Cryptic Becard

About the Cryptic Becard

The cryptic becard (Pachyramphus salvini) is a species of bird in the family Tityridae, the tityras, becards, and allies. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The cryptic becard was originally called Pachyramphus similis but in 1899 Richmond noted that the binomial had earlier been used for a different species. Following the principle of priority he assigned its current binomial Pachyramphus salvini. The genus Pachyramphus 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 cryptic becard's further taxonomy is unsettled. Until publication of a 2023 study it was treated as a subspecies of the black-and-white becard (P. albogriseus). Following that study the IOC, the Clements taxonomy, AviList, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (NACC), and the independent South American Classification Committee (SACC) split it as a monotypic species. However, as of late 2025 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds... Wikipedia →