Manakin

Manakin, (subfamily Piprinae), common name given to about 60 species of small, stubby, generally short-tailed birds abundant in American tropical forests. Manakins are short-billed birds that range in size from 8.5 to 16 cm (3.5 to 6.5 inches) long and weigh a mere 10–40 grams (0.35–1.4 ounces). Females and immature males are typically coloured in drab greens and browns, but adult males are often black with splashes of bright plumage ranging from cerulean blue to fiery red to egg-yolk yellow.

In addition to their flamboyant coloration, male manakins are also noted for their exuberant courtship displays. Some species display in leks, which are designated locations where groups of males perform. Astoundingly loud firecracker-like snaps are sometimes incorporated into their “dances”; these snapping sounds are created by quickly snapping the wings together over the back. Modified wing feathers also allow males of several species to produce rasping or crackling sounds. In most leks, males are all within a small area and can be evaluated by females simultaneously. In others, called exploded leks, males are separated by much larger distances (sometimes up to several hundred metres), and females must wander from one male to another to choose their mates. Males that form exploded leks typically have extremely loud vocalizations that ring through the forest for hundreds of metres.

Behaviours displayed in leks vary between species. White-throated manakins (Corapipo gutturalis) gather around a log, where the males bob and pose as they creep toward the female. Males of the genus Manacus perform near one another, each in a cleared area of forest floor with one or two saplings serving as perches for their acrobatics. Females may join in before mating. In some species, males cooperate in complex dances at their lek sites. Two or more male blue-backed manakins (Chiroxiphia pareola) perform an intricate circular dance; momentarily afoot and in the air among two sloping branches, they move together like a rotating fireworks wheel. The long-tailed manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis) of Costa Rica perform their dances on a horizontal perch in the understory of forest. Several males line up on the perch, and each one sequentially flutters over the others, turning a cartwheel in midair and singing a brief song. Only one of the males, however, will win favour with the female. This dominant bird, the alpha male, can virtually monopolize matings with females for 12 years or more. Only after he dies does the former second-ranked bird, or beta male, move up in the hierarchy and acquire access to mates. The many years of cooperation required to attain alpha-male status represents one of the most complex and unusual mating systems.

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Once a female manakin selects a mate, she constructs a small shallow, cupped nest near the ground. The nest is made of fibrous vegetation and animal hairs. She receives no help whatsoever from the male after mating. Two eggs are laid, which are usually marked with dense scrawls of brown and other dark colours. Thus coloured, the eggs are camouflaged remarkably well, resembling small dead leaves or other detritus. Females incubate the eggs for 14 to 24 days, then feed the nestlings a regurgitated mixture of fruit and seeds for 10 days or more until the young fledge the nest. Youngsters may follow their mother for a month or more before gaining independence and venturing off on their own. Many species require up to four years before attaining full breeding plumage.

In mature tropical forests, manakins frequently constitute nearly one-third of all birds present. Despite their numerical dominance, they are often difficult to observe because of their small size, quick flight speed, and preference for patches of dense vegetation. Manakins are important contributors to tropical plant diversity. Their consumption of large numbers of fruits, as well as their mobility, means that they distribute the seeds of trees and shrubs across fairly large distances through the forest. The seeds of some species even require consumption by manakins or other birds before they can sprout. The seed coat is scratched, or scarified, during passage through the digestive tract of the manakin. Moisture can then reach the internal sections of the seed and allow it to sprout once it falls into the soil.

Until recently, manakins were considered an independent family (Pipridae) of birds related to the cotingas (see Cotingidae). Manakins are now instead classified by some authorities as the subfamily Piprinae within the family of New World, or tyrant, flycatchers. In this arrangement, “true” manakins consist of fewer genera (11), with the genus Pipra containing the largest number of species. Mannikins are somewhat similar Old World birds that are more distantly related to manakins.