Pacific Coast Avifauna 33

COOPER

ORNITHOLOGICAL

PACIFIC

COAST

SOCIETY

AVIFAUNA

NUMBER

33

Distributional Check-List
of the
Birds of Mexico
PART

BERKELEY,
PUBLISHED

II

CALIFORNIA
BY THE

SOCIETY

December 20, 1957


MEXICAN
CACIQUE
(. ~I\.\If:Cll.US .\1L;LAh'f(.7'1_1:1J\

One-half nalural bizc
Painting by Andrew Jackson Grayson


NOTE
The publications of the Cooper Ornithological Society consist of
two series--The Condor, a bimonthly journal, and the Pat@ Coast
Avifauna, for the accommodation of papers the length of which prohibits their appearance in The Condor. For information as to either
series,addressC. V. Duff, BusinessManager, 2911 Antelo View Drive,
Los Angeles 24, California, or Thomas R. Howell, Assistant Business
Manager, Department of Zoology, University of California, Los Angeles. The publications of the Society are edited at the Museum of
Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.


CONTENTS
PAGE

Introduction __........_.....__..__........_...............................................
___..___.____
_..._.__........._...... 5
_..._...._..._..._....
Trogonidae, Trogons . ... .._.._......................... ..__................_.........~..~

I1

Alcedinidae, Kingfishers __........__......_....... _................ _.._............~.~..~

15

.

Momotidae, Motmots ___........._....._.......................................
_~...~
.._.............__........_......

18

Galbulidae, Jacamars . .. . ... ... ... .. .... .. .... .. .... .. .... .. . ... .. ... ... . ..... .... . _..__.._............................. 2 1
Bucconidae, Puff-Birds . .... .... . .... .. .... .. ..... . ..... ... .. .. .... .. .... .._..............,............ .._.......~. 2 2
Ramphastidae, Toucans __......___..._
. .... .._..__..... .... .._..__........
_.........._._................._._
._._... 23
Picidae, Woodpeckers _. ..~. ..

.._... ._........_.............__....._......................................~.. 2 5

Dendrocolaptidae, Woodhewers . ~.. . ... . . ~..~

....

..

~~.~_.~

45

_................._.........._........_..._.._._.................
~..~.. 52
Furnariidae, Ovenbirds __......__...._.........
Formicariidae, Antbirds . .._..........._..................................

.. . .

55

. . ~_~~
.._

Cotingidae, Cotingas __..........................____...........
..............._....................................... ~_ 59
Pipridae, Manakins

_......._...._.............__.........
_._...____.....................................
__........ 65

Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers __...............__,....................~...~. . .

. .. . ..

._... 66

Alaudidae, Larks ___._.__.___...._..._..................................................................................
.._ 103
_....................._...._.... 107
Hirundinidae, Swallows .. . .._...... _................ ..._._........ ........ ____.
Corvidae, Crows and Jays __............................... . .._............. .. .._. . . .. . ... . ... _....._.. 117
Paridae, Titmice . .._......__.......__
_._............_ .

.._........_

.. . ..

. . .. . . .

133

Sittidae, Nuthatches . . ... .._..................................... _. ... . ...._.............._......................... 140
Certhiidae, Creepers __._........___
.._.............~~
.. .. ....._.............................. _..............._......... 143
Chamaeidae, Wren-tits . . .__..._
_..........._._................_....._.................................................

145

Cinclidae, Dippers ____,........_..
_........._....__
_._.........._..............
~~
__...__...._._.........................146

_ ..
Troglodytidae, Wrens ____......_..............................

.

.

.

.._.._. __.. 147

Mimidae, Mockingbirds and Thrashers _.............._._..._.._............................................... 170
Turdidae, Thrushes ____............................................................ _._......._......................... 180
Sylviidae, Old World Warblers, Gnatcatchers, and Kinglets _____._..___..........
.._......... 201
Motacillidae, Wagtails and Pipits _................_................................................................ 209
Bombycillidae, Waxwings _..._.__._......
__................._.............._..........__............................ 21 1
_......................... 2 12
Ptilogonatidae, Silky Flycatchers . .._ . . . . .._.......... ....__..._.._.....


4

PACIFIC

COAST AVIFAUNA

Laniidae, Shrikes .... .._........................................................., ..........................................

No. 33

2 14

Cyclarhidae, Pepper-shrikes .. .. ........._._.......................................................,................. . 2 17
Vireolaniidae, Shrike-vireos .......... . .. .............................................................................

2 18

Sturnidae, Starlings .. ....... . ..... ... ....................................................................................

2 19

Vireonidae, Vireos __....._........................................................,........................................

220

Coerebidae, Honeycreepers ..... . ..... ...............................................................................

23 5

Parulidae, Wood Warblers ........................................................ ..................................... 237
Ploceidae, Weaver Finches ......... ..__._......................................
...................................... 275
Icteridae, Blackbirds, Troupials, and Meadowlarks ....................................................

276

Thraupidae, Tanagers ..... . .... .. ......................................................................................

297

Fringillidae, Finches, Grosbeaks, Buntings, and Sparrows................ . ....................... 3 12
Hypothetical List ______..........................................................,
.......................................... 403
Index to Part II . .... .. . ..... ... .. ........................................................................ _............. .... 409


