Cotinga 25 Neotropical Notebook Figure 4. Grass-green Tanager Chloromis riefferii at the nest, Tandyapa Valley, Ecuador, July 2004 (Murray Cooper) Figures 1-2. Willet Catoptrophorus Figure 5. Andean Teal Anas andium, Lagunas Arrebiatadas, prov. San Ignacio, dpto. semipalmatus young, Cabo Rojo salt Cajamarca, Peru, April 2003 (Jessica Amanzo) flats, Puerto Rico, June 2002 (José A. Colón López) Figure 3. Breeding-plumaged drake Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera, Punta Moreno, Isabela, Galápagos, 15 October 2004 (Michael V. Kostecke) Figura 6. Individuo con leucismo parcial de Saltator aurantiirostris, Reserva Provincial Las Lancitas, 28 de julio de 2003 (Pablo G. Grilli) 80 Cotinga 2 5 Neotropical Notebook contains October 2001. Furthermore, one registro de Avoceta three sections. The first consists of was present at the mouth of the Recurvirostra americana short papers documenting records. río Mayari, Holguin province, in (Aves: Charadriiformes) en Photos and descriptions are January 2005 (C. Peña pers. Cuba. El Pitirre 9 ( 2 ) : 3 . published where appropriate. The comm.), two were observed at La 3 . Garrido O. H. & Kirkconnell, second section summarises records Salinas, Zapata, on 22 April 2004 A. (2000) Field guide to the published elsewhere, following the ( C o t i n g a 23: 89), with two also birds of Cuba. Ithaca, NY: format established in previous there on 6 February 2005 (O. Cornell University Press. issues of Cotinga. The third lists González). Considering these 4 . Pérez Cabañas, C. M. & unpublished and undocumented new records, the result of Blanco Rodríguez, P. (2002) records. Please indicate, with increased observer effort in Nuevos registros de aves submissions, in which section you recent years, we consider that acuáticas para el humedal wish your records to appear. the species’ status in Cuba costero de la laguna el should be re-evaluated as a rare Mangón, Península de Hicacos, Cuba. El Pitirre 1 5 : SHORT NOTES winter resident (i.e. 1-5 sightings per year expected in 134-135. the appropriate habitat and 5 . Raffaele, H , Wiley, J., Garrido, American Avocet Recurvirostra season3), which might prove to be O., Keith, A. & Raffaele, J. (1998) A guide to the birds of americana wintering in Birama locally uncommon at localities the West Indies. Princeton, swamp, Granma province, such as Birama. American Avocet winters from NJ: Princeton University Cuba Press. The Ciénaga de Birama is the south-coastal British Columbia second-largest marsh in Cuba (rarely), but mostly in coastal lowlands from northern Omar Hernández (21.9 km2) and is poorly explored Empresa para la Protección de la by ornithologists, with the California, western Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and Flora y la Fauna, Birama, exception of Leonero Lagoon. The Granma province, Cuba. region is traversed by the río Alabama south to southern Cauto, the country’s longest river, Mexico and casually to Central America, as well as locally in Arturo Kirkconnell and and the marsh is located on the Emilio Alfaro lowest-lying part of the Cauto Delaware and southern Florida. It migrates primarily through Museo Nacional de Historia plain, adjacent to Guacanayabo Natural de Cuba, Calle Obispo 61, Bay, Granma province (20°3 5 4 ’N the western USA, more rarely through interior and eastern Plaza las Armas, Ciudad de La 7 7 ° 1 5 ’W ). Habana 10100, Cuba. On 24 January 2001, at Las North America, and south to the Yaguas Lagoon, in the Ciénaga Gulf coast and Florida'. In the Greater Antilles, Raffaele et al? Ernesto Reyes de Birama, two American Avocets Estación de Investigaciones Recurvirostra americana were considered it a very rare non­ breeding resident in the Integrales de la Montaña, CITMA, photographed. On 12 November Holguin, Cuba. 2003 at Birama Lagoon we Bahamas (Andros, San Salvador) recorded 16 individuals, then on and Cuba, primarily in July-January and April, and a Received 4 March 2005; final 18 January 2004 three birds, revision accepted 4 May 2005 with four on 16 November 2004 vagrant to Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and three (with another found St Croix, the Virgins and predated) on 10 December 2004. Caymans, Antigua and The next day, at Las Yaguas 12 Barbados. First breeding by Willet were present. