Swallow-tailed manakin
| Blue manakin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| male | |
.jpg) |
|
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pipridae |
| Genus: | Chiroxiphia |
| Species: | C. caudata |
| Binomial name | |
|
Chiroxiphia caudata (Shaw & Nodder, 1793) |
|
The blue manakin or swallow-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia caudata) is a small species of bird in the Pipridae family. It is found mainly in the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina. Its typical habitat is wet lowland or montane forest and heavily degraded former forest. Males have a bright blue body, black head wings and tail and a red crown. Females and juveniles are olive-green. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour when they sing and dance to impress females. This is a common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
This bird is found in north-eastern Argentina, southern and south-eastern Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest. It is generally common in the appropriate habitats within its range.
Formerly, the name swallow-tailed manakin was used widely, but as it is misleading (the tail is unlike that of any swallow), this name has largely been abandoned for the superior blue manakin. As suggested by this common name, the male is - by far - the manakin with most blue to the plumage. The entire body is bright blue, while the wings, tail and head, except for the red cap, are black. The far duller female is greenish-brown overall. Both sexes have elongated central rectrices.
...
Wikipedia