearby pink.There has been no study of itsvari- BLAKE, E.R. 1977.Manual of Neotroplcal marisma.By the end of Decemberthey ations. The bill of C. collaris is dissimi- Birds, Vol. 1. Universityof Chicago had left the areas under observation. lar to that of C. semipalmatusin winter. Press. CLOW, WILLIAM. 1977. A winter checklist C. collarishas a bill approximately20% of thebirds of SanBlas. Point Reyes Bird URINGMY OBSERVATIONS I hadan ex- longerthan semipalmatus but collaris is a Observatory,Stinson Beach, Calif. cellent opportunityto comparethe considerablysmaller bird whoseweight HAVERSCHMIDT, F. 1968. Birds of Suri- field marksof the threespecies of small isnearly 30% less than semipalmatus; its nam.Edinburgh, London. Oliver & Boyd ploverswhich were present, and frequent bill is longand thin (Haverschmidt 1968) Publ. observationsof the SnowyPlover on the comparedto the short,stubby one of se- LAND, HUGH C. 1970. Birds of Guatemala outerbeaches during this period was also mipalmatus.Probably one of the most Wynnewood,PA: LivingstonPubl. Co MONROE, BURT L. JR. A distributional helpful for comparison.In field marks diagnosticfield marks of the Collared survey of the Birds of Honduras. Law- and behavior the Collared Plover most Ploveris its incompletewhite collar. In rence, Kans.: Allen Press,American Orni- closelyresembles the SemipalmatedPlo- fact, Collared Plover is a misnomer. Col- thologists'Union, Monograph 7. ver duringthe winter months,but its pos- laris,contrary to whatis foundin many PETERSON, R.T. and EDWARD L. CHA- ture is more like that of the SnowyPlo- works,is not closely related to the ringed LIF 1973. A field guideto Mexicanbirds ver: rather erect. Although Petersoh's plovers, all of which have white collars Boston.Houghton Mifflin Co. RIDGELY, ROBERT S. A guideto the birds excellentpicture of C. collaris (Peterson thatcompletely encircle their necks; it is of Panama. PrincetonUniversity Press, andChalif 1973), showsclearly the deli- a memberof a southerngroup of plovers, Princeton, N.J. cate cinnamoncoloring on the head and all slim in appearanceand all of which neck, one must be close to the bird for have a roddishhood (falklandicus,bi- --1515 Lakeside Ave S, this to show, even when the bird is in cinctus,and ruficapillus,for example) Seattle, Washington breedingplumage. The picture in Ha- and no white on the back of the neck. 98144

'RARE OCCURRENCE

A record of BlackburnJan Warbler (Deudroica fusca) for southeastern Brazil

Theodore A. Parker, III

Norman Hill, and Fred and Naomi canopybirds in this region. aN brightly-colored,DECEMBER 1, 1982male-plumaged I found Loetscher. I thank AugustoRuschi for introduc- BlackburuianWarbler (Dendroicafusca) The BlackburnianWarbler was pre- ing me to the birds of Nova Lombardfa at an elevation of ca. 800 m in the Nova viouslyknown from the highlands of Bo- andfor sharinghis extensive knowledge Lombard•aReserve, about 10 km west of livar andAmazonas, Venezuela (Meyer of them. SantaTereza, Espirito Santo, southeast- de Schauenseeand Phelps 1978) south ern Brazil. This reserve is a small island through the Andes to La Paz, Bolivia of humidmontane forest surrounded by (Parkeret al. 1980,Remsen and Traylor LITERATURE CITED coffeeplantations. The warbler associat- 1983).Meyer de Schauenseeand Phelps MEYER DE SCHAUENSEE,R., andW H ed with a mixed-speciesflock in the can- (op. cit.) include northernBrazil in the PHELPS,JR. 1978.A guideto the birds of opy that containedtanagers: Gilt-edged rangeof the species,but I was unableto Venezuela.Princeton Univ. Press,Prince- (Tangara cyanoventris), Green-headed find the source of this reference. The ton, N.J. (T seledon)and Flame-crested(Tachy- mountainsof Espirito Santo are over PARKER,T. A., II1, J. V. REMSEN, JR , phonus cristatus) and furnariids Buff- 3700 km from Amazonas, Venezuela and and J. A. HEINDEL. 1980. Seven bird frontedFoliage-gleaner (Phylidor rufus) nearly 2800 km from La Paz, Bolivia. speciesnew to Bolivia. Bull. Br. Or- andStreaked Xenops (Xenops rutilans). Whetherour recordrepresents an isolated nithol. Club 100:160-162. The warbler gleaned small leaves on occurrenceor suggeststhat a small win- REMSEN,J. V., JR., andM. A. TRAYLOR, slender branches about 20 m above teringpopulation of Dendroicafuscahas JR. 1983. Additions to the avifauna of Bo- ground. It was carefully watchedfor been overlookedin the highlandsof livia, part 2. Condor85:95-98. about 5 minutesby myself and the southeastern Brazil cannot be determined --Museum of Zoology, following observers (all familiar with at this time. The speciesshould be LouisianaState Universtry, the species):Harvey and Eva Gilston, watchedfor in mixed-speciesflocks of Baton Rouge, LA 70893

274 AmericanBirds, May-June 1983