INTRODUCTION
Part I of the Distributional Check-list of the Birds of Mexico was published in 1950
as Pacific Coast Avifauna No. 29 and encompassed, in the sequence of Wetmore’s
“Systematic Classification for Birds of the World,” the families from the Tinamidae to
and including the Trochilidae. The present part II covers all the remaining bird groups.
In the introduction to part I the plan and organization of the undertaking were described. Since, however, part II appears as a separate publication, these matters need
to be reviewed for the benefit of users of this final section of the list. Moreover, certain
additions should be recorded in procedure and participation which inevitably took place
in the course of our work of the last eight years.
The present check-list, we emphasize anew, is the first detailed list for Mexico, and
as such has many inadequacies and leaves many questions unresolved. Its greatest value
should be as a point of departure and a stimulus to releaseinto print countless additional
significant data hitherto lying dormant, or even buried, in various museums and notebooks. The present group of author-compilers feels, in a very real sense,that the rapidity
with which the Mexican Check-list becomesout of date will be a measure of its usefulness in advancing knowledge, It should spur workers to concentrate on revealed gaps
in our knowledge of Mexican birds and their distribution.
The compilers of part II have attempted to canvass everything that has been published on the subject and also to utilize the combined collections available to the four
of them. It was in no sense possible to review and re-identify every specimen in each
collection and the compilers are fully aware of large series of Mexican birds that have
not been completely identified or reported.
The compilers believe that within a committee of as few as four members it is unwise
to attempt to settle the validity of some forms of birds by a simple vote. A minority
opinion may actually be based on better information or experience than a majority one.

In general, subspecieshave been included once proposed except those which the authors
are unanimously against recognizin,.
u Those excluded, as well as certain doubts about
recognized forms, are mentioned in footnote statements. Nonetheless, the authors
attempt to express critical judgment of many taxonomic issues through the plan and
content of the list.
English names are employed only for full species.Spanish or native names are provided for both full speciesand subspecies,but those for the latter always include the
name of the speciesas an entity. Since the appearance of part I, opinion has crystallized
in North America for the elimination of vernacular names for subspecies.While part of
our author group subscribesstrongly to this view, it was acknowledged by all of us that
it would be unwise to institute a new plan in this regard in part II that would thus make
the whole undertaking discordant. Therefore we have continued to present the Spanish
vernacular names for subspecieswhich, even if little employed, often will prove usefully
descriptive of the birds for Spanish readers.
The compilers acknowledge their indebtedness to various Mexican scientists for
courtesies extended: to Dr. Rafael Martin de1 Campo of the Instituto de Biologia of
Mexico City, who has helped greatly by supplying Spanish and Indian names of birds;
to the authorities of the Museo National de Historia Natural of Mexico City for per-


6

PACIFIC

COAST AVIFAUNA

No. 33

mitting Moore to examine their entire collection of mounted specimens; and to Dr. Isaac
Ochotorena, Director of the Instituto de Biologia of Mexico City and to Dr. Rafael

Martin de1 Campo for similarly allowing examination of all specimens in the collection
under their guardianship. The cooperation of the officials of the Direction General
Forestal y de Caza in granting permits for the conduct of scientific work in Mexico over
a long period of years also is deeply appreciated.
The procedure in preparing part II of the list and the participation of the members
of the author group may properly be recorded. Each member agreed to prepare the
manuscript on a given group of families. These manuscripts prepared by any one author
were then carefully gone over by the other three members of the group and revised
manuscripts were then developed by the principal author or authors for the family concerned. These revised manuscripts were in almost all instances put in mimeographed
form and submitted to active workers in the field of Mexican ornithology for criticism
and corrections, with the understanding that they were not obliged to inform the authors
of unpublished data in their possessionif they intended to put them on record independently. These reviewers did however supply freely many helpful and detailed records for
inclusion in the list. To this group who thus served so importantly in relation to part II
we express our sincere thanks: John W. Aldrich, Emmet R. Blake, Pierce Brodkorb,
Thomas D. Burleigh, George H. Lowery, Jr., Robert J. Newman, Kenneth C. Parkes,
Raymond J. Paynter, Jr., James L. Peters, Allan R. Phillips, Frank A. Pitelka, Charles
G. Sibley, George M. Sutton, Robert W. Storer, JosselynVan Tyne, Alexander Wetmore,
and John T. Zimmer. Upon return of the mimeographed version the principal author for
each family prepared a final manuscript. All such manuscripts were then edited and
adapted to reasonably uniform plan and practice by the editor-in-chief.
The conclusion of work on the various families was in effect marked by the date of
producing the mimeographed or subfinal copy. Additions from the literature following
that time could not be made systematically although occasional significant matters were
added later as they came to the attention of the authors or in the course of the final
editing. It should be evident that it is impractical to keep the manuscript for a check-list
current throughout. Accordingly we record here the date for each family or group of
families which marks the approximate end of systematic coverage of data, together
with the author or authors primarily involved in bringing the section concerned to the
subfinal form.
Trogonidae to Pipridae

Tyrannidae
Alaudidae and Hirundinidae
Corvidae
Paridae to Cinclidae
Troglodytidae
Mimidae
Turdidae
Sylviidae
Motacillidae to Ptilogonatidae
Laniidae
Cyclarhidae to Coerebidae
Parulidae
Ploceidae to Thraupidae
Fringillidae
Hypothetical List

April 10, 1952
September 1, 1956
September 11, 1951
August 30, 1954
January 11,195Z
December 31, 1954
June 3, 1954
September 30, 1956
July 15, 1956
November 1, 1956
December 1, 1955
November 1, 1956
August 26, 1948
March 2, 1954

December 14, 1955
May 3, 1956

Griscom
Griscom, Miller, and Moore
Miller
Moore
Miller
Miller
Millet
Miller and Griscom
Friedmann
Griscom and Miller
Miller
G&corn and Miller
Moore
Friedmann
Miller
Friedmann

A very major factor contributing to the preparation of the list has been-the utilization of the wealth of material in the Moore Collection, which by 1956 contained ap-


