Opal-crowned Manakin

Overview

The opal-crowned manakin (Lepidothrix iris) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Pipridae that is endemic to Brazil. It is a small, sexually dimorphic species with two recognised subspecies found in the Amazon Basin.

Identification

• Approximately 9 cm long and weighing 7.8 to 9.5 g.
• Males of the nominate subspecies have a thin green forehead band and an opalescent crown and upper nape that varies from white to bluish; the rest of the plumage is olive-green with a yellow belly and undertail coverts.
• Females resemble males but have a green crown and nape in the nominate subspecies or a bluish crown and nape in the eucephala subspecies.
• Both sexes possess a pale buff or cream iris, a pale bluish bill, and pinkish legs and feet.
• Call described as a very high upslurred 'feer', repeated at short intervals.

Habitat

The species has a disjunct distribution in two parts of the Brazilian Amazon Basin, inhabiting humid lowland terra firme forest and mature secondary woodland. It ranges in elevation from sea level to about 200 m.

Did you know?

The opal-crowned manakin and the snow-capped manakin have hybridised multiple times in the past, producing the golden-crowned manakin. A hybrid zone exists where the two species' ranges come into geographic contact in the Cachimbo Range.