White-bearded Manakin
Manacus manacus
Fairly common and widespread through much of South America. Males are distinctive with white throat, sharply defined black cap, black back and wings, and grayish belly. Legs bright orange-red. Females are duller olive with paler belly. Note red legs to help separate from other female manakins. Like most manakins, quite plump with a rather short tail and bill. Males gather at display sites in the understory of forest, where they make loud snapping noises with their wings. Also listen for a descending “peew” call. Away from display sites, rather inconspicuous and usually encountered singly, often around a fruiting tree.
Identification
Like other manakins, the white-bearded manakin is a compact, brightly coloured forest bird, typically 10.7 centimetres (4.2 in) long and weighing 16.5 grams (0.58 oz). The adult male has a black crown, upper back, wings and tail, and the plumage is otherwise white. He has orange legs.<p>The female and young males are olive-green and resemble female golden-headed manakins, but they have orange legs. The race endemic to Trinidad, M. m. trinitatis is larger than mainland birds, and the female has yellower underparts. Apart from the buzzing display song, the white-bearded manakin has a number of other calls, including a trilled musical peeerr.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Manacus manacus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pipridae
- Genus
- Manacus
Range and habitat
In South America, two thirds of white-bearded manakin's range is in the combined Amazon Basin, the Guianas, and the Orinoco River drainage of Venezuela; also eastern Colombia. Three disjunct populations occur: Pacific coastal Ecuador, with southwestern Colombia; coastal and inland western Venezuela with northwestern Colombia; and the largest, southeastern Brazil, with inland regions bordering Paraguay in the south, and from Paraná state to coastal Pernambuco in the northeast.<p>Only one area of the Amazon Basin does not have the species, the 2200 km Purus River region in southwestern Amazonas state.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
These manakins eat fruit and some insects and spiders.<p>The male white-bearded manakin has a fascinating breeding display at a communal lek. Each male clears a patch of forest floor to bare earth, and perches on a bare stick. The display consists of rapid leaps between sticks and the ground, accompanied by a loud wing snap, the whirring of the wings, and a chee-poo call. Groups of up to 70 birds may perform together, the largest leks being in Trinidad. The female builds a shallow cup nest low in a tree; two brown-mottled white eggs are laid, and incubated entirely by the female for about 18–19 days, with a further 13–15 days to fledging. The young are fed mainly on regurgitated fruit with some insects.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Four-colored Bushshrike
Telophorus viridis
Beautiful bird with an olive back, red throat, and black chest band. Varies geographically: has a yellow belly in the east and an olive-green one in the west. The male has a broader chest band than the female. Found in forest undergrowth, thickets, and thick woodland. Skulking bird that is most often located by voice: a perky “du-do-whit.” Range does not overlap with the similar Doherty’s Bushshrike.
Velvet Asity
Philepitta castanea
Dark, dumpy bird of the rainforest understory. Males are all black with green bare skin on the head in breeding plumage and black with yellow scaling in non-breeding plumage. Females are olive-green on the back and scaly below. Madagascar endemic that is found in eastern rainforest at low and middle elevations. Sits motionless for long periods, and flies weakly. Usually alone or in pairs, often near fruiting trees. High-pitched call is reminiscent of a dry branch scraping a windowpane. Female is similar to female Schlegel’s Asity, but is separated by range.
Somali Crow
Corvus edithae
An entirely black crow with a fairly thick, raven-like bill. Found in a variety of dry country habitats, including savanna, thornscrub, desert, towns, and cultivated areas. Often in small flocks. Similar to Fan-tailed Raven, but has a different shape, especially in flight, with a much longer tail. Very similar to Brown-necked Raven, but smaller, and there is little overlap in range. Typical birds look very different from Pied Crow, but these two species sometimes hybridize, producing birds with white blotching on the back and underparts. The calls are typical rough cawing notes.
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