Reddish-winged Bare-eye Phlegopsis erythroptera Scientific name definitions

The Reddish-winged Bare-eye is a fairly large, antbird with a bare, red periorbital patch. Within its range, this species is unmistakable and not likely to be confused with other bare-eyes. There are currently two described subspecies of the Reddish-winged Bare-eye that are isolated geographically. Considered an obligate follower of army ants, the Reddish-winged Bare-eye is rarely found away from them; however, they will consume other arthropods such as caterpillars, spiders, and cockroaches while following army ant swarms. While following army ant swarms, this species is usually found in pairs or families groups, sometimes numbering up to several dozen individuals. Rather secretive, this species is not easily seen and it will usually flush out of sight when approached. Fairly uncommon throughout its range, the Reddish-winged Bare-eye is very sensitive to human disturbance, but is not currently on any threatened species lists.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Loudsong a series (e.g. 5 notes, 2·7 seconds) of rich whistles, initial 3 notes becoming longer and each slightly lower in pitch, final note drops in intensity, number of notes variable (4–10), final notes sometimes becoming harsher. Calls include abrupt “chip”, and rather short (less than 0·5 seconds) sharply downslurred “chirr” of relatively constant intensity.