Pipridae – Manakins

The manakins are a family of small suboscine passerine birds of the taxonomic family Pipridae. The group contains some 55 species in 16 genera, distributed through the American tropics. The common name is derived from Middle Dutch mannekijn meaning ‘little man’, which, confusingly, is also the source of the different groups of birds named mannikins.

They range in size from 7cm to 15cm and in weight from 8gm to 30gm. The genus Tyranneutes comprise the smallest manakins, the genus Chiroxiphia are believed to be the largest (since the Schiffornis genus are no longer considered manakins). They are compact stubby birds with short tails, broad and rounded wings, and big heads. The bill is short and has a wide gape Females and first-year males have dull-green plumage; most species are sexually dichromatic in their plumage, the males being mostly black with striking colours in patches, and in some species having long, decorative tail or crown feathers or erectile throat feathers. In some species, males from two to four years old have a distinctive subadult plumage.

Yellow-headed Manakin Chloropipo flavicapilla – ©Dubi Shapiro

The syrinx is distinctive in manakins, setting them apart from the related families Cotingidae and Tyrannidae. Furthermore, it is so acutely variable within the group that genera and even species can be identified by the syrinx alone, unlike birds of most oscine families. The sounds made are whistles, trills, and buzzes.

White-crowned Manakin Pseudopipra pipra – ©Dubi Shapiro

Manakins occur from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Brazil, and on Trinidad and Tobago as well. They are highly arboreal, being almost exclusively forest and woodland birds. Most species live in humid tropical lowlands, with a few in dry forests, river forests, and the subtropical Andes. Some highland species have altitudinal migrations.

Round-tailed Manakin Ceratopipra chloromeros – ©Dubi Shapiro

Manakins feed in the understorey on small fruit (but often remarkably large for the size of the bird) including berries, and to a lesser degree, insects. Since they take fruit in flight as other species hawk for insects, they are believed to have evolved from insect-eating birds. Females have big territories from which they do not necessarily exclude other birds of their species, instead feeding somewhat socially. Males spend much of their time together at courtship sites. Manakins sometimes join mixed feeding flocks.

Many manakin species have spectacular lekking courtship rituals, which are particularly elaborate in the genera Pipra and Chiroxiphia.

Blue Manakin Chiroxiphia caudata – ©Dubi Shapiro

The members of the genera Machaeropterus and Manacus have heavily modified wing feathers, which they use to make buzzing and snapping sounds. The building of the nest, which is an open cup, generally built low in vegetation, is undertaken by the female alone. This is also true of incubation, which takes around 18 to 21 days, and the care of the young, lasting for 13 to 15 days.  This is because most manakins do not form stable pairs. An exception is the Helmeted Manakin, which does form pairs, but even in this case, the male’s contribution is limited to defending the territory. The normal clutch is two eggs, which are buff or dull white, marked with brown.

Fiery-capped Manakin Machaeropterus Pyrocephalus – ©Dubi Shapiro

Lekking polygyny seems to have been a characteristic of the family’s original ancestor, and the associated sexual selection led to an adaptive radiation in which relationships can be traced by similarities in displays. An evolutionary explanation connecting lekking to fruit-eating has been proposed.

Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin Neopelma pallescens – ©Dubi Shapiro

Long-tailed Manakin Chiroxiphia linearis – ©Dubi Shapiro