F. G. Stiles 30 Bull. B.O.C. 1998 118(1) due to the scanty data of the few available specimens, I here describe the plumages of my specimens in some detail. ADULT MALE: head, throat, sides of breast glossy black; chin whitish, scaled with dull black; postocular and malar stripes and postauricular bar bright yellow, forming a ring around the cheeks and auriculars; centre of breast bright orange-yellow, remaining underparts bright olive-green, washed with yellow medially and on crissum. Back dark moss-green, rump and upper tail-coverts paler, brighter green. Central rectrices duller, darker olive; remaining rectrices dusky, edged with olive, faintly tinged with dull blue; wings blackish, the wing-coverts and secondaries broadly edged with rather dull, dark blue. Iris dark red; maxilla black, mandible yellowish horn colour; tarsi and feet light greyish-brown. ADULT FEMALE: crown and nape dull blackish smudged with dull dark blue; auriculars and cheeks dark moss green, the yellow ring surrounding them narrower and more greenish-yellow; chin yellowish- white smudgedwith dusky, throat dusky-olive shadingto olive-greenon the sides of the breast; yellow of breast duller, less orange; posterior underparts olive green with less yellow wash medially; green ofdorsum duller, more olive; blue of wings duller. Mandible mostly chrome SUBADULT yellow, tip brownish; soft parts otherwise like male. MALE (probably one year old, as skull completely ossified): black of head dull, not glossy, slightly smudged with dull, dark blue on crown and nape; auriculars and sides of breast dull, dark greenish-black; '' pale area of chin tinged yellowish and more extensive than in adult; yellow of breast duller, smudged with dusky; back slightly paler and duller; iris dark chestnut; blue ofremiges slightly greyer; otherwise like adult male. I Discussion Breeding of both species appeared to be at its height during March )^ and April, with many well-grown young in late May-early June. There I appeared to be a fairly well-marked separation in elevation during m breeding at Pisones, with melanochlamys mostly below 1600—1650 m I and aureocincta mostly 1700 and higher; more overlap evidently occurred following breeding. At El Empalado, where aureocincta was \ not observed, melanochlamys nested up to at least 1750 m. A diflference in preferred habitat may also occur, with melanochlamys occupying steeply sloping terrain, aureocincta the ridge crests. I In plumage pattern including the relative lack ofsexual dimorphism, vocalizations and behaviour, melanochlamys seemed quite similar to I'' B. arcae of Central America {cf. Isler & Isler 1987, Stiles & Skutch 1989, Ridgely & Gwynne 1989); the two are doubtless closely related, and probably comprise a superspecies. The closest relative of B. 1 aureocincta is probably B. edwardsi to the south of the Rio San Juan I drainage (Hilty & Brown 1986, Ridgely & Tudor 1989); only from this jI species have I heard a similar, trilling alarm note. However, the two differ much more in plumage pattern, and aureocincta shows much greater sexual dimorphism. The Alto de Pisones region ofwestern Risaraldawould appear to be a critical conservation area for both species, especially for B. aureocincta F. G. Stiles 31 Bull. B.O.C. 1998 118(1) which at present is known to exist nowhere else. CARDER is preparing to execute a management plan for this area, which may also be included in the proposed Caramanta National Park. However, because the area is also part of an Embera Indian reservation and recently has been invaded by guerrilla groups, the situation is complicated to say the least. Potential threats to the area resulting from the construction ofthe Geguadas-Santa Cecilia road were outlined by Salaman & Stiles (1996). It is hoped that funds deriving from the Species Sponsorship Program of BirdLife International (Alto de Pisones is the type locality of the recently described Vireo masteri; Salaman & Stiles 1996) will CARDER help to act in spite of the difficult situation. It will also be important to survey other