Chestnut-crowned Becard
Pachyramphus castaneus
Medium-sized becard found at the edges of humid forests, woodlands, and gallery forests where it tends to perches on exposed branches. It has a chestnut crown contrasting with a broad gray band around the eyes and a cinnamon face and underparts. Sexes similar. The song is a soft musical whistled “teeuw-teeu-teeu.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pachyramphus castaneus
- Authority
- (Jardine & Selby, 1827)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tityridae
- Genus
- Pachyramphus
Range and habitat
The chestnut-crowned becard has two major ranges in South America: the Amazon Basin, mostly the south and center-west, and the Cerrado region of Brazil.<p>The Cerrado range is in southeastern South America and also covers large areas of coastal Brazil; the range goes from southern Northeast Region, Brazil to the Southeast region, and includes the eastern Center-West region. From northeast to southeast, the range extends about 2600 km.<p>The range in the Amazon Basin, (about 3200 km), extends through the center regions of northwest and southwest and avoids most highlands-headwater regions of the very midpoint of the Basin. One of two exceptions is the headwater-upperland bordering southeast Venezuela with western Roraima state of North Region, Brazil, (the Amazon Basin); this disjunct range is 300 km by 900 km. The second exception is Caribbean coastal northern Venezuela, a smaller disjunct range.<p>The Amazon Basin range in the west extends to the Andean foothills and is contiguous from southern Colombia south through all eastern Ecuador, all of eastern Amazonian Peru, and parts of Bolivia, especially the extreme north at the headwater tributaries of the Madeira River. The Madeira River in southwestern Amazonas state Brazil is one southerly range limit, and the Rio Negro is the northwestern Amazon range limit. In the southeast Basin the eastern limit is the lower fourth of the adjacent drainage, the Araguaia-Tocantins River, (the upper fourth being in the SE Brazil Cerrado population). In the southeast Basin, only the downstream half of the river systems are in the contiguous range, (the Tapajós and Xingu Rivers).
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Greater Ani
Crotophaga major
Anis are bizarre black cuckoos with long floppy tails and unique, very deep and broad-sided bills. Greater is the largest ani, distinctive with its staring yellow eye and glossy blue, green, and purple sheen on the wings and tail. Always associated with water; especially apt to be found low in the forest edge around slow-moving rivers and lakes. Seen in family groups. Widespread in lowlands from Panama to Argentina.
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
Lichenostomus melanops
A small to medium-sized honeyeater with a bright yellow chin and crown and bold black cheeks. Note the namesake small yellow tufts behind the ear. Gregarious and usually seen in groups; often aggressive towards other birds. Typically found in woodland areas around the southeast parts of Australia.
African Citril
Crithagra citrinelloides
A small seedeater with a sharp bill and a forked tail. The upperparts are olive-green and the underparts yellow. Males have a black face and plain yellow underparts. Females have a plain face, but are heavily streaked below. Found at middle and high elevations in a variety of habitats including forest edge, gardens, cultivation, moist scrub, and woodland. Usually in small flocks. Similar to Southern Citril, but there is virtually no overlap in range, and the male is easily separated by its black face. The song is a fast jumble of high-pitched twitters and whistles.
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