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184 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
PICAZUROS PICAZURO REICHENBACHI (Bonaparte)
Crossophthahnus reichenbacJii Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., vol. 2, 1857, p. 55.
(Patagonia.)
When Doctor Hartert °^ pointed out that the picazuro pigeon from
northern Argentina differed from that from more northern regions
and named it Columha picazuro venturiana^ he overlooked the fact
that another name was available for it, probably because the name
here used, that of Bonaparte, had been placed by Salvadori"' in
the synonymy of Notioenas maculosa. Crossojjhthalmus reiclienbacM
was described by Bonaparte from an adult from Patagonia and a
juvenile (at least so characterized) from Paraguay. On scanning
the original reference it will be seen that the adult refers to Picazuros
picazuro and the supposed young bird to Notioenas rruiculosa., since
the former is said only to have the wing coverts margined with
white, while the latter has the feathers of the back and the superior
wing coverts terminally spotted with white. As the adult of this
composite is picazuro the name should be restricted to that bird.
It will apply to the form that has been described as venturian^ and
must supplant that name. The type-locality given as Patagonia
may be erroneous, but may perhaps be determined by examination
of Orbigny's original specimen if still extant.
An adult male of the dark southern form of the picazuro pigeon
was taken at San Vicente, Uruguay, on January 26, 1921. Since
a specimen in the collection of the United States National Museum
from Corrientes is also representative of the dark southern bird,
the question of the identity of the bird from Paraguay, the type-
locality of the typical form, naturally arises, as Corrientes is not
far from the Paraguayan border. The fact that a bird from the
Formosan Chaco is pale does not necessaril}^ indicate that one from
east of the Paraguay River in the same latitude would be the same,
since the specimen in question came from the interior of the Chaco
in a region where pale forms, similar to those from the Paraguayan
Chaco, occur. In other words, it is not improbable that a pale bird
may range in the Paraguayan Chaco and that a dark one may occupy
eastern Paraguay.
Several of these pigeons were recorded at the Estancia Los
Yngleses, near Lavalle, Buenos Aires, October 23, 1920, and one
was seen on November 9. In southern Uruguay I found them common.
One was seen at La Paloma, January 23, while near San
Vicente, from January 25 to February 2, the birds were common and
were breeding. They were most common in the extensive pahno.res,
where forests of palms covered broad marshy areas in the lowlands.
The pigeons rested in the tops of the palms and flew out with loudly
^ Nov. Zool.. vol. 16, December, 1900, p. 260.
" Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. 21, 1893, p. 273.