720 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS maxilla in the Passeres.Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. logical peculiaritiesof the jaw apparatusof finches 122:361-488. (Fringillidae).Trudy Zool. Inst. Akad. Nauk USSR BOCK, W. J. 1970. Microevolutionary sequencesas 68:35-175. (In Russian.) a fundamental concept in macroevolutionary PERKINS,R.C.L. 1903. Vertebrata, p. 365-466. In D. models. Evolution 24704-722. Sharp [ed.], Fauna Hawaiiensis. Vol. 1, Part IV. FIEDLER,W. 1951. Beitragezur Morphologie der Kie- The University Press, Cambridge. fermuskulaturder Oscines.Zool. Jahrb. Anat. Ont. PERKINS,R.C.L. 1919. On a new genus and species 71:235-288. of bird of the family Drepanididae from the GREENWAY,F. C., JR. 1968. Drepanididae, p. 93- Hawaiian Islands. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 9, 3: 103. In R. Paynter, Jr. [ed.], Check-list of birds of 250-252. the world. Vol. XIV. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cam- RICHARDS,L. P., AND W. J. BOCK. 1973. Functional bridge, MA. anatomy and adaptive evolution of the feeding JAMES,H. F., R. L. ZUSI, AND S. L. OLSON. In press. apparatus in the Hawaiian honeycreeper genus Dysmorodrepanismunroi (Fringillidae: Drepani- Loxops(Drepanididae). Omithol. Monogr. No. 15. dini), a valid genusand speciesof Hawaiian finch. American OrnithologistsUnion,’ Washington,DC. Wilson Bull. SIMS, R. W. 1955. The morphology of the head of MOUNTAINSPRING,S. 1987. Ecology, behavior, and the Hawfinch (Coccothraustescoccothraustes). Bull. conservation of the Maui Parrotbill. Condor 89: Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 2:371-393. 24-39. ZUSI, R. L. 1978. The interorbital septum in cardue- NEKRASOV,B. V. 1978. Granivory-related morpho- line finches. Bull. Br. Omithol. Club 985-10. The Condor 91:720-722 0 The Cooper Ornithological Society 1989 OBSERVATIONS OF THE RED-BILLED GROUND-CUCKOO (NEOMORPHUS PUCHEZUNZZ) IN ASSOCIATION WITH TAMARINS (SAGUZNAS) IN NORTHEASTERN AMAZONIAN PERU’ CHARLESE. SIEGELAND JOELM. HAMILTON Bird Department, Dallas Zoo, 621 East ClarendonDrive, Dallas, TX 75203 N. R~GERIOCASTRO Dept. of Anthropology,Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 Key words: Commensalism;Amazonia; Neomor- habit of following bands of forest pigs, Tayassu sp. phus; Saguinas;nutrition: ornithology:ecology. (Sick 1949; Haffer 1977; J. P. O’Neill, pers. comm.). In southern Peru, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos The neotropical ground-cuckoos (Neomorphus), re- (Neomorphusgeofioyi) are known to associate with viewed by Haffer (1977) are rare, terrestrialbirds which primates such as Saimiri and Cebus(Terborgh 1983, range from Nicaragua to southeasternBrazil. In Am- p. 173).The authorsopportunistically observedan adult azonian Peru, they inhabit forested, hilly areasinclud- Red-billed Ground-Cuckoo (N. uucheranii) in tem- ing terra firme forest with palms. Their posturesand poral associationwith a mixed-species troop of tam- shaperemind one of the better-known Geococcyxroad- arms (Saguinas) while conducting other long-term runners of the arid scrubregions of Mexico and south- studies in the forest understory at the Estacibn Biol- western United States. Ground-cuckoos are nonpar- ogica Quebrada Blanc0 (EBQB) in northeasternAma- asitic, utilizing their own nest and investing in offspring zonia Peru. (Sick 1949, 1962; Roth 1981). These birds are known to associatewith army ant swarms, eating exposedin- STUDY SITE sectsand small vertebratesin a manner similar to sev- The EBQB stands on moderately hilly, well-drained eral formic&id antbirds(Willis and Oiniki 1978,Willis soils on the eastern margin of the Amazon River, ap- 1982). In many parts of their range, ground-cuckoos proximately 70 km south of Iquitos (04”23’ SL, 73”17’ are commonly called “peccary-birds,” becauseof their WL). The principal tributaries are the whitewater Que- brada Blanc0 and its effluent, the clear-water Quebrada Choroy. Annual temperatureaverages 25.7”C, with an- ’ ’ Received 19 September 1988. Final acceptance27 nual and monthly variations of 2°C. Annual mean pre- February 1989. cipitation is over 2,600 mm with annual variations SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 721 ranging from 1,803 mm to 5,183 mm. Estimated can- Flacourtaceae, Leguminosae, Hyppocrataceae, Myr- ODVheight is 20 m with taller trees of about 25 m and taceae,and Menispermaceae.In addition, the bird in- some emergenttrees over 30 m. Dominant plant fam- gestedthe tamarin’s fecal droppings which often con- ilies-those which contribute most in terms of indi- tained fruit seeds. The bird also consumed some vidual numbers-are: Palmae (30%) Leguminosae unidentified insects flushed by the movements of the (9%) and (each 4%) Myristicaceae, Bromeliacaea,Ru- tamarins in trees.Terborgh (1983, p. 173) reported that biaceae,Sapotaceae, Moraceae, Annomaceae, Chryso- N. geoffroyiroutinely associatedwith Saimiri and Ce- balanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Burceraceae, Lauraceae, busto eat insectsflushed by the primates. Meliaceae, and Melastomataceae. Visibility into the The ground-cuckoo rested and sunned in coordi- vegetation at eye level was lo-15 m, obscured pri- nation with the long resting periods