Pachyramphus viridis
The Green-backed Becard (Pachyramphus viridis) is a charming and often-sought passerine of South American woodlands, belonging to the diverse Tityridae family. Males are strikingly adorned with a glossy black cap, vibrant grass-green upperparts, and bright yellow underparts, making them quite distinctive. Females, by contrast, sport a more subdued olive-green back, yellowish-olive underparts often streaked on the breast, and a dull rufous-brown cap, sometimes with a faint yellowish eye-ring. ...
This species favors semi-open woodlands, forest edges, clearings with scattered trees, and gallery forests. It is typically found at low to mid-elevations, generally below 1,500 meters, though occasionally higher.
Primarily insectivorous, the Green-backed Becard consumes a variety of arthropods, including beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and spiders. It supplements its diet with small fruits and berries.
The Green-backed Becard is primarily diurnal, often observed singly or in pairs, occasionally joining mixed-species flocks. Its foraging strategy is characterized by "sally-gleaning," where it perches watchfully before darting out to snatch insects from foliage, twigs, or bark, or performing shor...
The Green-backed Becard boasts a broad distribution across central and southern South America, primarily within the "Atlantic Forest" and "Cerrado" biomes, extending into parts of the Amazon Basin and Gran Chaco. The nominate subspecies, *Pachyramphus viridis viridis*, spans southeastern Brazil (...
Least Concern
- The genus name, *Pachyramphus*, is derived from Greek, meaning "thick-bill," a fitting description for its stout, slightly hooked bill. - Its remarkable nest is a large, enclosed, pendulous sphere, often resembling a hanging ball of moss and debris, which provides excellent camouflage. - Unlike...