Agelasticus xanthophthalmus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale-eyed Blackbird sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 539th most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale-eyed Blackbird in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale-eyed Blackbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Pale-eyed Blackbird sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 10%).
Same family: Icteridae
The closest relatives of the Pale-eyed Blackbird that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (family Icteridae, New World Blackbirds and Orioles) are Russet-backed Oropendola (about 40%), Yellow-rumped Cacique (about 30%) and Crested Oropendola (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale-eyed Blackbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (5 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.