of the tamarins. marily by palms, including Lepidocarium tessmani, On the first two occasions,the tamarins rested in the Geonoma sp. (“palmiche”), and Chamaedora sp. canopy at 15 and 13 m above ground, respectively, (“palmiche arbustivo”). Several kilometers of narrow while the bird spent most of this time seated on the trails have been cut in a grid at 100-m intervals in the around. partiallv hidden in thick bushes.On the third terra firme forest. A detailed description of the study occasionsbird and tamarins rested in a leafless fallen site will be presentedelsewhere (Castro, unpubl.). The tree in a sunny clearing (approximately 25 m*). The EBQB has been the site of several studies since 1984, bird perched atop the horizontal trunk 1.5 m above including behavioral ecology of two tamarin species ground level, within 3 m of the tamarins. While the (Castro, unpubl.), rodent and ungulatefrugivory (Bod- monkeys allo-preened and sunned,the ground-cuckoo mer 1989), and avifaunal composition(Siegel, unpubl.). preened itself by “feather stripping” the rectrices. No agonisticor affective behaviorswere observedbetween OBSERVATIONS bird and primates on any occasion.Tolerance, but non- interference,was the predominant characteristicof the On three occasions,an adult N. pucheranii was ob- temporal association. served in temporal associationwith a mixed-species group of tamahns (Saguinasjiiciollis and S. m&tax; Callitrichidae. Primates). In the field. the bird was rec- DISCUSSION ognizedby its orange-redbill and postocularbare patch, The temporal associationof ground-cuckoosand pri- photo-documentationprovided further verification.The mates is a simple form of interaction with a one-sided observedtimes of associationlasted over 7 hr (07:50- functional mechanism. The relationship between the 15:50) on 31 May 1985, 5 hr (09:00-14:lO) on 23 July Red-billed Ground-Cuckoo and the tamarin species 1985, and for approximately 40 min (12:00-12:40) on appearsto be a case of commensalism in which only 5 August 1987. We are not certain whether the same the bird gains nutritional benefits from its association ground-cuckoo was observed on all three occasions, with tamarins. We do not have evidence to support but we know that the tamarins were the same troop. the hypothesisthat the ground-cuckooand the tama- All observations occurred in the same and adjacent rins temporarily associatedfor some measure of an- quadratswithin the home rangeof the tamarin “Troop tipredator security. The fact that ground-cuckooscan B,” which was part of long-term studies(June 1984 to synchronizetheir feeding, resting, and locomotory ac- September 1985) on the behavior and ecoloav of tam- tivities with some speciesof primates, ants, and pec- arms (Castro, unpubl.). Observationswere made from caries suggeststhat the behavioral plasticity of these a distance of 10-l 5 m, and were concluded when the birds facilitated their successfulradiation into a variety authors left the sites. of forested habitats. These habitats may differ in the The ground-cuckoofollowed the tamarins and co- plant and animal speciesthat the bird consumes,and ordinated the direction and speed of its movements in the animal specieswith which the birds associate. with the activities of the monkeys. The bird walked and ran on the ground more or less directly below or The Dallas Zoological Society provided financial behind the tamarins, who moved slowly in the canopy support. We wish to thank the Dallas Zoo Bird De- and on tree trunks, between 0.3 and 25 m high. While partment, and especially J. Murphy and W. Iliff who locomoting, the bird made loud bill-snapping noises, provided freedom of opportunity to CES and JMH. akin to the breaking of sticks. The nearest neighbor The Direction General de Forestal y de Fauna, Min- between the bird and tamarins was 1 to 25 m. On the isterio de Agricultura,Lima and Iquitos, Peru provided first occasion,the ground-cuckoocontinued its move- permits for the project. Peruvian students, F. Vargas ments alone after 15:50, becausethe tamarins entered and M. Jaramillo, assisted.We express our great ap- their sleepingtrees and the observationwas concluded. preciation to guidesJ. Huanaquiri, M. Vaneo, and M. On the second occasion, the bird was lost from the Huanaquiri. R. E. Bodmer provided indispensablelo- observer’s view after 14:10, but the observations on gisticalheln and fiiendshio. J. P. O’Neill and J. Haffer tamarins continued. On the third occasion, the ob- made comments which improved the manuscript. J. servers left the site at 12:40 while the ground-cuckoo P. O’Neill verified the speciesidentification from pho- and tamarins were still resting. tographs. The bird was observed to feed upon the same fruits which the tamarins usedas a food resource.The feeding LITERATURE CITED tamarins dropped used or partially used fruits, and the bird immediately picked these up when they fell to the BODMER, R. E. 1989. Frugivory in Amazonian un- ground. The speciesof fruits included Inga punctata, gulates.Ph.D.diss. Cambridge Univ., Cambridge. Salacia juruana, Abutta sp., Rheedia sp., Sapotaceae, HAFTER, J. 1977. A systematic review of the neo- 122 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS tropical ground-cuckoos (Aves, Neomorphus). TERBORGH,J.