Phlegopsis is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. They are known as "bare-eyes", which is a reference to a colourful bare patch of skin around their eyes. They are restricted to humid forest in the Amazon of South America. They are among the largest ant-followers in the family and are only rarely seen away from ant swarms.
| Phlegopsis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Black-spotted bare-eye (Phlegopsis nigromaculata) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thamnophilidae |
| Genus: | Phlegopsis Reichenbach, 1850 |
| Type species | |
| Myiothera nigromaculata[1] d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837 | |
Taxonomy
The pale-faced bare-eye, sometimes known as the pale-faced antbird, has often been placed in the monotypic genus Skutchia, but based on genetic evidence it should be placed in Phlegopsis,[2] and this treatment was adopted by the SACC in 2010.[3] Based on a single specimen a fourth species, the Argus bare-eye (P. barringeri) has been proposed, but it is a hybrid between P. erythroptera and P. nigromaculata.[4]
The genus contains three species:[5]
- Reddish-winged bare-eye (Phlegopsis erythroptera)
- Black-spotted bare-eye (Phlegopsis nigromaculata)
- Pale-faced bare-eye (Phlegopsis borbae)