Appearance
The most distinguishing characteristics of this bird is the rose-colored neck bib found in adult males. Males are mostly gray in color, with a contrasting darker upperside and a pale gray underside. Males also show a black crown. Females are mostly brown in color, with a rusty brown upperside, and a pale buffy underside. The crown is a dark gray, not nearly as stunning as the males. Its usual call is a mournful "seeeeuuuwww".Distribution
Rose-throated becards usually occur in riparian areas of pine-oak woodlands and evergreen forest. They breed from south-easternmost Arizona and extreme southern Texas of the United States to western Panama. Breeding is local and sporadic in the US, and becomes more regular in Mexico. Birds are normally permanent residents, but birds found in the United States generally migrate for the winter.Status
They are abundant in their range, and are thus considering a species of least concern. General data on their population is unknown, but they are declining at the edge of their range due to human activity.Reproduction
Most breeding activity runs from May to July, but the season may be delayed at high elevation. They make a domed, pendulous nest that hangs from a high tree branch. Three to six eggs are laid, with great variation in color including off-white, light purple, olive, and pinkish. Eggs have scrawling, spotted, markings at the larger end.Food
The becard feeds primarily on insects, which it will glean from the vegetation, but captures some in flight as well. They will also take berries and seeds.References:
Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.
