Black-capped Becard

About the Black-capped Becard

The black-capped becard (Pachyramphus marginatus) is a species of bird in the family Tityridae, the tityras, becards, and allies. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

The black-capped becard was originally described in 1823 as Todus marginatus, mistakenly placing it among the todies. It was eventually placed in its present genus Pachyramphus. That genus has variously been assigned to the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae and the cotinga family Cotingidae. Several early twenty-first century studies confirmed the placement of Pachyramphus in Tityridae and taxonomic systems made the reassignment.

The black-capped becard has two subspecies, the nominate P. m. marginatus (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823) and P. m. nanus (Bangs & Penard, 1921). The black-capped becard is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs about 18 g (0.63 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a glossy black crown that has a blue sheen and a scaly appearance. They have a pale spot above the lores and a thin whitish eye-ring on an otherwise light gray face. The gray of their face wraps around their... Wikipedia →