Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda)

Identification & Behavior: ~11 cm (4.3 in). The male Wire-tailed Manakin has black upperparts with a bright red crown that extends to the back and sides of the neck. The face and rest of the underparts are bright yellow. The female is mostly olive-green with a yellowish throat and yellowish center of the belly. Both sexes have a pale iris, gray legs, and wire-like extensions beyond the tail. It forages in the mid and understory of the forest in Amazonia. It is similar to the Band-tailed Manakin but their ranges may have very limited overlap.

Status: The Wire-tailed Manakin is fairly common and widespread in northern Amazonia where it is largely restricted to the department of Loreto. It also occurs in Co, Ec, and Br.

Name in Spanish: Saltarín Cola-de-Alambre.

Sub-species: Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda filicauda), (Spix), 1825.

Meaning of Name: Pipra: Gr.= small bird, never properly identified. filicauda: L. filum, fili= thread and cauda= tail.

See more of the Family Pipridae