mountain ridges around the massif of Cerro Caramanta to determine whether other populations of B. aureocincta exist in this region. Acknowledgements I thank Gonzalo Andrade, Diana Mora, Milton Mufioz and Pablo Rodriguez of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and Carlos Alberto Vanegas of CARDER, for help in the field. Sandra Arango provided observations from La Argentina. Logistics were provided through the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, and facilitated by Eduardo Londoiio ofCARDER. References: Baldwin, S. C, Oberholser, H. C. & Worley, L. G. 1931. Measurements ofBirds. Sci. Publ. Cleveland Mus. Nat. Hist., no. 2. Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madrono Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. &Wege, D. C. 1992. ThreatenedBirds oftheAmericas: theICBP/IUCNRed Data Book (3rd edn, part2). ICBP, Cambridge, U.K. Hilty, S. L. 1985. Distributional changes in the Colombian avifauna: a preliminary blue list. Pp. 1000-1012 in P. A. Buckley et al. (eds), Neotropical Ornithology. Orn. Monogr. no. 36. Hilt\-, S. L. & Brown, W. L. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton Univ. Press. Isler, M. L. & Isler, P. R. 1987. The Tanagers: natural history, distribution and identification. Smithson. Inst. Press. Pearman, M. 1993. Some range extensions and five species new to Colombia, with notes on some scarce or little known species. Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 113: 66-75. Ridgely, R. S. & Gwynne, J. A. 1989. A Guide to the Birds ofPanama including Costa Rica, Nicaragua andHonduras. Princeton Univ. Press. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. 1989. TheBirdsofSouthA?nerica. Vol. 1. Univ. TexasPress. Salaman, P. G. W. & Stiles, F. G. 1996. A distinctive new species of Vireo (Passeriformes, Vireonidae) from the Western Andes of Colombia. Ibis 138: 620-629. Stiles, F. G. 1992. Un inventario preliminar de la avifauna del noroccidente del Departamento de Risaralda. Report to CARDER, Inst. Cienc. Naturales. Stiles, F. G. & Skutch, A. F. 1989. A Guide to the Birds ofCosta Rica. Cornell Univ. Press. Address: F. Gary Stiles, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Apartado 7495, Santafe de Bogota, Colombia, email: fstiles@ciencias. ciencias.unal.edu.CO ^ British Ornithologists' Club 1998 E. M. Figueroa-Esquivel et al. 32 Bull. B.O.C. 1998 118(1) New distributional information on the birds of southern Quintana Roo, Mexico by Elsa M. Figueroa-Esquivel Adolfo G. Navarro S. & , Carmen Pozo-de la Tijera Received27January 1997 The avifauna of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in the eastern half of the Yucatan Peninsula, has received much attention recently, partly because of its importance as a wintering ground for many Neotropical migrants (Scott et al. 1985, Gatz et al. 1985, Chavez-Leon 1988, Lopez-Ornat 1989). Since the pioneering monograph of Paynter (1955), the Yucatan Peninsula has been recognised as an important area of avian diversity and endemism, particularly the arid northern section. However, knowledge of the avifauna of Quintana Roo has been concentrated in the northern part and on Cozumel Island, and much of the south remains poorly known (Paynter 1955, MacKinnon 1992, Vasquez et al 1992, Figueroa 1994). . The Museo de Zoologia ofthe Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal I (ECOSUR, formerly Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, CIQRO) surveyed the vertebrate fauna in the poorly known southern '^ section of the state between August 1992 and August 1993. Field work was conducted in seven localities within the Municipio of Othon Pompeyo Blanco in southernmost Quintan Roo (17°53'—18°13'N, 88°46'-89°15'W). The elevational range of the area is from to 200 m. *I Dominant vegetation throughout is tropical semideciduous forest (sensu Rzedowski 1988), with dominant trees including Bursera simaruba, A Manilkarazapota, Brosimumalicastrum, Metopiumbrownei, and Chryso- phila argentea (Torres, 1991). Large tracts of original vegetation have ^1 been modified due to human disturbance, mainly for cattle grazing, ] agriculture, andexploitationoffinehardwoods. General coordinates and i; II 4e-l7evkatmionN,of1l3ockalmitiWes moefnCtailodneerdonin(t1h8e°0s7p'eNc,ies88a°c5c5o'uWn;ts2a0r0ema)s;foElsltoewrs:o Franco (17°56'N, 88°52'W; 30 m); La Union (17°56'N, 88°51'W; m); Los Tornillos (18°05'N, 89°03'W; 130 m); Dos Aguadas (18°07'N, 89°08'W; 180 m); 2.3 km S of Nuevo Veracruz (18°02'N, 89°10'W; [i 140 m); El Naranjal (18°13'N, 89°02'W; 140 m). I During 65 days of field work, mist-netting and sight or auditory !