Argentine Ornithology Volume I Part 21

Nomencl._ p. 36; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1870, p. 88 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 59; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 356 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 133 (Entrerios); _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 368. +Xanthornus pyrrhopterus+, _Burm.

La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 493 (Parana, Tuc.u.man).

_Description._--Uniform black; upper lesser wing-coverts chestnut; bill black; feet dark brown: whole length 77 inches, wing 36, tail 38. _Female_ similar, but smaller.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.

This interesting bird, the only _Icterus_ found in the Argentine Republic, ranges south to Buenos Ayres, where it is migratory, and appears in small flocks of six or eight individuals in September; but soon after arriving these little companies break up, and the birds are subsequently found singly or in pairs in the woods along the Plata River.

The s.e.xes are alike in colour, but the male is considerably larger; the whole plumage is an intense black, excepting a rufous spot on the shoulder, seen only when the bird is on the wing; the bill is black and curved, the body slender, and the tail long. It is a loquacious bird, most of its tones being low and pleasing; exceedingly restless in disposition, incessantly pa.s.sing from tree to tree, jerking its long tail and clinging to the branches in various att.i.tudes, while searching for insects in the decayed bark. While thus engaged it utters a great variety of chirping and guttural sounds, interspersed with short agreeable notes. It also has a song of considerable merit, low and varied in tone, with a peculiar ventriloquism in many of the notes which produce a confusing idea on the listener that the bird approaches and recedes alternately whilst uttering them. While singing the bird continues moving, but always concealed in the thick foliage, and it is probably this constant turning about of the singer, and the notes coming through leafy screens of varying density, which makes the ventriloquism and gives so much light and shade to its mysterious melody.

The first bird of this species I shot was wounded very slightly in one wing and fell into a stream; to my very great surprise it began singing its usual song while floating about on the surface, making no attempt to swim. After fis.h.i.+ng it out it continued to sing at intervals in my hand: how strange it was to hear this bleeding captive bird warbling out soft, sweet notes which seemed to express only pleasant emotions! Yet it was evident that the bird was fully alive to its danger, for it struggled violently to escape and bit my finger savagely with its sharp beak.

I subsequently found a nest; it was about seven inches deep, composed entirely of lichens gathered from the boles of trees, ingeniously woven together and suspended from the small twigs and leaves at the extremity of a branch. There were no eggs in it, but the birds fluttered in great trouble about me, and, what greatly surprised me, uttered a variety of _singing_ notes, unlike their usual song, but many of them closely resembling the notes of other songsters, which made me think that this _Icterus_ possesses the mimicking faculty to some extent. This, however, is a question it would be difficult to decide. It seems certain, however, that this species is incapable of expressing any distressing feeling, such as pain, fear, or parental anxiety, with loud harsh notes like other birds. It is much to be regretted that Azara, who found this species common in Paraguay, did not pay more attention to its habits and language, which make it specially interesting even in a family so rich in strange habits as the _Icteridae_.

106. APHOBUS CHOPI (Vieill.).

(CHOPI BOAT-TAIL.)

+Chopi+, _Azara, Apunt._ i. p. 282. +Aphobus chopi+, _Scl. Cat. B._ xi. p. 405. +Psarocolius unicolor+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii.

p. 494 (Mendoza).

_Description._--Uniform black, slightly resplendent; bill and feet black; lower mandible sulcated: whole length 92 inches, wing 52, tail 40. _Female_ similar, but smaller and duller; bill not sulcated.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.

The Chopi, which is said to be quite common in Paraguay, is only found in the north-eastern part of the Argentine Republic, consequently I have never seen it, except as a cage-bird; nor is there anything about it in the notes of recent collectors and travellers who have visited the upper waters of the Plata. This is, however, not to be regretted, since Azara gave a very full and spirited account of this species in his 'Apuntamientos;' although it certainly does seem strange that the Chopi should have had two careful observers of its habits fully a century ago, namely, Azara and his friend and fellow-naturalist the priest Noseda, and not one since. Evidently Azara was very familiar with this bird, for he describes it lovingly and at great length, his history of it being one of the most charming things in his work. According to him the Chopi is a highly sagacious bird, and although a frequent visitor to courtyards and verandahs of houses in Paraguay, too shy and suspicious to be caught with snares. It has a strong and easy flight, and readily attacks any large bird pa.s.sing near, following it persistently in the air, or, pouncing down, fastens itself on its enemy's back. If the Caracara Eagle (_Polyborus_) alights in order to shake off its persecutor, the Chopi perches at a distance of a few feet, where it a.s.sumes an indifferent manner; but no sooner does the Caracara allow its attention to wander from its adversary, then it is again subjected to fresh insult. These attacks on so large and powerful a species may be regarded as mere impertinences, but by practising them the Chopi is soon able to rid himself of the presence of any unwelcome bird. From a long distance he recognizes an enemy, by its figure, or even its shadow, and warns all birds of the coming danger with a loud whistle, which at once sends them into hiding, while the Chopi goes bravely out to the encounter; and the result is invariably a victorious song on his part, beginning with the sound of his own name, and running through a variety of whistled notes. He also sings well in captivity and when his mate is incubating; and his voice is first heard welcoming the dawn from the eaves and tiled roofs of houses where he roosts. The pairing-season is in November; and, Noseda adds, the breeding-place is a hole in a bank, or tree-trunks, or in a wall under the eaves, and occasionally the nest is made in the small branches of an orange or other close-leafed tree, and is built of sticks and straws carelessly disposed, with a few feathers for lining. The eggs are four, and white.