1957

THE BIRDS OF MEXICO

7

proximately 55,000 bird specimensand a great amount of data on breeding seasonsand

migration. Robert Moore has contributed extensively by the assembling, classifying,
and reporting of data to the other authors on the families with which they were primarily
concerned. His work from 1931 to 1934 had resulted in the building of a large collection
from Sinaloa and adjacent states and thereafter it was decided to expand his program
to cover the whole of Mkxico for the specific purpose of developing the first check-list
of the birds of that country. From 1934 to 1942 he supported the field activities of his
collectors by joining them occasional?yat strategic collecting stations.
In 1942 Robert Moore, Herbert Friedmann, and Ludlow Griscom joined to form a
group of compiling authors for part I of the Mexican check-list which as noted earlier
was published in 1950 by the Cooper Ornithological Society. Friedmann as Chairman
of the Research Committee of the American Ornithologists’ Union had previously urged
on behalf of the committee the preparation of a Mexican list. The participation by
Friedmann and Griscom made available to the undertaking the extensive data on Mexican birds derived from two of the largest collections in the United States, namely,.the
United States National Museum and the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
In 1949 Robert Moore, joined by Mrs. Moore, as individuals and trustees, gave to
Occidental College the funds to erect a Laboratory of Zoology and an endowment known
as the Moore Fund. The Laboratory was to serve as researchheadquarters for the checklist activities. The facilities and col!ections of the Laboratory and its supporting trusts
and institutions have been an essential foundation for the check-list undertaking.
Specifically to be acknowledged in this regard are the authorities of Occidental College, particularly its President, Dr. Arthur Coon?, who approved and supported the
whole project. They agreed that the primary objectives would be the preparation of
part II of the check-list, the purchase of bird-skins to fill in geographical gaps in the
representation of the avifauna of Mkxico, and the provision of salaries.
In 1950 Dr. Alden H. Miller was invited to join the group of compiling; authors. His
participation became more extensive than originally planned owinq to illnesses among
the other authors and later he was asked to assume the role for part II of editor-in-chief
of the group of compilers. Miller had the opportunity to work over all material in the
Moore Collection for those families for which he had first responsibility and also for
those in which he had secondary concern.
Certain other persons have devoted major segments of time to the undertaking.
Acknowledgment is due especially to Chester C. Lamb, who collected the majority of

the material from MCxico in the Moore Collection and who, prior to 1932, had obtained
most of the large representation of Lower Californian birds in the Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology; to the late W. W. Brown and Mario de1 Toro AvilCs who supplied many important specimens: to Dr. John Davis, who from 1950 to 1953 was Assistant in Vertebrate Zoology at the Moore Laboratory of Zoology and participated in the arranging
and classifying of the collection covered in part II; to Don R. Medina, who from 1954
to 1956 assistedat the Moore Laboratory in related fashion; and to Fatrick Gould who
aided similarly from late 1956 to 1957.
At the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology! Miller has had extensive support in completion of the check-list manuscript and in the editing of it from the Annie M. Alexander
endowment. The Associates in Tropical Biogeography of the University of California
have supported additional field work to enrich the Museum’s collections from MCxico,
and the University of California has financed Research Assistants for the project. The
assistants who have aided substantially have been Robert A. Norris, Robert K. Selander,
Don R. Medina, Richard F. Johnston, and Robert I. Bowman. In addition, Miller’s


8

PACIFIC

COAST AVIFAUNA

No. 33

present colleagueson the staff of the Museum, namely, John Davis, A. Starker Leopold,
Frank A. Pitelka, and Ward C. Russell have assisted with the undertaking, either on
fie’d expeditions, or through aid in the actual developing of data for the manuscript.
For most speciesappearing in the Mexican Check-list, previously unpublished data
are incorporated. These data are specifically entered where they have significance in
outlining the limits of distribution, altitudinal range, seasonalstatus, or breeding period,
or where they represent the only known records for the state at the time of preparing
the manuscript. It has been thought advisable, both from the standpoint of supplying

information to the reader and of making due acknowledgment by the compilers, to state,
wherever possible, the sources of these items. The museums whose specimens or data
have been so cited are therefore referred to in the text by the following symbols:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
K.
L.
M.
N.
0.
P.
Q.
R.

University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Dickey Collection, University of California at Los Angeles
George M. Sutton Collection
Cornell University Collection
Louisiana State University Museum
Museum of Comparative Zoology
United States National Museum
American Museum of Natural History
Robert T. Moore Collection
Museo National de Historia Natural of Mexico City

British Museum
Chicago Natural History Musetim
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Yale Peabody Museum
Allan R. Phillips Collection
Carnegie Museum

When, as in most instances, the small letter ‘(d” is added to the symbol (for example,
A-d), it indicates that the record is derived from skins, eggs, or nests; otherwise the
information is not known to be thus based on specimens.Details from published sources
are entered without these symbols.
The plan involved in the entry of citations to original descriptions has been to verify
details from these publications themselves wherever possible. Moreover type localities
are given as they appeared in the original work with respect to orthography, punctuation and accenting whenever these matters could be checked; if necessary these earlier
usagesare eqrated or explained in terms of current practice or subsequent knowledge
of geography.
It has been desirable to employ for descriptive purposesnames for certain geographical areas whose boundaries do not correspondwith those of states or territories. “Central
Plateau” represents the upland area, consisting of portions or all of the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Queretaro,
northeastern and eastern Jalisco, central and eastern Michoacan, and western Mexico;
it is roughly bounded by the Rio Grande, the Sierra Madre Occidental, the Sierra Madre
Oriental, and the Rio Balsas. “Pacific Plains” designates the flat coastal area (for the
most part near sea level in altitude and arid), consisting of the western portions of
Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit; it is bounded by the Gulf of California and the Pacific
Ocean on the west, the Arizona-Mexican border on the north, the foothills west of the
Sierra Madre Occidental on the east, and the mountains which extend east from Cape
Corrientes on the south. “Atlantic Plains” represents the flat coastal area (for the most
part near sea level in altitude and arid), consisting of the eastern portions of the states
of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz, the northern portions of Campeche and