| records were used to inventory the species present in the area. We collected selected specimens of as many species as possible; voucher specimens are at the Museo de Zoologia, ECOSUR (MZECOSUR) and at the Museo de Zoologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (MZFC). We report here seven species apparently new or noteworthy for the state. MISSISSIPPI KITE Ictinia mississippiensis On 20 October 1992, an individual was observed at Los Tornillos. This species is a transient along the east coast and southeastern Mexico E. M. Figueroa-Esquivelet al. 33 Bull. B.O.C. 1998 118(1) to South America. No previous records exist from the Yucatan Peninsula, except for one in Yucatan (no locahty given, Howell & Webb 1995). Possibly overlooked, and more widespread, this record is the first from Quintana Roo. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE Elanoidesforficatus Six individuals were observed on 12 May, 1993, at Los Tornillos. In June 1994, a nest was discovered on a dead tree on the edge of a cornfield at Isidro Fabela, central Quintana Roo (De Alba 1997); in June 1995, an individual was observed 5 km S Dos Lagunas, in southeastern Campeche (Figueroa & Salgado in prep.). This species is considered a common winter transient throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and a local breeder in eastern Mexico (eastern Chiapas) and Central America (Rappole et al. 1993, Howell & Webb 1995). The nest record extends the Mexican breeding range significantly northwards. WHITE-NECKEDJACOBIN Florisuga mellivora On 23 March 1993, an adult male (heavy fat deposits, no moult) was collected 4-7 km N, 13 km W^ of Calderon (MZECOSUR A-512) in cultivated grassland approximately 1 m high. The next day, two additional individuals wxre observed at the same locality, foraging at several species offlowers. On 14 May 1993, another was observed near Los Tornillos, in a patch of well preserved forest. This species is known from rain forests in Tabasco, Veracruz, northern Oaxaca and Chiapas (Miller et al 1957, AOU 1983, Binford 1989, Howell & Webb 1995) and adjacent northern Guatemala in the Peten (Land 1970) and Tikal (Smithe 1966), where it is considered uncommon. Records from Belize (Russell 1964) are from southernmost localities. No previous records exist from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico except for an observation from Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in southeastern Campeche (PRONATURA 1993). BUFF-THROATED FOLIAGE-GLEANERAutomolus ochrolaemus In April 1992, an adult male was collected 7 km N of La Union (MZFC 10551). On 24 and 25 February 1993, a male and a female (MZECOSUR A-380, A-387) were collected 2.3 km S of Nuevo Veracruz, in a well preserved patch of forest. The male showed no evidence of fat or gonadal enlargement; the female, however, had an enlarged ovary and light fat. These records are the first for the State; previous Mexican records near the study area are from Oaxaca, Tabasco and Chiapas in Mexico (AOU 1983). The species is considered uncommon in northern Guatemala (Land 1970), and rare in northern Belize (Russell 1964). THICK-BILLED SEEDFINCH Oryzoborusfunereus Six specimens of this species (MZECOSUR A-157, A-538, A-610, A-612, A-613, A-641) were collected on 29 August 1992, and 25 March and 2, 3 and 24 June 1993. These are the first records for the state; previous peninsular records are those of Robbins, who sighted one individual at Rancho Santa Anita, Campeche (MacKinnon 1992). The