Western Fire-eye (Pyriglena maura)

Identification & Behavior: ~17.5 cm (6.8 in). The male White-backed Fire-Eye is jet black with a semi-concealed white patch on the back. The female is variable ranging from rufous-brown (marcapatensis), olive-brown (pacifica), to chestnut brown with black head (picea, not portrayed), to black head and underparts with chestnut-brown back (castanoptera, not portrayed). Both sexes have a fiery red iris. It forages in the understory of humind montane forests generally in rather thick foliage; often in bamboo. It also occurs in the understory of humid forest in extreme northwest Peru in Tumbes. It is very similar to the Black Antbird and Manu Antbird but is distinguished by larger size and by the fiery red iris.

Status: The White-backed Fire-Eye is fairly common in humid montane forest forests of the east slope of the Andes at elevations ranging between 500-2100 m. In the humid forest of Tumbes, it is known to range at elevations between 400-800 m. The White-backed Fire-Eye also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Ojo-de-Fuego Occidental.

Sub-species: White-backed Fire-eye (Pyriglena leuconota pacifica), Chapman, 1923.  W Ecuador and extreme NW Peru (Tumbes).
(Pyriglena leuconota castanoptera), C. Chubb, 1916.  Andean slopes in S Colombia (E slope of C range, W slope of E range in Huila, E slope of E range S from Cauca and Caquetá), Ecuador (E slope) and N Peru (N of R Marañón in Piura, Cajamarca and N Amazonas).
(Pyriglena leuconota picea), Cabanis, 1847.   E Andean slope of C Peru (S Amazonas S to Junín and Ayacucho).
(Pyriglena leuconota marcapatensis), Sztolcman and Domaniewski, 1918. SE Peru (Madre de Dios, Cuzco, Puno).

Meaning of Name: Pyriglena: Gr. Puros= fire and glene= eyeball, eye. leuconota: Gr. Leukos= White notos, noton= backed, back.

See more of the Family Thamnophilidae