Crested Becard

The crested becard (Pachyramphus validus), also known as the plain becard, is a species of bird in the family Tityridae, the tityras, becards, and allies. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and possibly Ecuador. == Taxonomy and systematics == The crested becard was originally described in 1831 as Lanius validus, mistakenly placing it in the shrike family. It was later briefly placed in its own genus Hylonax and then in genus Platypsaris. The latter was merged by most taxonomists into Pachyramphus in 1973. It is now one of 18 becards in genus Pachyramphus that had been introduced in 1839 by George Gray. 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. The crested becard has two subspecies, the nominate P. v. validus (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823) and P. v. audax (Cabanis, 1873). == Description == The crested becard is 17 to 18.5 cm (6.7 to 7.3 in) long. The species is sexually dimorphic. Though its crown is somewhat shaggy it does not have an obvious raised crest. Adult males of the…