THE

1957

BIRDS

9

OF MEXICO

Quintana Roo, and all of Yucatan; it is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico on the east, the
Texas-Tamaulipan border on the north, the Sierra Madre Oriental on the west and the
humid portions of the states of Veracruz, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and British Honduras on the south.
In stating the range in Mexico of each form we have used the following order in
listing the several states. The country has been divided into four more or less equal
bands running from north to south, beginning with the western side and ending with the
eastern portion of the country. Sometimes the order is changed slightly when the habitat
of a form that is chiefly confined to one of these bands follows a fauna1 area to some
extent into another section. The four sectio’ns and their included states are as follows:
1
Baia California
Sonora
Sinaloa
Nayarit
Jalisco
Colima
Michoacan
Guerrero
Oaxaca
Chiapas

2
Chihuahua
Durango
Zacatecas
Aguascalientes
Guanajuato
QuerCtaro
MCxico
Distrito Federal
Morelos

3
Coahuila
San Luis Potosi
Hidalgo
Tlaxcala
Puebla

4
Nuevo Ledn
Tamaulipas
Veracruz
Tabasco
Campeche
Yucatan
Quintana Roo

ALDEN H. MILLER, Editor-in-chief
HERBERT FRIEDMANN

Co-editor Group
LUDLOW GRISCOM
1 ROBERT T. MOORE



FA~ULY TROGONIDAE
TROGONS

Pharomachrus mocino de la Llave.
Resplendent Trogon. Quetzal. Quetzaltototl (Nghuatl).
Cloud forests of the Subtropical Zone from southern Mexico to Bolivia.
Pharomachrus mocino mocino de la
Quetzal guatemalteco.
Pharomachrus Mocino de la Llave, Registro Trimestre,
type in Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat. MCxico) .

Llave.

1, 1832, 48 (Guatemala

and Chiapas;

Resident in cloud forests, from the mountains of extreme eastern Oaxaca south to
northern Nicaragua.
Mexico: Extreme eastern Oaxaca ( 12 mi. E La Gloria) and Chiapas (near Tumbala;
Catarinas, 1300 meters; Santa Rosa, 28 mi. ESE Comitan, April 18, breeding, O-d).
Euptilotis neoxenus (Gould)
Eared Trogon. Coa orejon.
Trogon neoxenu~ Gould, Monog. Trogonidae, pt. 3,

1838,plate 1101and text (Mexico; type in

Brit. Mus.).
Mexico: Resident in montane pine forests (6000 to 10,000 feet) of western section.
Rare and little known. Recorded from Sinaloa (Babizos, December 3, one male, K-d),
Nayarit, Michoacan, Chihuahua (Rio Gavilan; Laguna Juanota, 10,000 feet, K-d;
Sierra de1 Nido, O-d), Durango (Piedra Gorda and 6 mi. SW EL Salto, K-d), and
Zacatecas.
Trogon massena Gould.
Massena Trogon. Tresgarantias grande.
Southern Mexico to Ecuador in Tropical Zone.
Trogon massena massena Gould.
Tresgarantias grande de1 Norte.
Trogon massena Gould, Monog. Trogonidae,
(Mexico; type in Brit. Mus.)

pt. 3, 1838, plate [4 =

16 of volume] and text

Southern Mexico to eastern Nicaragua.
Mexico: Tropical rain forests of Oaxaca (18 mi. N Matias Romero, June 2, breeding, O-d; winters, K-d), Chiapas (Atlantic slope only, winters, K-d), Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and Quintana Roo (46 km. W Chetumal).
Trogon citreolus Gould.
Citreoline Trogon. Cuauhtotola amarilla.
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico and drier parts of Tropical Zone in Central
America south to northern Costa Rica.
1111

PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA

No. 33

Trogon citreolus citreolus Gould.

Cuauhtotola amarilla de Gould.
Trogon citreolus Gould, Proc. 2001. Sot. London, 1835, 30 (no type locality = MCxico; type in
Brit. Mus.).

Qrid Tropical Zone of Pacific slope of western MCxico.
MCxico: Sinaloa (common from sea level to 3500 feet, breeding in July, winters,
K-d), Jalisco (Autlhn, 3000 feet), Nayarit (July 28, breeding, O-d), Colima, Michoac&n
(winters, K-d), Guerrero, and Oaxaca (western part, possibly intergrading with next
race).
Trogon citreolus sumichrasti Brodkorb.

Cuauhtotola amarilla de Sumichrast.
Tvogon citreolussumichrustiBrodkorb, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 55, 1942, 183 (Arriaga, 56 meters,

Chiapas; type in Univ. Mich. Mus. 2001.).
Pacific slope of southern MCxico.
Mkxico:

Oaxaca (Las Tejedas, 9 mi. W Tehuantepec, K-d) and Chiapas (western

and central parts).
Trogon citreolus melanocephala Gould.

Cuauhtotola amarilla cabecinegra.

Trogon melanocephala Gould, Monog. Trogonidae,1835,plate [61 and text (State of Tamaulipas,
Mexico ; type in Brit. Mus.).

Drier parts of Tropical Zone of eastern MCxico through Central America to northern
Costa Rica.
MCxico: Oaxaca (eastern), Chiapas (eastern), Tamaulipas (southern), Veracruz
( 12 mi. S Boca de1 Rio, May 20, laying, K-d), Tabasco, Campeche, YucatBn, and Quintana Roo.
Trogon mexicanus Swainson.
Mexican Trogon. Pabell6n mexicano. Tresgarantias.
Cuauhtotola. TzinitLcan (N5huacl). Teutzinitzcan

Pitorreal. Coa.
(Nihuatl).

Montane pine forests from northwestern MCxico to Honduras.
Trogon mexicanus clarus Griscom.
Pabell6n mexicano pdlido.
Tvogon mexicanus clurus Griscom, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 13, 1932, 57 (Pinos Altos,
Chihuahua; type in Mus. Comp. Zool.) .

