#pipridae

[herpsandbirds]

Long-tailed Manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis), male, family Pipridae, order Passeriformes, Costa Rica

photograph by Kenneth Martinez

[birdblues]

Golden-collared Manakin

[spinus-pinus]

Golden-collared Manakin Manacus vitellinus

7/12/2024 Caldas, Colombia

brewmaster via iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Hummingbirds are famous for their rapid flight-- most individuals can beat their wings about 60 times a second. However, there is one bird out there that's even faster: the red-capped manakin. As part of their mating dance, males of this species quickly rub their wings against their tail to generate a snapping sound. To do this, they have to beat their wings at a rate of nearly 80 times per second!

Check out ornithologist Dr. Kim Bostwick explain the mechanics behind this unique behavior:

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[okapiaconcolor]

[mutant-distraction]

⁃ Wire-tailed manakin.(Pipra filicauda).

-The wire-tailed manakin is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It forms a superspecies with both the Band-tailed Manakin (Pipra fasciicauda) and the Crimson-hooded Manakin (Pipra aureola).

[new-dinosaurs]

Protopelma van Els et al., 2023 (new genus)

(An individual of Protopelma chrysolophum, photographed by Carlos Henrique Luz Nunes de Almeida, under CC BY 3.0)

Meaning of name: Protopelma = first sole [in Greek, referencing the closely related genus Neopelma]

Species included: P. chrysolophum (Serra do Mar tyrant-manakin, type species, previously in Neopelma)

Age: Holocene (Meghalayan), extant

Where found: Forest edges in southeastern Brazil

Notes: Protopelma is a genus of manakins, a group of small, primarily fruit-eating birds from the American tropics. The males of most manakins are brightly colored and use elaborate displays to attract mates. In Protopelma and its close relatives, however, males and females look alike and are both relatively drab in color.

The Serra do Mar tyrant-manakin has traditionally been classified in the genus Neopelma, and in fact was once considered a subspecies of Wied's tyrant-manakin (N. aurifrons). Although it certainly looks very similar to the members of Neopelma (differing mostly in having a generally smaller bill and distinct vocalizations), recent genetic studies have found that Neopelma proper is more closely related to the genus Tyranneutes. One way to revise the taxonomy of these birds to align with their phylogenetic relationships would be to lump Tyranneutes with Neopelma, but given that the species of Tyranneutes are highly distinctive due to their very small size and short tail feathers, the authors of a new paper prefer to keep them as a separate genus. A new genus is therefore needed for the Serra do Mar tyrant-manakin, and these authors coin the name Protopelma for this purpose.

Reference: van Els, P., M.G. Harvey, J.M.G. Capurucho, R.T. Brumfield, B.M. Whitney, and J.F. Pacheco. 2023. Systematics of the Neopelminae (Aves: Passeriformes: Pipridae) with description of a new genus. Zootaxa 5361: 135–141. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5361.1.8

[bird-identifier]

Red-capped Manakin (Ceratopipra mentalis)

[simcardiac-arrested]

assumption: you like or would like the manakins (bird) (family Pipridae) and other small brightly-coloured songbirds

AHHHH I JUST LOOKED THEM UP AND MY MOUTH OPENED IN DELIGHT!!! I LOVE THEMMMMMM so bright so joyful ... TRUE!!

[kuvolviski]

15 Pipridae birds for a commission.

[herpsandbirds]

Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda), male displaying, family Pipridae, order Passeriformes, Colombia

photograph by Cayce Jehaimi

[birdblues]

Striolated Manakin

[aesthetic-birds]

Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus)

© Andres Vasquez Noboa - Tropical Birding Tours

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Long-Tailed Manakins: The Ultimate Wingmen

Long-tailed manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis) are members of the manakin family Pipridae, a group of 54 passerine species. The manakins are often assocaited with other birds of paradise, due to their bright coloration and unique mating rituals. They are found only along the western coast of Central America, from  Oaxaca, Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica, typically in tropical montane, moist, and dry forests.

C. linearis is larger than other manakins, about 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs 18 g (0.63 oz). Males have a black body with a bright blue back and a red cap, long pointed tail feathers, and orange feet. Females and immature birds are olive green, to better blend in with the canopy and avoid potential predators. The long-tailed manakin shares a close resemblance with four other manakin species, though their ranges don’t overlap.

Long-tailed manakins begin life in clutches of one or two eggs, which is carefully tended by their mother. Incubation lasts about three weeks, and hatchlings take another two weeks to leave the nest. Individuals take between three to five years to reach sexual maturity. Males spend most of this time, and the following adult years, practicing their courtship routine. Eventually they form a duet or trio with other, usually older, male long-tailed manakins, and perform from March through September. If they manage to inherit a position leading one of these groups and a female chooses them, the lucky guy mates with her once before going right back to his routine. These birds can live up to twelve years in the wild.

The mating ritual of C. linearis is noted for both its complexity and its unusual social foundation. Males in groups of two or three find a relatively horizontal branch in an open clearing and begin calling to attract a female. Once a female is in the vicinity-- or even if there’s not-- the group begins to perform. One by one they jump into the air, hover, then touch back down. In one variation of this dance, individuals land in the same spot and bounce quickly off again, while in the second variation they quickly rotate along the branch; all this is done while chirping in a loud, almost mechanical fashion. Once this sequence is concluded, the two ‘wingmen’ leave and the leader of the group performs a solo version of the same routine. If successful, only he is allowed to mate. Long-tailed manakin males can take up to eight years to perfect this routine, and most stay in the same groups throughout. One only inherits the alpha role when the current alpha dies or is no longer fit to mate.

Because they spend so much time practicing, performing, or chosing a mate, long-tailed manakins only forage for about an hour a day. During this time they eat lots of fruit, along with the occasional insect. Adults are typically left alone by predators, but eggs and young are often preyed upon by snakes, oppossums, monkeys, and lizards.

Conservation status: Long-tailed manakins have a relatively large range and stable population, so the IUCN has rated them Least Concern. Their primary threat is habitat loss; though they are pretty birds, they are difficult to rear in captivity and are not popular pets.

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Photos

Alejandra Echeverri

Emily Duval

Kenneth Reyes via eBird

[bigbirdpoof]

Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus)

© Michel Bourque

[hello-birdies]

Chiroxiphia linearis by Christian Sanchez