Viewing page 426 of 751

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

42

Rhamphocelus, Oct. 30, 1958, II                  

through the cage. Before each jump or flight (or between them) he usually stood in an extreme "breast-low" posture (BL). More or less like the posture drawn on the preceding page (But the angle of head & bill was variable — sometimes inclined diagonally upward.) Head feathers very ruffled, head looking very large, rounded, & fluffy. (I think considerably more so than in any display of any other Rhamphocelus tanager I have ever seen. Body also looking fairly thick. Bird as a whole looking quite short.

I think this was purely a ritualized intention movement of flying. Not hostile per se. At first quite silent. Then the bird relaxed a little. Then, after a while, went through another period of activity. Did some R's with BL's during the second period of activity.

At various times this morning, the Black-throat did G toward the Orange-rump when the latter came too close. It is obvious now that the G of the Black-throat can be combined with a variety of unritualized pre-attack, low intensity attack, & defensive postures. Once I thought it was accompanied by a trace of ruffling of the back feathers.


Rhamphocelus, I     
November 9, 1958
Bronx Zoo

This morning the male Silver-bill flew down to the food tray, picked up some food in its bill, flew to the female sitting on a nearby perch, uttered a few very soft wheezy "MCN" notes just before he landed beside the female, then apparently fed her and then flew off again immediately.

Transcription Notes:
Author wrote as: Rhamphocelus