MCxico: Confined to the Sierra Madre Occidental (5.500 to 10,000
western MCxico. Recorded from eastern Sinaloa (fairly common, Santa
22, nestling, K-d; Batel, October 14, O-d), Chihuahua (fairly common,
8000 to 10,000 feet on Mount Mohinora, K-d), and Durango (Piedra
Guasimal, Neviero, K-d; Cerro Huehuento).

feet) of northGertrudis, May
especially from
Gorda, Ranch0

Trogon mexicanus mexicanus Swainson.
Pabell6n mexicano de Swainson.
Trogon mexicanus Swainson,Philos. Mag. (n.s.), 1, 1827, 440 (Temiscaltepec,Mexico).

Resident in the mountains of western and central Mkxico and western Guatemala.
M6xico: Recorded from Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacin, Guerrero, Oaxaca,


1957

THE

BIRDS

13

OF MEXICO

Chiapas (Ciudad Las Casas, April 5, laying, K-d; birds of the southern portion of the
state approach lutescens in size), Zacatecas, Hidalgo, Puebla, Mexico, Morelos, San Luis
Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.
Trogon elegans Gould.
Coppery-tailed Trogon. Coa elegante.
In pine forests and arid tropics from Arizona to northwestern Costa Rica.
Trogon elegans canescens van Rossem.
Coa elegante blanquecina.
Trogon elegans canezen van Rossem, Bull. Mm. Comp. Zool., 77, 1934,441 (San Javier, Sonora;
type in Mus. Comp. Zool.)

Southern Arizona (summer resident only) and northwestern Mexico.

Mexico: Sonora, northern Sinaloa (common, sea level to 3500 feet), and western
Chihuahua (Rio Gavilan, July 2 1, August 18, small juveniles, O-d).
Trogon elegans goldmani Nelson.
Coa elegante de Islas Marias.
Trogon ambiguus goldozuni Nelson, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 12, 1898, 8 (Maria
type in U. S. Nat. Mus.).

Madre Island;

Mexico: Tres Marias Islands (Maria Madre and Maria Magdalena).
Trogon elegans ambiguus Gould.
Coa elegante de1 noreste.
Tvogon ambiguus Gould, Proc. 2001. Sot. London, pt. 3, 1835, 30 (Northern
Brit. Mus.).

Mexico; type in

Extreme southern Texas (casual) and most of Mexico; absent from heavy tropical
rain forest.
Mexico: Sinaloa (southern portion, intergrades with canescens; sea level to 5200
feet at Ranch0 Bate1 in Transition Zone; Potrerillo, May 25, breeding. K-d), Nayarit
(sea level to 6000 feet, K-d), Jalisco (up to 7800 feet at Tapalpa), Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Durango, Zacatecas, Mexico, San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo, Puebla, Nuevo
Leon, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. Reaches sea level in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Tamaulipas,
and Veracruz. Found breeding or in breeding condition from late April to July.
Trogon collaris Vieillot.
Collared Trogon. Trobo de collar.
Humid tropical and subtropical rain forests from eastern Mexico to Bolivia and
Brazil.
Trogon collarispuella Gould.
Trobo de collar jalapeno.

Trogon puella Gould, Proc. Zool. Sot. London, 1845, 18 (Escuintla, South America = Guatemala;
type in Brit. Mus.).

Common in Humid Tropical and Subtropical zones from southern Mexico to western Panama..


14

PACIFIC

COAST

No. 33

AVIFAUNA

Mexico: Oaxaca, Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, Puebla (Papantilla, May 17, nesting,
K-d), Veracruz (Presidio, April 21, nesting, winters, K-d), Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. Occurs up to 44.50 feet.
Trogon violaceus Gmelin.
Gartered Trogon. Trogon violkeo.
Tropical rain forests from southern Mexico to Peru, the Guianas, and the Amazon.
Trogon violacens braccatus (Cabanis and
Trog6n violkea de1 norte.

Heine).

Aganus braccetus Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., Th. 4, 1862-63 (1863), Heft 1, 184 (Mexico
= Valle Real, Veracruz ; type in Berlin Mus.) .

Southeastern Mexico to northeastern Nicaragua.

Mexico: Oaxaca, Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, Puebla, Tamaulipas, Veracruz (Presidio,
May 6, nesting, K-d), Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo (Carillo Puerto,
June 10, laying). Erroneously recorded from “near City of Mexico.”

April 10, 1952; Griscom


THE

1957

FAMILY

BIRDS

OF MEXICO

15

ALCEDINIDAE

KINGFISHERS

Ceryle torquata (Linnaeus).
Ringed Kingfisher. Martin pescador matraca. ChalalL.

Chiefly Tropical Zone, from northern Mexico to Chile and Argentina; also Lesser
Antilles.
Ceryletorquatatorquata (Linnaeus).
Martin pescador

matracade Linnaeus.
Alcedo torquata

Mbico

Linnaeus,Syst.Nat., ed. 12, 1, 1766,180 (Martinique and Mexico).

to Perti, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.

MCxico: Sinaloa, Nayarit (Sauta, May 3, nestin g, K-d), Michoachn (four winter
specimens, K-d), Guerrero (O-d), Oaxaca (wintering, K-d), Chiapas, Hidalgo, Puebla
(30 mi. E Huauchinango, K-d), Nuevo Lebn, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.
Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus).
Belted Kingfisher. Martin pescador pardo. Chalalactli (Njhuatl).
Breeds in North America from tree-line to southern United States. Winters from
central United States to Trinidad and northern South America.
Cerylealcyoncauriua Grinnell.
Martin pescador
pardode1Pa&co.
CerylealcyoncaurinaGrinnell,Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool.,5, 1910,388 (GraveyardPoint, Montague
Island,Alaska;type in Mus. Vert. Zool.).
Breeds west of the Rocky Mountains from northern Alaska to southern California.
Winters from Washington south to Durango.
MCxico: Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit (October 12-17), Chihuahua,
Durango and Tres Marias Islands; season, August to May 9. This race only recently
known in MCxico; numerous specimens of the speciesrequire re-examination.
Cerylealcyonalcyon(Linnaeus).
Martin pescadorpardode1este.
Alcedo alcyon

Linnaeus,Syst.Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758,115 (SouthCarolina).

