- Pachyramphus viridis
Includes Yellow-cheeked Becard
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.
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.
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.
Peruanus and xanthogenys are sometimes split as Yellow-cheeked Becard, Pachyramphus xanthogenys.
Habitat
Different types of forest (moist lowland forest, gallery forest, foothill forest) and forest edge. Also found in clearings.
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.
References
- 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
