Pachyramphus spodiurus
The Slaty Becard (Pachyramphus spodiurus) is a strikingly sexually dimorphic passerine, a jewel of the humid Andean foothills and adjacent lowlands in South America. Males are distinguished by their sleek, uniform slaty-gray plumage, accented by a contrasting black cap and subtly paler underparts, measuring around 14-14.5 cm (5.5-5.7 inches) in length. Females present a more olive-green and yellow-green palette, with a brownish crown, olive upperparts, and bright yellow-green underparts, ofte...
This becard favors humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, including forest edges and tall secondary growth, typically found along riverine areas and within foothill zones.
Its diet consists mainly of insects, which it gleans from foliage or catches in aerial sallies, supplemented with small fruits.
Primarily diurnal, the Slaty Becard is often observed foraging solitarily or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks, moving methodically through the canopy and subcanopy. Its foraging strategy involves gleaning insects from the underside of leaves and twigs, as well as making short, agi...
The Slaty Becard is a resident species primarily found along the eastern slopes of the Andes and adjacent Amazonian lowlands in specific regions of Ecuador and northeastern Peru. In Ecuador, its distribution encompasses the eastern provinces of Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbíos, Morona-Santiago, and Zamor...
Vulnerable
- The Slaty Becard underwent a significant taxonomic journey, once placed in the Tyrannidae (tyrant flycatchers) or Cotingidae (cotingas), before finding its current home in the Tityridae family. - It is one of the most sexually dimorphic becard species, making identification based solely on plum...