Fire eyes ( Pyriglena ) - a genus of birds from the family of striped ants ( Thamnophilidae ). The genus contains three species, all found in South America .
Fire eyes |
White-backed Fire Eye , Pyriglena leuconota |
Scientific classification |
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No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
Suborder : | Screaming passerines |
Infrastructure : | Tyrannides |
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International scientific name |
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Pyriglena ( Vieillot , 1818 ) |
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The genus Pyriglena was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1847. [1] The White-shouldered Fire Eye was subsequently designated as the type species of the genus. [2]
The name comes from the ancient Greek word puriglēnos , meaning fire eyes. [3]
Appearance
Body length 16-18 cm, weight 25-36 g. They have characteristic red eyes that give them their name. They have sexual dimorphic plumage , females have a body color of brown to buff with black tails, and males have black with small white spots on their backs or wings. Fire eyes eat various insects and will regularly follow nomadic ants to catch the prey scared by them. [four]
Distribution
Two kinds of fire-eyes are widespread and not in danger, but one species of Spotted-backed fire-eyes , is in danger of extinction. [5]
Stargazer ,
Pyriglena leucoptera The genus contains three species: [6]
- Pyriglena atra spotted- backed fire- eye ( Swainson , 1825);
- White-backed Fire Eye Pyriglena leuconota ( Spix , 1824);
- Pyriglena leuconota castanoptera (Chubb, C, 1916)
- Pyriglena leuconota hellmayri (Stolzmann & Domaniewski, 1918)
- Pyriglena leuconota interposita (Pinto, 1947)
- Pyriglena leuconota leuconota (von Spix, 1824)
- Pyriglena leuconota marcapatensis (Stolzmann & Domaniewski, 1918)
- Pyriglena leuconota maura (Ménétries, 1835)
- Pyriglena leuconota pacifica (Chapman, 1923)
- Pyriglena leuconota pernambucensis (Zimmer, JT, 1931)
- Pyriglena leuconota picea (Cabanis, 1847)
- Pyriglena leuconota similis (Zimmer, JT, 1931)
- The white-eyed fire-eye of Pyriglena leucoptera (Vieillot, 1818).
Three types of fire eyes were sometimes considered as one species. [7] A study published in 2017 recommended that the white-backed fire eye be divided into three distinct species. [8] [9]