Black Manakin (Xenopipo atronitens)

Identification & Behavior: ~12 cm (4.7 in). The male Black Manakin is glossy black. The female is dark olive. The bill is broad at the base and thick, which is bluish gray in the male and gray in the female. The legs are black. The Black Manakin is forest-specific favoring stunted forest that grows on nutrient-poor soils. It is similar to the Jet Manakin but the male is distinguished by a thick bluish-gray bill and shorter tail. The female also has a thicker bill, which is gray. The range of these two manakins is not known to overlap.

Status: The Black Manakin is confined to three localities in Peru, which include the stunted forest surrounded by grasslands in Jeberos and areas along the Tapiche River (Loreto) and in extreme southeast Peru in Pampas del Heath. It also occurs in Co, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Saltarín Negro.

Sub-species: Black Manakin (Xenopipo atronitens), Cabanis, 1847.

Meaning of Name: Xenopipo: Gr. xenos= stranger; Mod. L. pipo= manakin. atronitens: L. ater= black and nitens, nitentis, nitere = glittering, to glitter, to shine.

See more of the Family Pipridae