Black-and-white Becard (Pachyramphus albogriseus) [XC259055]
by John V. Moore from Guayas: Cerro Blanco, Ecuador (song)
Black-and-white Becard (Pachyramphus albogriseus) [XC264751]
by Paul Coopmans from Napo: Tena, Ecuador (song)
Subspecies
Genus formerly included with Tityra in the Cotingidae, but transferred to present family because of several shared, derived features of the skull and syrinx. Because both genera exhibit similarity to cotingids in many other features, some authors prefer to leave them in that family or to treat them as representing a separate family (Tityridae). Phylogenetic affinity of present species unknown. Has been suggested that it is closely related to, and possibly conspecific with, Black-capped Becard (Pachyramphus marginatus). The two appear to replace each other geographically and could be considered to represent a zoogeographical species. Racial identity of birds in north-western Ecuador uncertain, as both guayaquilensis and salvini seem to occur there. Some revision of subspecies probably necessary.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
ornatus Cherrie, 1891 - Costa Rica and western Panama (Chiriquí and Veraguas, possibly farther east).
coronatus Phelps & Phelps Jr, 1953 - Northern Colombia (south-western slope of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Sierra de Perijá) and extreme north-western Venezuela (Perijá Mts).
albogriseus Sclater, 1857 - North-eastern Colombia (eastern slope of eastern Andes from northern Norte de Santander south to northern Boyacá and south-eastern Nariño) and northern Venezuela (Andes from Lara south to southern Táchira, also Yaracuy and coastal mountains from Carabobo east to western Sucre).
guayaquilensis Zimmer, JT, 1936 - Western Ecuador (western Esmeraldas and Manabí south, including Puna I, to Guayas and El Oro).
salvini Richmond, 1899 - Eastern Ecuador (apparently also crossing to Pacific slope in Pichincha) and north-western and central Peru (Pacific lowlands south to Lambayeque and Cajamarca, also eastern side of central Andes from Amazonas and San Martín south to Ayacucho).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet