From Opus

Photo by JWN Andrewes
Photographed: Brazil
female of subspecies viridis

Pachyramphus viridis

Includes Yellow-cheeked Becard

[edit] Identification

14 - 15cm.

• Male with a black crown, female with green crown
• Olive-green wings, females with rufous-chestnut lesser wing-coverts
• Viridis: Male with grey-whitish face and throat, grey neck and nuchal collar, yellow pectoral band merging with whitish underparts
• Griseigularis: Underparts greyish, without yellow pectoral band
• Peruanus and xanthogenys: yellow face, olive nuchal collar and neck, olive pectoral band merging with whitish underparts.

[edit] Distribution

SE Venezuela and Guyana, locally in N Brazil and from NE Brazil south to Bolivia, Paraguay, N Argentina and Uruguay. Also in Peru, Ecuador and S Colombia.

[edit] Taxonomy

Four species which form two groups:

• P. v. griseigularis in Venezuela, N Brazil and Guyana.
• P. v. viridis from Ne Brazil south to Uruguay and N Argentina.

• P. v. peruanus in Peru.
• P. v. xanthogenys in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.

Peruanus and xanthogenys are sometimes split as Yellow-cheeked Becard, Pachyramphus xanthogenys.

[edit] Habitat

Different types of forest (moist lowland forest, gallery forest, foothill forest) and forest edge. Also found in clearings.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on insects.
Usually seen in pairs or single. Forages in varying heights in the trees, well above the ground. Viridis and greiseigularis are often in mixed-species flocks.
The bulky globular nest is made of dead leaves and usually hangs from from a drooping branch or is wedged in a tree fork. It has a entrance hole near the bottom on the side. Lays two to four eggs.
Resident species.

[edit] References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2004. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334696

[edit] External Links