Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS

THE FREE-TOED PERCHING BIRDS

THE MANAKINS

(Family Piprida)
The Manakins, or Pipras, have often been placed with the Cotingas, but there seem to be sufficient reasons why they should be kept distinct. They have, for instance, exaspidean tarsi, in which respect they favor the Tyrant-birds, while the outer and middle toes are connected for a distance of two joints, or to a greater degree than in the Cotingas. They are for the most part thick-set birds of very small size, with rather slender legs and feet, and a short bill, broad at base, but with the upper mandible overhanging and notched behind the tip. In the normal forms the tail is short and squared, while in others the tail, and the wings as well, are subject to very extraordinary modification; a few are crested. In the typical section of the family the sexes are very different in coloration, the males exhibiting very brilliant combinations of blue, scarlet, yellow, or orange with velvety black, chestnut, olive-green, or black and white, while in the other section the sexes are alike or nearly so and of dull coloration.
The Manakins are all natives of the New World, being most abundant in Guiana, Venezuela, and Brazil, while a few range as far north as Central America and southern Mexico, and others south to Paraguay and extreme northern Argentina. They inhabit for the most part the dense forests, keeping much to the lower growth of thick bushes, especially along marshes and streams, and usually going about in small parties. In their habits they are said to somewhat resemble our Tits and Chickadees, hopping about the branches in search of their food, which consists very largely of fruits, berries, and seeds, with occasional insects. On account of the peculiar modification of the feathers of the wings, as above alluded to, some species make a very curious and often loud noise. Thus of a common Manakin (Manacus candai) of Nicaragua, Dr. Richmond says,”When flying the birds make a buzzing with the wings, and in alighting often make a noise similar to the cracking of a small twig or of a Peccary gnashing its teeth.”The nesting habits appear to be various, the nest in some cases being placed on the ground, but for the most part it is suspended from the fork of a branch. A nest of the Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata), found by Lieutenant Robinson on Margarita Island, Venezuela,”was suspended in a fork of a stinging nettle, about five feet from the ground, and was so very shallow that I wondered why the eggs were not thrown out by the gentlest breeze. It contained two eggs, one addled and one on the point of hatching. They were large for the size of the bird and resembled the eggs of our Redbird (Cardinalis)."
This family numbers about eighty species, disposed as at present accepted among nineteen genera. In Pipra, the typical and largest genus (twenty-three species), the tail is short and squared and the wings of the males of normal shape; all are small birds, the smallest being only two and eight tenths inches in length, and the largest but four and a half inches long. The males are of exceedingly brilliant coloration. Thus the Aureole Manakin (P. aureola) is black above and below, except the head, neck, throat, and breast, which are bright scarlet; there is also a broad white wing band. The Yellow-collared Manakin (P. flavicollis) is similar to the last, but has the throat and neck pure yellow, while the Red-capped Manakin (P. rubricapilla) is black, with the head and thighs crimson, and the Blue-capped Manakin (P. caruleicapilla) has the cap and rump blue. Another style of coloration is shown in P. nattereri, which is bright green with pure white cap and rump and yellow abdomen, while in P. opalizens the cap is a beautiful opalescent blue.

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