The green-backed becard was originally described in 1816 as Tityra viridis.[4] It was later reassigned to genus Pachyramphus that George Robert Gray erected in 1840.[3] The 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.[5]
The green-backed becard's further taxonomy is unsettled. The IOC assigns it two subspecies, the nominateP. v. viridis (Vieillot, 1816) and P. v. griseigularis (Salvin & Godman, 1883).[3] The Clements taxonomy, AviList, and the independent South American Classification Committee (SACC) add two more subspecies, P. v. xanthogenys and P. v. peruanus, that the IOC treat together as the separate species yellow-cheeked becard. Clements recognizes some distinctions among the subspecies by calling viridis the "green-backed becard (green-backed)", griseigularis the "green-backed becard (green-cheeked)", and the other two the "green-backed becard (yellow-cheeked)". The SACC recognizes that xanthogenys and peruanus may represent a species and is seeking a proposal to evaluate their status.[3][5][6][7]BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats the green-backed becard as monotypic and the other systems' subspecies griseigularis as the separate species green-cheeked becard. It recognizes the same two-subspecies yellow-cheeked becard as the IOC.[8]
This article follows the IOC two-subspecies model.
Description
The green-backed becard is about 14.5 to 16cm (5.7 to 6.3in) long; two individuals of the nominate subspecies weighed 18 and 21g (0.63 and 0.74oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a glossy black crown, whitish lores, and a thin yellowish eye-ring. The lower part of their face and their nape are pale gray. Their upperparts are mostly bright olive with dusky olive flight feathers and tail. Their throat is whitish, their breast bright yellow to olive yellow, and the rest of their underparts grayish white with a buffy tinge. Adult females have a similar pattern to males. However, their crown is dull olive, their lores grayish, and their face grayer. Their upperparts are pale olive and their wing coverts rufous-chestnut. Their breast is a more muted yellow and their underparts overall somewhat more dusky than the male's. Males of subspecies P. v. griseigularis have a grayish olive face and nape. They have blackish flight feathers with olive edges. Their underparts are mostly grayish white with grayer sides and flanks than the nominate's. Females have a dusky brown crown, nape, and upperparts. Both sexes of both subspecies have a dark iris, a pale bluish horn bill, and dusky or grayish legs and feet.[9]
Distribution and habitat
The green-backed becard has a disjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies has by far the larger range. It is found in eastern and southern Brazil south from a line roughly southwest from Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte to west-central Mato Grosso. Its range continues from Mato Grosso slightly into eastern Bolivia. It continues south through most of Paraguay into northeastern Argentina as far as Santa Fe and Entre Ríos provinces and northern Uruguay, and loops north from Argentina into central Bolivia. Subspecies P. v. griseigularis is found in the eastern part of the eastern Venezuelan states of Delta Amacuro and Bolívar and slightly east into western Guyana and also in Brazil along the lower Amazon River from the lower Tapajós River to its mouth.[9][10]
The green-backed becard primarily inhabits humid to moist forest in the tropical and lower montane zones, and favors broken and somewhat open areas. It also is found in riparian forest, terra firme forest, and the ecotone between them. In Brazil it is found from sea level to 1,000m (3,280ft).[9][10] It also reaches that elevation in Venezuela.[11]
Behavior
Movement
The green-backed becard is a year-round resident.[9]
Feeding
The green-backed becard's diet has not been studied but is believed to be mostly insects with some fruit. It has been observed in pairs accompanying mixed-species feeding flocks. It forages in any level of the forest, typically taking food by reaching from a perch, snatching it after a short flight, or while briefly hovering.[9]
Breeding
The green-backed becard's breeding season has not been fully defined but includes October to December in Argentina, October in Paraguay, and September to December in Brazil. Its nest is a messy globe made from dead leaves, plant fibers, and moss and is typically wedged in a branch fork. Nests have been found between about 4 and 25m (15 and 80ft) above the ground. The clutch is two to four eggs that are ochre or brownish gray with brown markings. The female alone incubates, for about 18 to 21 days. Fledging occurs about 20 to 30 days after hatch and both parents provision the nestlings.[9]
The green-backed becard's song is starts abruptly and then is an "ascending and slightly decelerating series of 10-15 dee-dee--- notes or series of ascending jeh-weeé-- (6-20x)".[10] Its usual call is "a fast, thin and nasal q-wink, q-wink that rises in pitch, and may be repeated up to 12 times".[9]
Status
The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so has separately assessed the green-backed sensu stricto and green-cheeked becards. Both are assessed as being of Least Concern. Together they have a very large range. Neither taxon's population size is known and both are believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats to either have been identified.[1][2] The species is considered "frequent to uncommon" in Brazil and "uncommon and local" in Venezuela.[10][11] It is found in many national parks and other protected areas.[9]
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
↑ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 23, 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 del Hoyo, J., J. A. Mobley, G. M. Kirwan, and N. Collar (2022). Green-backed Becard (Pachyramphus viridis), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grbbec1.01.1 retrieved October 31, 2025
1 2 3 4 van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.288–289. ISBN978-0-19-530155-7.
1 2 Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela (seconded.). Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. p.642.
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