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus in The species was previously References Puerto Rico considered a vagrant with only 1 . American Ornithologists’ Willet Catoptrophorus semipalma­ five sight records prior to 2000’, Union (1998) Check-list of tus is a large shorebird with two although one of these involved North American birds. disjunct breeding populations, in large numbers2. Subsequently, Seventh edn. Washington western and eastern North Pérez Cabañas & Blanco DC: American Ornithologists’ America, and migrates to Central Rodriguez' noted singles at the Union. America, the West Indies and Hicacos Peninsula, Matanzas 2 . Blanco, P, Acosta, M., Mujica, South America1-2. Individuals of C. province, in November 2000 and L. & Dennis, D. (1996) Nuevo semipalmatus semipalmatus are 8 1 Cotinga 25 Neotropical Notebook resident in the Caribbean, but are Washington DC: American On 23 June 2004, a group of 11 most common in this region Ornithologists’ Union. Red Knots was observed foraging August-November1. Breeding in 2. Lowther, P. E., Douglas, H. D. amongst Ruddy Turnstones the West Indies has been reported & Gratto-Trevor, C. L. (2001) Arenaria interpres and Western in the Bahamas, Cuba, Isla Beata, Willet (Catoptrophorus Sandpipers Calidris mauri at El Antigua, Guadeloupe, the semipalmatus). In: Poole, A. Pasadero Lagoon (H°01’N Caymans, St Croix, Anegada and F. & Gill, F. G. (eds.) The 64°11’W), La Restinga Lagoon Los Roques off northern birds of North America, 579. National Park (18,862 ha), in Venezuela, and possibly in Philadelphia, PA: The Birds western Margarita Island. The Barbuda, St Martin, Anguilla and of North America. park connects the eastern and St Kitts1,3,1. Nesting has not been 3. Raffaele, H. A. (1989) A guide western parts of the island, and proven in Puerto Rico, although to the birds of Puerto Rico includes a large coastal lagoon some evidence is available in the and the Virgin Islands. with extensive mudflats12. Seven form of pairs exhibiting nest Princeton, NJ: Princeton birds were in non-breeding defence behaviour at the University Press. plumage, whilst the rest were appropriate season. 4. Raffaele, H. A., Wiley, J., acquiring breeding plumage. Since 1986, JAC has observed Garrido, O., Keith, A. & Though observed during the pairs in two locations in south­ Raffaele, J. (1998) A guide to breeding season5, they were west Puerto Rico responding to the birds of the West Indies. thousands of km south of their his presence with displays as if Princeton, NJ: Princeton breeding grounds and were they were defending a nesting University Press. probably young birds, as age of territory, including distraction first breeding is thought to be 2-3 José A. Colón López behaviour and alarm vocalisa­ years and immatures remain in tions. For instance, he observed PO Box 1656, Cíales, Puerto Rico the wintering areas6. One colour- pairs exhibiting threat displays 00638-1656. E-mail: banded individual (buffy chestnut suggesting the presence of a naturave@earibe. net. underparts and black and chestnut nest, in 1986, at Villa Taina, upperparts) was banded as a Cabo Rojo, and, in 2001, at Cabo Adrianne G. Tossas juvenile at Rio Grande (53°44’S Department of Biology, Chemistry Rojo salt flats. Also, on four 61°iVW), Tierra del Fuego, and Environmental Sciences, Inter occasions in April-May 2002 (15 Argentina, on 30 November 2002 American University, PO Box 5100, and 24 April and 4 and 14 May) (P. M. González in litt. 2004). San Germán, Puerto Rico 00683- he observed a pair on the salt Despite relatively extensive 9801. E-mail: [email protected] flats exhibiting nest defence ornithological work on Margarita (corresponding author). behaviour, and on 15 June 2002 Island31,8,13, the species has only the same pair had two chicks. been reported once previously The young were photographed Received 10 May 2005; final there (R. McNeil in litt. 2004), and revision accepted 11 August 2005 with the adults on 25 June and 5 ours is the first observation for La and 25 July (Figs. 1-2, p.80). A Restinga National Park. The pair of adults was photographed species is considered uncommon in at the same location with three Banded Red Knots Calidris Venezuela7. On the country’s east young on 14 July 2003. canutus sighted in Venezuela coast (where rufa is expected), the These sightings provide the and Uruguay species is considered rare7, and first breeding records of Willets Six subspecies of Red Knot there are only isolated records from Puerto Rico, offering Calidris canutus are generally from two other sites: Uñare further support to the resident recognised, two of which occur in Lagoon (Anzoátegui) and Cumaná status of the subspecies in the South America610. C. c, rufa breeds (Sucre)7. region. However, the nominate in the central Canadian Arctic and On 9 March 2005, three subspecies is still little studied in winters in north-east and southern groups of Red Knots (c.25-30 the West Indies, with South America, migrating across birds in each) were observed information on breeding biology the westernmost Atlantic, from foraging at La Coronilla (33“54’N and density estimates lacking. north-east North America to the 53°30’W), on south-east Guianas, and thence south to Uruguay’s Atlantic coast. Most Acknowledgements Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego5. were moulting to breeding Thanks to Jim Wiley, Charles The other subspecies, C. c. plumage and, thus, were in the Duncan and Arturo Kirkconnell for roselaari, appears to winter on early stages of migration north reviewing the manuscript. beaches in western Venezuela19. to the breeding grounds. In one Here we report the observation of of these groups, five individuals References several banded Red Knots sighted were colour-banded, and four 1.