Platysteira blissetti
The Red-cheeked Wattle-eye (Platysteira blissetti) is a striking small passerine belonging to the family Platysteiridae, often found flitting through the understory and mid-canopy of West and Central African rainforests. Measuring approximately 12-14 cm in length and weighing around 10-15 grams, this species is most easily identified by the prominent, bright scarlet, fleshy wattle surrounding its eye, which stands out against its otherwise crisp black and white plumage. Males typically exhibi...
Found primarily in lowland and submontane evergreen rainforests, dense secondary growth, and forest edges, typically at elevations from sea level up to 1200 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on beetles, ants, caterpillars, flies, and other small invertebrates, often caught by gleaning from leaves or short aerial sallies.
This diurnal species is an active forager, typically gleaning insects from foliage and bark in the mid-canopy and understory, often sallying out to catch prey in mid-air. Red-cheeked Wattle-eyes are generally observed singly or in pairs, though they may occasionally join mixed-species foraging fl...
The Red-cheeked Wattle-eye is a widespread resident across West and Central Africa, inhabiting a broad band of tropical rainforest. Its distribution extends from Sierra Leone and Guinea eastward through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria. Further east, it is found across Cameroon, E...
Least Concern
- The Red-cheeked Wattle-eye's brilliant scarlet wattle can expand and contract, serving as a dynamic visual signal during displays or agitation. - Despite its name, the 'wattle' is actually an unfeathered, fleshy appendage around the eye, rather than a feather-covered structure. - This species i...