It may be added that between Azara and his friend Noseda there was a great controversy respecting the parasitical habits of the common Cow-bird (_Molothrus_), which were first discovered by the former; and disbelieved in by Noseda, who accounted for the fact that the Cow-bird is never seen to make a nest by supposing that species to be the year-old young of the Chopi, which, he further imagined, took three years to acquire the adult form and plumage. Such an idea might seem to discredit Noseda as a naturalist, if we did not remember that Gilbert White at the same period was trying to prove the hybernation of Swallows in England. The whole of the discussion appears in the 'Apuntamientos,'

under the description of the Chopi; and Noseda is there allowed to state his own case; after which the better observer, Azara, gives five objections to the theory, any one of which would be sufficient to demolish it.

Fam. XII. CORVIDae, or CROWS.

The typical black Crows and Ravens do not penetrate into the New World so far south as South America, their range terminating in the highlands of Guatemala and the islands of the Greater Antilles. They have, however, as representatives in South America several allied groups, clad mostly in various shades of blue, and commonly known as Blue Crows and Blue Jays. Two of these are known to occur in the woods of the northern provinces of Argentina.

107. CYANOCORAX CHRYSOPS (Vieill.).

(URRACA JAY.)

+Cyanocorax chrysops+, _Sharpe, Cat. B._ iii. p. 120. +Cyanocorax pileatus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 495 (Uruguay, Tuc.u.man); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 39; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 602 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 136 (Entrerios). +Cyanocorax tuc.u.ma.n.u.s+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 216 (Tuc.u.man).

_Description._--Above black, slightly glossed with purple; head, throat, and breast black, the plumes of the crown forming a crest; nape greyish blue, deepening into purple on the hind neck; above the eye a blue spot; below the eye a second spot and a patch at the base of the lower mandible purple; under surface and tip of the tail creamy yellow; bill and feet black: total length 14 inches, wing 63, tail 71.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Northern Argentina.

"This Blue Jay is very common about the woods at Campo Colorado (Salta).

It is remarkably tame and inquisitive, and has a great variety of peculiar grating metallic notes. On the sierras of Totoral I likewise met with it; and it is found as far south as Tuc.u.man and Catamarca."

(_White._) According to Azara it is abundant in Paraguay and familiar with man, coming a great deal about the houses. The vernacular name there is _Acahe_.

108. CYANOCORAX CaeRULEUS (Vieill.).

(AZURE JAY.)

+Cyanocorax caeruleus+, _Sharpe, Cat. Birds_, iii. p. 126; _White, P.

Z. S._ 1882, p. 603 (Misiones). +Cyanocorax azureus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 40.

_Description._--Head all round, neck, and throat down to upper part of breast black; all the rest of the plumage fine and glossy blue; beak and feet black: total length 155 inches, wing 815, tail 69.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

This fine species was originally discovered by Azara in Paraguay. In June 1881 specimens were obtained at San Javier, Misiones, by White. He writes: "This bird is found here at times in flocks, and makes a great deal of noise, but is exceedingly wild and difficult to shoot, so that I had to use ball-cartridge to secure this specimen."

Suborder II. _OLIGOMYODae_.

Fam. XIII. TYRANNIDae, or TYRANTS.

The Tyrannidae or Tyrant-birds, which play the part of our Flycatchers in the New World, although they are quite different in structure, contribute an important element in the Neotropical Avifauna, numbering as they do more than 350 species. Of these 63 have already been met with within the limits of the Argentine Republic, and the list, will, no doubt, be further extended, as many of these birds are small and dull in colour, and easily hide themselves in the dense forests to which they resort.

The pampas are the special home of the Taeniopterinae, or "Walking Tyrants" as Swainson called them, which have strong feet and long tarsi, and frequent open s.p.a.ces. Amongst them the genera _Taenioptera_, _Alectrurus_, _Cnipolegus_, and _Lichenops_ may be regarded as specially characteristic of the Argentine avifauna. On the other hand, the Elaineinae and Platyrhynchinae, which are eminently birds of the dense forest, are much less numerous within the bounds of Argentina, and are mostly confined to the wooded districts of the north. The typical Tyranninae form a more mixed group, some species of which, such as _Tyrannus melancholicus_ and _Pyrocephalus rubineus_, are prominent objects in the Argentine ornis.

109. AGRIORNIS STRIATA, Gould.

(STRIPED TYRANT.)

+Agriornis striatus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 459 (Cordova); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 356 (Tuc.u.man); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 41 (R. Colorado, R. Negro).

_Description._--Above cinereous; wings blackish cinereous with light edgings; tail dark cinereous, with a distinct white margin to the external rectrix, and slight whitish tips to all rectrices; lores blackish; short superciliaries white: below pale cinereous; throat white, broadly striated with black; bill above black, below pale: whole length 90 inches, wing 45, tail 43. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Eastern Argentina and Patagonia.

This species, originally discovered by Darwin in Patagonia, is also found in Eastern Argentina. White obtained it in Catamarca, Durnford in Tuc.u.man, and Burmeister on the Rio Quarto, in Cordova.

110. AGRIORNIS MARITIMA (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(WHITE-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Agriornis maritima+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 41; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 394 (Chupat); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 137 (Sierra de la Ventana). +Agriornis leucurus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 459 (Mendoza).