| Publicaciones del Museo de Historia Natural, Serie (A) Zoología |
No. 23 Koepcke, M. 1971. Zonotrichia capensis markli nov. Subespec. (Fringillidae, aves). Una raza geográfica nueva del Gorrión Americano de la costa norte del Perú. 23:1-11. Zonotrichia capensis markli nov. subspec.
(Fringillidae, Aves), a new geographical race of the Rufous-collared
Sparrow from the coast of northern Peru, by Maria Koepcke. A
new geographical race of Zonotrichia capensis is described which
lives in the area of steppes and savanas of the coast of northern
Peru (Department of Piura). Hitherto it had been believed that
Zonotrichia capensis did not exist in this hot and dry area
but the finding of this new form demonstrates that it was always
existing therealthough it formerly may have been restricted
to certain life communities difficult to reach and moreover,
the poblation possibly was limited. Today it is a common bird
in the cultivated areas (specially cotton plantations) in the
lower valleys of Rio Piura and Río Chira. The new form is characterized
by its very pale coloration, ochraceous nuchal collar and very
pale ochraceous edges to the secondaries and greater wing coverts.
It differs considerably from the subspecies delimiting to its
area of distribution (illescasensis, peruviensis, huancabambae
and possibly costaricensis) and is closest to insularis
of Curacao and Aruba (Caribbean Sea). The new race is named
for the late Dr. Walter MARKL who discovered it and observed
how it appeared and became more and more common in an area where
it had been previously unknown, and who contributed so much
to our knowledge about the birds of northwestern Peru. |