The cinnamon becard (Pachyramphus cinnamomeus) is a passerinebird in the family Tityridae, the tityras, becards, and allies.[2] It is found in Mexico, in every Central American country except El Salvador, and in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[5]
The cinnamon becard is 14 to 15cm (5.5 to 5.9in) long and weighs 17 to 22g (0.60 to 0.78oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. c. cinnamomeus have a deep rufous crown, dusky lores, a pale buff line above the lores, and ochraceous tawny cheeks. Their upperparts are mostly rufous or chestnut-rufous to rufous-tawny. Their wings are rufous that is darker and duskier on the primary coverts. Their tail is rufous. Their underparts are ochraceous tawny to cinnamon-buff or to tawny-buff that is paler on the throat and belly and has a rufous tinge across the breast. Subspecies P. c. fulvidior is more richly colored than the nominate. P. c. magdalenae has underparts that are more whitish than the nominate's and with a cinnamon wash. P. c. badius is similar to magdaleneae but slightly darker. All subspecies have a dark iris, a blackish bill with often a paler grayish mandible, and dark gray legs and feet.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies of the cinnamon becard are found thus:[3][6]
P. c. fulvidior: from southeastern Veracruz and northeastern Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico south through central and southern Belize, northern Guatemala, and the Caribbean slopes of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica into western Panama; on the Pacific slope from Costa Rica's Puntarenas Province south into western Panama[7][8]
P. c. cinnamomeus: from Darién Province in eastern Panama south into northwestern Colombia; south in Colombia's Eastern Andes regularly to Meta Department and at least occasionally further south; south through western Colombia and through western Ecuador almost to Peru.[9][10][11]
P. c. badius: western Venezuela on the east slope of the Andes in Táchira[12]
The cinnamon becard inhabits the interior and edges of evergreen forest and secondary forest in the tropical and lower subtropical zones.[3] It also occurs in somewhat open woodlands, riparian areas, clearings with tall trees, and coastally in mangroves.[6] In elevation it ranges overall from sea level mostly to 1,200m (3,900ft).[3] It reaches 500m (1,600ft) in northern Central America, 900m (3,000ft) in Costa Rica, 1,300m (4,300ft) in Colombia, 800m (2,600ft) in Ecuador, and 1,200m (3,900ft) in Venezuela.[7][8][9][11][12]
Behavior
Movement
The cinnamon becard is mostly a year-round resident.[3] However, it appears to make some seasonal movements in Mexico.[6]
Feeding
The cinnamon becard feeds on a variety of insects, other arthropods, and berries. It usually forages singly or in pairs though sometimes in small groups; it occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It perches from the forest's mid-story to its canopy and takes its food by gleaning from vegetation and twigs with a short sally from the perch.[6]
Breeding
The cinnamon becard's breeding season has not been fully defined but includes March to July in Costa Rica and perhaps as long as January to October in Colombia, Its nest is a bulky globe that usually has a side entrance and is made from dead leaves, plant fibers, moss, rootlets, and other plant material. It typically is wedged in a branch fork high in the canopy but nests have been noted between 1.5 and 15m (5 and 50ft) above the ground. Nests are often placed near an active wasp nest. The clutch is three or four eggs; the female alone incubates for about 18 to 21 days. Both parents provision nestlings and fledging occurs about 20 to 30 days after hatch.[6]
A typical cinnamon becard song is "a somewhat plaintive, reedy, usually fast or nearly trilled series of musical notes, e.g. teedeedee-deedeedee, cheei dee-dee, deeeuu dew dew, dew, dew".[6] Other descriptions include "a high-pitched, thin, whistled tseeeuuuu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu"[7] and "a sweet, mellow tee, deer-dear-dear-dear, falling in pitch and trailing off at [the] end"[12]. Its calls include "reedy, but shorter swee-dwee-dwee or seer eeer eeur series [and a] variety of high-pitched, thin and more plaintive seeeeiu slurred whistle-like calls".[6]
Status
The IUCN has assessed the cinnamon becard as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its estimated population of at least 50,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered "rare to uncommon" in northern Central America, "common" on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica and "very uncommon" on the Pacific slope, "fairly common" in Colombia, and "common" in Ecuador.[7][8][9][11]
1 2 3 4 5 Check-list of North American Birds (7thed.). Washington, D.C.: American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. p.418.
1 2 Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 29 September 2025. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithological Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved September 29, 2025
1 2 R. Terry Chesser, Richard C. Banks, F. Keith Barker, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Fifty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk 2011, vol. 128:600–613 retrieved October 22, 2025
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mobley, J. A. (2020). Cinnamon Becard (Pachyramphus cinnamomeus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.cinbec1.01 retrieved November 1, 2025
1 2 3 4 Fagan, Jesse; Komar, Oliver (2016). Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America. Peterson Field Guides. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp.282–283. ISBN978-0-544-37326-6.
1 2 3 Garrigues, Richard; Dean, Robert (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca: Zona Tropical/Comstock/Cornell University Press. pp.214–215. ISBN978-0-8014-7373-9.
1 2 3 McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p.176. ISBN978-0-9827615-0-2.
1 2 3 Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol.II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p.176. ISBN978-0-8014-8721-7.
1 2 3 Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela (seconded.). Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. p.646.
Skutch, Alexander F. (1969). "Cinnamon Becard"(PDF). Life Histories of Central American Birds III: Families Cotingidae, Pipridae, Formicariidae, Furnariidae, Dendrocolaptidae, and Picidae. Pacific Coast Avifauna, Number 35. Berkeley, California: Cooper Ornithological Society. pp.52–51.
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