Breeds in eastern Canada and eastern United States west to the Rocky Mountains.
Winters from central United States through the West Indies to Trinidad and through
MCxico and Central America to northern South America.
MCxico: Recorded definitely from Sonora (Guirocoba, January 13, one specimen,
K-d), Sinaloa (winters, four specimens, extreme dates October 18 to April 28, K-d),
Jalisco, Michoacbn (one specimen, January 11, K-d), Oaxaca, Chihuahua (G&d), Durango, December 8, 3 1, K-d), Guerrero (O-d), Guanajuato (winters, October 3 to
January 2.5, K-d), MCxico, Coahuila (one specimen, November 14, K-d), Puebla, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, YucatBn, and Quintana Roo.


16

PACIFIC

No. 33

COAST AVIFAUNA

Chloroceryle amazona (Latham).
Big Green Kingfisher. Martin pescador Verde.
Tropical Zone from southern MCxico to west Ecuador and Argentina.
Chloroceryle amazona mexicana Brodkorb.
Martin pescador Verde mexicano.
Chloroceryle amazona mexicanu Brodkorb,
type in Univ. Mich. Mus. Zool.).

Auk, 57, 19411, 543 (Barra

de CahuacBn, Chiapas;

Tropical MCxico through Central America to Dar&.
Mbxico: Sinaloa (six winter specimens,December 23 to February 28, K-d), Nayarit
(Chacala, March 22, nesting, K-d), Michoacin (three winter specimens, K-d), Guerrero (Zirhndaro, May 2 1, breeding condition, K-d), Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla, southern
Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Yucatbn (requires confirmation), and Quintana Roo.

Chloroceryle americana (Gmelin).
Little Green Kingfisher. Martin pescador americano.
Northern Sonora and southern Texas south to western Perti and Argentina.
Chloroceryle americana hachisukai Laubmann.
Martin pescador americano de Hachisuka.
Chlovoceryle ame&ana hachisukai Laubmann, Verh. Ornith. Gesell. Bayern, 22, 1940 (1941), 165,
New name for C. a. Zeucosticta van Rossem and Hachisuka, preoccupied (Ranch0 La Arizona, near Saric, Sonora; type in Dickey Call., Univ. Calif. Los Angeles).

Northern Sonora (casually Arizona) and southwestern Texas south to Nayarit and
western Durango. Recorded from Sonora, Sinaloa (abundant resident, sea level to 3000
feet, rarely to 6400 feet, at Babizos, July 8, breeds from February 28 to June 12, K-d),
Nayarit (Ranch0 Moloti, March 31, Sauta, May 13, nesting, K-d), western Durango
(two specimens, Tamazula, 2800 feet), Chihuahua, and northern Coahuila.
Chloroceryle americana septentrionalis (Sharpe).l
Martin pescador americano de rfo.
Cevyle septentrionalis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., 17, 1892, 134 (restricted to Teapa, Tabasco;
type in Brit. Mus.).

Southern Texas through Mexico (sea level to 7000 feet) to Guatemala and El Salvador. Intergrades northwestward in MCxico with the preceding subspeciesover a wide
area.
MCxico: Common in Tropical and Upper Sonoran zones. Recorded from Jalisco,
Colima, Michoadn, Guerrero (February 15, breeding condition, O-d), Oaxaca, Chiapas,
Durango (Rio Mesquital, 6200 feet, May 27, nesting, K-d), Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, QuerCtaro (K-d), Mkxico, Distrito Federal, Morelos, San Luis Potosi, Puebla,
Nuevo Le6n, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, March 4, nesting (K-d), Tabasco, Campeche, and

Quintana Roo.
1 Chloroceryle alnericana vanrossemi Brodkorb, Auk, 57, 1940, 543 (Barra de CahuacBn, Chiapas)
is regarded as a synonym.


1957

THE

BIRDS

Chloroceryle

OF MEXICO

17

aenea (Pallas).

Least Kingfisher. Martin pescador minimo.
Humid tropics from southern MCxico to western Ecuador, Bolivia, and southern
Brazil.
Chloroceryle aenea stictoptera (Ridgway).
Martin pescador minim0 nortefio.
Ceryle superciliosa stictoptera Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 2, 1884, 95 (Sisal, Yucatan; type
in U. S. Nat. Mus.).

Southern MCxico to El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
MCxico : Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla (Papantilla, possibly breeding, K-d), Veracruz,
Tabasco, Campeche, Yucadn, and Quintana Roo.

April 10, 1952; Griscom


18

PACIFIC

COAST

No. 33

AVIFAUNA

FAMILY MOMOTIDAE
MOTMOTS

Hylomanes

momotula

Tody Motmot.

Tropical
Colombia.

Lichtenstein.

Robe Chico.

and upper tropical rain forests, from southern MCxico to northwestern

Hylomanes

momotula

momotula

Lichtenstein.1

R&o chico de Rio.
Hylomanes momotuZa Lichtenstein, Ahh. Akad. Wiss. Berlin for 1838 (1839), 449, pl. 4 (Valle
Real, MCxico; type in Berlin Mus.)

Southern MCxico through Caribbean slope of Central America to eastern Nicaragua.
MCxico: Northern Oaxaca (Escuilapa, March, Soyaltepec, January 22, K-d), Chiapas (CacahuatBn, K-d; Mount Ovando; Santa Ro;a, Comit&n), Veracruz, Tabasco, and
Quintana Roo (12 mi. W Bacalar).

Aspatha gularis (Lafresnaye).
Blue-throated

Motmot.

Robo garganta azul.

Prionites guluris Lafrasnaye, Rev. Zool., 3, 1840, 130 (Guatemala; type in Mus. Comp.

2001.).

Mountain forests (chiefly in subtemperate oak zone), from southern MCxico to El

Salvador and Honduras.
MCxico: Chiapas (Teopisca; Cuidad Las Casas; Volcin TacanL, 3000 meters, May
20, one juvenile, three adults, K-d: Siltepec).

