White-shouldered Fire-eye

White-shouldered Fire-eye

Pyriglena leucoptera

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Serra da Canastra National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

30 Verified sightings at Serra da Canastra National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,080 In all 7 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-shouldered Fire-eye

The white-shouldered fire-eye (Pyriglena leucoptera) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The white-shouldered fire-eye was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1818 and given the binomial name Turdus leucopterus. The specific name is from the Ancient Greek leukopteros meaning "white-winged". The current genus Pyriglena was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1847. The species at times has been treated as conspecific with the fringe-backed fire-eye (P. atra) and what was at the time the white-backed fire-eye (P. leuconata); the latter has since been split into several species.

The white-shouldered fire-eye is monotypic. The white-shouldered fire-eye is 16 to 18 cm (6.3 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 25 to 34 g (0.88 to 1.2 oz). Adults of both sexes have bright red irises. Males are mostly glossy black. They have a white patch between their scapulars, white lesser wing coverts, white-tipped median and greater wing coverts, and blackish gray underwing coverts. Females have yellowish brown... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:59

Argentina · 2026

© Marcos E. Sosa · XC1104554 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:00

Brazil · 2025

© Joost van Bruggen · XC1050662 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Recording0:20

Argentina · 2025

© Sabrina Andrea Rendon Anaya · XC981843 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
3 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
4 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
4 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-shouldered Fire-eye in Serra da Canastra National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-shouldered Fire-eye sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 185th most-seen of the 294 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-shouldered Fire-eye in Serra da Canastra National Park?

December

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-shouldered Fire-eye in Serra da Canastra National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, June–July and November, the lowest months. That is one of Serra da Canastra National Park's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against almost none in July.

What time of day is best to see a White-shouldered Fire-eye?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-shouldered Fire-eye sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Serra da Canastra National Park the best place to see a White-shouldered Fire-eye?

6th of 7

Of the 7 parks where we can rate White-shouldered Fire-eye sightings, Serra da Canastra National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 30%), Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 30%).

Which relatives of the White-shouldered Fire-eye live in Serra da Canastra National Park?

Same family: Thamnophilidae

The closest relatives of the White-shouldered Fire-eye that you can see in Serra da Canastra National Park (family Thamnophilidae, Typical Antbirds) are Rufous-winged Antshrike (about 20%), Variable Antshrike (about 10%) and Black-capped Antwren (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-shouldered Fire-eye sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-shouldered Fire-eye is recorded against all the birds logged in Serra da Canastra National Park (30 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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