Pale-eyed Blackbird
Agelasticus xanthophthalmus
Medium-sized blackbird found locally in habitats with wet grass. Shiny black, with a white or light yellow eye and sharply pointed black bill. Giant Cowbird occasionally has a pale eye and may appear similar, but is much larger than Pale-eyed Blackbird; told apart from the similar Velvet-fronted Grackle by its pale eyes, longer, more pointed bill, and shorter tail. Found in wet grasslands and grassy margins of oxbow lakes, where it forages singly, in pairs, or in small groups.
Identification
The adult pale-eyed blackbird is entirely black in both sexes. It has white or pale buff coloured irises to its eyes which are very distinctive and distinguish it from other black birds found in the area such as the velvet-fronted grackle and the shiny cowbird which have dark eyes. Juveniles and immature birds are brownish-black with underparts streaked with yellow or buff.<p>The call is a loud metallic "tew-tew-tew-tew" similar to that of a black-capped donacobius. It is usually sung from the top of a shrub.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Agelasticus xanthophthalmus
- Authority
- (Short, 1969)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Agelasticus
Range and habitat
The pale-eyed blackbird is found in a restricted area of eastern Peru and Ecuador. Its habitat is marshy areas round lagoons and oxbow lakes and the fringes of nearby grassland. Since its first discovery in 1969 it has been seen regularly in the Limoncocha National Biological Reserve near the Napo River, Ecuador and in the Tambopata National Reserve near the Madre de Dios River, Peru.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This blackbird is usually seen in pairs and spends most of the day in marshy places in thick undergrowth. It is most visible in the early morning when it emerges into more open areas to forage, and it at this time of day that it is most likely to be heard singing from the top of a bush.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Taita White-eye
Zosterops silvanus
A small, sharp-billed warbler-like bird. Note the olive-green back, the yellow throat and undertail, and the ridiculously broad white spectacles around the eyes. Found in the Taita Hills of southeast Kenya, in montane forest, forest edge, exotic tree plantations, and lush gardens and scrub. Usually in hyperactive pairs or flocks. Separated from similar broad-ringed white-eyes by range. Somewhat similar to African Yellow and Pale White-eyes, but found at higher elevations, and eye-ring is much broader. Song is a subdued, chatty sequence of “chew” notes. Calls include a high-pitched rising rattle, chattering notes, and “chew” notes like those from the song.
Shiny Whistling-Thrush
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Chunky dark blue bird with a small bill and a short tail. Note iridescent spangling on the neck and brow of the male; female is plainer, with less iridescence. Endemic to Sumatra, where it can be found along streams in damp and mossy mountain and foothill forests. Forages actively on the ground and up in streamside trees. Calls include a piercing descending whistle and strange grating notes.
Pink-throated Brilliant
Heliodoxa gularis
Scarce hummingbird found in cloud forest in the eastern foothills of the Andes in Ecuador, southern Colombia, and northern Peru. Green with a white vent and a small white dot behind eye. Male has a glittering pink throat patch, which is reduced or lacking on female. Small compared to other brilliants, and the only one with a white vent. Found only in remote and relatively undisturbed forest, and rarely encountered.
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