Electron carinatum
Keel-billed

Motmot.

(DuBus).

Bobo pica aquillado.

cuyinatus DuBus, Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Belg., 14, pt. 2, 1847, 108 (Guatemala; type in
Roy. Mus. Belg.).

Pvionites

Tropical

rain forests, from southern MCxico to northwestern Costa Rica.

MCxico: Veracruz and Tabasco.

Eumomota
Turquoise-browed

Motmot.

superciliosa (Sandbach).

Guardabarranca.

Xionpalquechol

(Njhuatl).

Chiefly Arid Tropical Zone from southern MCxico to northwestern Costa Rica.
1 Includes HyZomunes momotula chiapensis Brodkorb, Occas.Papers Mus. 2001. Univ. Mich., no.
369, 1938, 2 (Mount Ovando, Chiapas), which requires confirmation.


1957

THE

BIRDS

OF MEXICO

19

Eumomota superciliosa bipartita Ridgway.
c

Guardabarranca chiapaneco.
Eumomota superciliaris bipartitus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 25, 1912, 90 (Cacoprieto,
Oaxaca; type in U. S. Nat. Mus.)

Parts of southern MCxico and Pacific slope of Guatemala.
MCxico: Oaxaca, Chiapas (juvenile, March 26, K-d), and possibly Veracruz (Uvero,

Tolosa) .
ä

Emnomota superciliosa superciliosa (Sandbach).
Guardabarranca cejas de turquesa.
Pyronites superciliosus Sandbach, Athenaeum, no. 517, 1837, 698 (Mexico = Campeche; type
~011.Mus. Roy. Inst., Liverpool).

L

in

MCxico: Resident in extreme southeastern section. Recorded from Tabasco, Campeche, Yucat&n, and Quintana Roo (Meco; possibly Cozumel Island).

Momotus

mexicanus Swainson.

Rufous-crowned

Motmot. Pdjaro reloj.

Arid Tropical Zone of western MCxico and the interior of Guatemala.
Momotus mexicanus vanrossemi Moore.
P&jar0 reloj de van Rossem.
Momotus mexicanus vanrossemi Moore, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 45, 1932, 109 (Chinobampo,
Sonora ; type in Moore Coll., Occidental College).

MCxico: Resident of Alamos Fauna1 Area of southern Sonora (January 30, K-d),
extreme northern Sinaloa south to Rio Sinaloa, K-d), and adjacent portions of Chihuahua (one observed, K) .

Momotus mexicanus mexicanus Swainson.
PAjar

reloj mexicano.

Momotus Mexicanus Swainson, Philos. Mag. (n.s.), 1, 1827, 442 (Temiscaltepec, Mexico).

MCxico: Western and interior sections, from sea level to 5500 feet. Recorded from
Sinaloa (from Rio Sinaloa south), Nayarit (Sauta, April 30 to May 8, breeding, K-d),
Colima, Jalisco, Michoachn, Guerrero (Mexcala, June 27, breeding, K-d; Chilpancingo,
April 8-July 2, breeding, May 18, laying, O-d), Durango (5500 feet), Zacatecas, MCxice, Morelos, Puebla (6 mi. N Izucar de Matamoros, May 3, K-d), and extreme western
Veracruz.
Momotus mexicanus saturatus Nelson.
PAjaro reloj de1 Pacifico.
Momotus mexicanus saturatus Nelson, Auk, 14, 1897, 49 (Ciudad Tehuantepec, Oaxaca; type in
U. S. Nat. Mus.).

MCxico: Eastern half of Oaxaca (up to 6000 feet, K-d) and Chiapas.


PACIFIC

20

COAST AVIFAUNA

No. 33

Momotus momota (Linnaeus).
Blue-crowned Motmot. Turco real.

Northeastern MCxico south to northwestern Perti, Trinidad, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Numerous subspeciesin the arid tropical, humid tropical, and subtropical zones.
Momotus momota coeruliceps(Gould).
Turco real de cahezaazul.
Prionites coeruliceps Gould, Proc. Zool. Sot. London, pt. 4, 1836, 18 (Tamaulipas, Mexico; type

in Brit. Mus.)
MCxico: Tropical Zone of northeastern section, from sea level to 4500 feet. Recorded
from Nuevo Le6n, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas (Magiscatzin, June 15 to 21, breeding,
K-d), Puebla, and northern Veracruz (south to Jalapa; Laguna Tamiahua, June 1, nesting, K-d). The record from the “City of Mexico” is erroneous.

Momotus momota lessonii Lesson.1
Turco real de Lesson.

MomatusLessoniiLesson, Rev. Zool., 1842, 174 (Realejo, Nicaragua; type in Paris Mus.).
Tropical and Subtropical zones from southern Mkxico to western Panamb, up to at
least 4000 feet.
MCxico: Oaxaca, Chiapas, southern Veracruz (from Presidio south; Presidio, April
30, breeding, K-d), Tabasco, southern Campeche, and southern Quintana Roo.
Momotus momota exiguus Ridgway.
Turco real yucateco.
Momotus Zessoniiexiguus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 25, 1912, 89 (Temax, Yucatan; type

in U. S. Nat. Mus.).
Mkxico: Confined to northern part of Yucatan Peninsula in Campeche, Yucathn,
and Quintana Roo (breeds, April, May).
_ -.___
1 We follow Wetmore in including M. lesson2goldmaniNelson.

April 10, 1952; Griscom

1957

THE

BIRDS

FAMILY

OF MEXICO

21

GALBULIDAE

J

ACAMARS

Galbula ruficauda Cuvier.
Rufous-tailed Jacamar. Gorri6n de montafia.

c

Humid tropical rain forests from southern MCxico to western Ecuador, northeastern
Argentina, and Trinidad.
Galbula ruficauda melanogenia Sclatcr.
Gorri6n

de montaiia de &later.

