The white-eyed attila or dull-capped attila is a species of bird in the passerine family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Region
Western and central Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
It occurs along major Amazonian rivers and their tributaries in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The species favors river islands, young secondary woodland, and seasonally flooded várzea where Cecropia and other pioneer vegetation dominate. It uses forest edges, shrubby thickets, and gallery forest, typically staying low to mid-level in dense cover. It is often associated with dynamic, early-successional habitats created by flooding and channel migration.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-eyed attila, also called the dull-capped attila, is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher notable for its striking pale iris. It frequents river-edge habitats and seasonally flooded forests in the western and central Amazon Basin. Like other Attila flycatchers, it gives loud, far-carrying songs that can be heard at dawn from dense riverside thickets.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats between perches
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, maintaining territories along rivers and in flooded forests. Pairs likely remain together through the breeding season and keep close to dense cover. Nests are placed low to mid-level in vegetation near water; both adults participate in care of the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers loud, far-carrying whistles and mellow hoots that can sound ventriloquial from inside dense thickets. Calls include sharp notes and repeated phrases, most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Olive-brown to brown-olive upperparts with a duller cap, rufescent-buff underparts with a paler throat, and a slightly rufous tail. The pale iris is conspicuous against the darker face. The bill is broad-based with a subtly hooked tip, typical of the genus.
Diet
Primarily takes insects and other arthropods by sallying from shaded perches. It also gleans prey from foliage and occasionally hawks in short flights. Small fruits are eaten opportunistically, especially in season. It may take small invertebrates flushed by river-edge disturbance.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense riverside shrubbery, early-successional woodland on river islands, and the understory to mid-story of flooded forest. Often forages along edges, gaps, and sunny openings created by shifting river channels.
