Rose-throated Becard - South Texas

On 10 November Matt Stenger found a female type, ABA Code-3, Rose-throated Becard (Pachyramphus aglaiae) in South Texas at Estero Llano Grande.

Rose-throated Becards found in the ABA Area come from geographically isolated populations.  Short-billed Arizona birds are representatives of the subspecies, P. a. albiventris, from western Mexico.  These females are buffy-white ventrally and the males have a pale rose throat patch whereas south Texas birds, P. a. gravis, have longer bills.  The coastal Mexican population females are richer buff ventrally and the males have a deep rose throat patch. Members of the genus Pachyramphus (becards) have long been controversial. In 1990, Sibley and Ahlquist considered the genera Tityra, Schiffornis and Pachyramphus to form a distinct group and they placed them all in the Tyrannidae, tyrant flycatchers.  In the late 1990s, following the work by Prum et al., this group was removed from the Tyrannidae and placed in the Cotingidae, the cotingas.  In 2004, Chesser found them to be more closely related to manakins so in 2005 the South American Checklist Committee (SACC) removed Pachyramphusfrom the Cotingidae and temporarily placed them into Incertae Sedis (uncertain position).  In 2006 Ericson et al. established that the group should be placed in anew family, Tityridae, where hopefully they will remain. 

Comments

[Nick Block]

Michael Retter and Jon Dale found it yesterday, actually. Glad to hear Matt saw it for his Big Year!