Becard


A becard is a bird of the genus Pachyramphus in the family Tityridae.

Taxonomy

The genus Pachyramphus was introduced in 1839 by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in the volume on birds by John Gould that formed part of Charles Darwin's Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. The type species was designated by Gray in 1840 as the green-backed becard. The generic name is from the Ancient Greek pakhus meaning "stout" or "thick" and rhamphos meaning "bill".
The genus had traditionally been placed in Cotingidae or Tyrannidae, but evidence strongly suggests that it is better placed in the family Tityridae, where it is now placed by the IOC.

Extant species

The genus contains seventeen species:
ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Pachyramphus viridisGreen-backed becardArgentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus xanthogenysYellow-cheeked becardsouth Colombia, east Ecuador, central Peru
Pachyramphus versicolorBarred becardfrom Costa Rica to northwestern Ecuador and northern Bolivia.
Pachyramphus spodiurusSlaty becardEcuador and far northern Peru.
Pachyramphus rufusCinereous becardBrazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela
Pachyramphus castaneusChestnut-crowned becardBrazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia and regions of Venezuela
Pachyramphus cinnamomeusCinnamon becardsouth-eastern Mexico south to north-western Ecuador and north-western Venezuela
Pachyramphus polychopterusWhite-winged becardArgentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus marginatusBlack-capped becardBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus albogriseusBlack-and-white becardColombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus majorGrey-collared becardBelize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Pachyramphus surinamusGlossy-backed becardBrazil, French Guiana, and Suriname.
Pachyramphus homochrousOne-colored becardColombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus minorPink-throated becardBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Pachyramphus validusCrested becardArgentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.
Pachyramphus aglaiaeRose-throated becardsouth-easternmost Arizona and extreme southern Texas of the United States to western Panama.
Pachyramphus nigerJamaican becardJamaica.

Former species

Some authorities, either presently or formerly, recognize several additional species as belonging to the genus Pachyramphus including:
The becards are characterized by their large heads with a slight crest. The smaller members of this genus have graduated tails and most members are sexually dimorphic, although the cinnamon becard and the chestnut-crowned becard have similar plumages for the males and females. Juvenile becards resemble the adult females in plumage and, as far as known, obtain their adult plumage after about a year. The bills of the becards are grey, and many have a black culmen or upper mandible. Their legs are dark gray.

Distribution and habitat

They are primarily found in Central and South America, but the rose-throated becard occurs as far north as southern United States and, as suggested by its common name, the Jamaican becard is restricted to Jamaica. Depending on the species, they are found in wooded habitats ranging from open woodland to the dense canopy of rainforests.

Breeding

The nest of a becard is a bulky globular mass of dead leaves, mosses, and fibers with the entrance near the bottom of the nest. Nests are typically wedged or slung from the outer branches of trees at the mid or upper levels.