Golden-eyed Flowerpiercer (Diglossa glauca) [XC250778]
by Niels Krabbe from Napo: km 11.6 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador (song)
Golden-eyed Flowerpiercer (Diglossa glauca) [XC222440]
by Niels Krabbe from Lower Satipo road, Jun\u00edn, Peru (call, song)
Subspecies
Genus has sometimes been placed in Coerebidae or Parulidae or even, because of an apparent close relationship to Acanthidops, in Emberizidae. Molecular phylogenies indicate that it is most closely related to Xenodacnis and to Acanthidops, Haplospiza and Catamenia (the last three genera currently placed in Emberizidae), and that all clearly belong in present family. Members of this clade may also be closely related to the Oreomanes/Conirostrum clade. This species, along with Indigo Flowerpiercer (Diglossa indigotica), Bluish Flowerpiercer (Diglossa caerulescens) and Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea), has sometimes been placed in separate genus, Diglossopis, on grounds of some important anatomical features (of corneous tongue, bony palate, maxillo-palatines and mandible, and structure of rhamphotheca), all of which may set them apart from present genus. These four species, with a proportionately smaller bill hook, may have evolved only once, while all other flowerpiercers (with larger hook) may have evolved multiple times. However, recent molecular-genetic data indicate that these four "small-billed" species do not form a monophyletic group, and all flowerpiercers are best retained in a single genus. Geographical variation of present species minimal, subspecies tyrianthina differing only slightly from nominate.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
tyrianthina Hellmayr, 1930 - Southern Colombia on eastern slope of eastern Andes (in western Caquetá, western Putumayo and eastern Nariño) and southern on adjacent eastern slope in Ecuador to about Peru border and to extreme northern Peru (Cordillera del Condor).
glauca Sclater, & Salvin 1876 - Eastern slope in northern Peru (south of R Marañón) south to Bolivia (to Cochabamba).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet