Pale-eyed Blackbird

About the Pale-eyed Blackbird

The pale-eyed blackbird (Agelasticus xanthophthalmus) is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru where its natural habitat is swamps. An inconspicuous bird of very local occurrence, it was first described in 1969 by American ornithologist Lester L. Short.

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.

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. 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... Wikipedia →