Yellow-crested Manakin

Overview

The yellow-crested manakin, also known as the yellow-crowned manakin, is a small bird in the family Pipridae found in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, although its population is believed to be decreasing despite no immediate threats being identified.

Identification

• Adult males feature a dark olive head with a hidden golden-yellow crown stripe, a slaty face, and long, silky white throat feathers.
• Females and immatures lack the yellow crown, displaying a mostly dark olive head and cinnamon-buff underparts.
• Approximately 14 cm long and weighing 21 g, the bird has a long narrow dark bill, dark legs, and dark brown irises.
• Males produce a loud, whistled 'weeee-pítch-ooo' advertising call with a hiccupping cadence, as well as chattering aggressive calls and mechanical 'whoosh' sounds during flight displays.

Habitat

Found in the east-central quarter of Colombia, eastern Venezuela, and northern Brazil north of the Amazon River. The species inhabits humid várzea forest, scrubby forest, and woodland along blackwater rivers and other watercourses, reaching elevations of up to 350 m in Colombia and 300 m in Venezuela.

Diet

The yellow-crested manakin feeds on small fruits and insects. It forages from the understory to the mid-story of the forest, taking food from vegetation and branches via aerial sallies from a perch, occasionally joining mixed-species feeding flocks for short periods.

Did you know?

The male's flight display includes a distinct 'whoosh' sound that is believed to be mechanical rather than vocal. Very little is known about the species' breeding biology, with only one partially completed cup nest recorded hanging in a branch fork about two metres above a stream.