Gulbula melanogeniu Sclater, in Jardine’s Contrib. Ornith. for 1852, 1853, 61, pl. 90 (Veragua, on
p. 93 ; type in Brit. Mus.).
c

Southern MCxico to western Ecuador.
MCxico: Eastern Oaxaca (Tutla, Soyaltepec, Escuilapa, Palomares, K-d), Chiapas,
Veracruz (Rio Jaltepec, May 12, nest), Tabasco, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.

April 10, 1952; Griscom


PACIFIC

FAMILY

No. 33

COAST AVIFAUNA

BUCCONIDAE
PUFF-BIRDS

Notharcus macrorhynchus (Gmelin).
White-necked Puff-Bird. Bacon.
Humid tropical America from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Notharcus macrorhynchus hyperrhynchus (Water).
Boc6n picogordo.
Bucco hyperrhynchus Sclater, Proc. 2001. Sot. London, pt. 23, 1855 (1856), 193, pl. 105 (Upper

Amazon; type in Brit. Mus.).

Southern Mexico to west Ecuador, Venezuela, and upper Amazonia as far as eastern
Bolivia.
Mexico: Oaxaca, Chiapas, extreme west-central Veracruz (near Tezonapa, 2.5 mi.
S Presidio, one specimen, K-d), southern Campeche, and southern Quintana Roo.
Malacoptila panamensis Lafresnaye.
Brown Puff-Bird. Malacoptila.
Humid tropical forests from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and northern
Colombia.
Malacoptila panamensis inornata (DuBus).
Malacoptila mexicana.
Monusa inornata DuBus, Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Belg., 14, pt. 2, 1847, 107 (Guatemala;
Brussels Mus.).

type in

Southeastern Mexico to eastern Nicaragua.
Mexico: Chiapas (Palenque, N-d) and Tabasco (two records).

April 10, 1952; Griscom


THE

1957

BIRDS

OF MEXICO

FAMILY RAMPHASTIDAE
T~uc.~NS

Aulacorhynchus prasinus (Gould).
Emerald Toucanet. Tucan Verde. Xochitenkatl

(NBhuatl).

Subtropical Zone in the mountains of southern MCxico and Central America, and
in the Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Perk
Aulacorhynchus prasinus wagleri (Sturm).
Tucgn Verde de Wagler.
Pteroglossus wugleri Sturm, Monog. Ramphastidae, 1841, pl. 16 (no locality = Mexico; location
of type unknown).

MCxico: Confined to the mountains of Guerrero (Omilteme, April 28, breeding, Gd)
and western Oaxaca.
Aulacorhynchus prasinus prasinus (Gould).
Tuc&n Verde esmeralda.
Pteroglossus prasinus Licht. Gould, Proc. Zool. Sot. London, pt. 2, 1834, 78 (Mexico = Valle Real,
Veracruz ; type in Berlin Mus.)
Mountains
of eastern MCxico, reaching sea level in southeastern MCxico, and British
Honduras.
MCxico: Oaxaca, Chiapas (western and northern; Monserrate), San Luis Potosi,
Hidalgo, Puebla (5 mi. N Papantilla, breeding, and 30 mi. E Huauchinango, K-d),
Veracruz (El Faro in arid division of Lower Tropical Zone), and Quintana Roo (Camp
Mengel, three specimens, F-d, referred by some authors to A. p. virescens Ridgway) .
Aulacorhynchus prasinus stenorhabdus Dickey and van Rossem.

Tuc&n Verde de van Rossem.
Aulacorhynchus prasim4s stenorhabdus Dickey and van Rossem, Ibis, 1930, 52 (Cerro Los Naranjos, Volcan Santa Ana, Dept. Sonsonate, El Salvador; type in Dickey Coll., Univ. Calif.
Los Angeles).
Subtropical

Zone of Pacific cordillera from southern MCxico to El Salvador.

MCxico: Chiapas (Pacific cordillera) .
Pteroglossus torquatus (Gmelin).
Collared Araqari Toucan. Pitorreal.
Tropical Zone from southern MCxico to northern Colombia and coastal Venezuela.
Pteroglossus torquatus torquatus (Gmclin).”
Pitorreal de collar.
Ramphastos torquatus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 1, 1788, 354 (Mexico; restricted to Veracruz by
Brodkorb) .

Southern Mkxico to the Canal Zone in Panamk
MCxico: Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz (Presidio, May, nesting, K-d), and Tabasco.
1 Includes Aulacorhynchzls prasinus chiapensis Brodkorb, Auk, 57, 1940, 546 (Mount Ovando,
Chiapas, 1900 meters).
2 Includes Pteroglossus torquatus esperanzae Brodkorb, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., no.
401, 1939, 6 (Finca Esperanza, Chiapas).


PACIFIC

24

No. 33

COAST AVIFAUNA

Pteroglossus torquatus erythrozonus Ridgway.
Pitorreal yucateco.
Pteroglossus torquatus erythrozonus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 25, 1912, 88 (Temax,
Yucatan; type in U. S. Nat. Mus.).

Yucatk

Peninsula to northern Guatemala and British Honduras.

MCxico: Campeche, Yucat&n, and Quintana Roo.
Ramphastos sulfuratus Lesson.
Keel-billed Toucan. Pica de canoa.
Tropical Zone from southern MCxico to northern Colombia and adjacent Venezuela.
Ramphastos sulfuratus sulfuratus Lesson.
Pica de canoa mexicano.
Ramphustos sulfuratus Lesson, Trait6 d’omith.,

livr. 3, 1830, 173 (MCxico; type in Paris Mus.).

Southeastern Mexico to northern Guatemala and British Honduras.
Mkxico: Oaxaca, Chiapas (A-d), Puebla, Veracruz (Laguna Tamiahua, K-d), Tabasco, Campeche, YucatLn, and Quintana Roo.

April 10, 1952; Griscom