Rose-throated Becard (Pachyramphus aglaiae), California Gulch, Pima County

This Rose-throated Becard was discovered and photographed by Andrew Spencer on 04 June 2009.

His account:  "This morning I found a male Rose-throated Becard, in, of all places, the Mesquite desert along the road just before the California Gulch parking area. It was perched in an Ocotillo just below the large cattle guard that has concrete ramps, which is just below the high point mentioned as the parking spot in the site guide. I managed to snap two poor pics, attached to this email. It then flew off to points unknown while I was adjusting a setting on my camera."  This seems very unusual habitat for this species. 

The first record for this species in Arizona was one in the Huachuca Mountains in 1888.  They went unrecorded until they were discovered in Patagonia in 1947.  For many decades the only place they could be reliably viewed in the United States was at the Roadside Rest Area in Patagonia, which was made famous among birders because of its nesting Becards.  The vast majority of birders in the US have probably added this species to their life lists at this location.  However, the last year they were reported at the Roadside Rest was in 2006.  There is no longer anywhere in the US accessible to the public where they can be reliably found, although they have occurred casually at a few locations in SE Arizona (as well as Texas).  They were upgraded to a Review Species by the ABC in 2008 since they are no longer a regular part of Arizona's avifauna. 

04 June 2009, photos by Andrew Spencer

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer

 

Map:

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