Gray-collared Becard

About the Gray-collared Becard

The grey-collared becard (Pachyramphus major) is a species of bird in the family Tityridae, the tityras, becards, and allies. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. It has also occurred as a vagrant in Arizona and Texas.

The grey-collared becard was originally described in 1847 as Bathmidurus major. 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. In 1998 the American Ornithological Society was unsure where to place the genus and listed its members as incertae sedis but in 2011 moved them to Tityridae.

The grey-collared becard's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC, the Clements taxonomy, AviList, and the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (NACC) assign it these five subspecies:

P. m. uropygialis Nelson, 1899 P. m. major (Cabinis, 1847) P. m. matudai Phillips, AR, 1966 P. m. itzensis Nelson, 1901 P. m... Wikipedia →