Wied's Tyrant-Manakin

Overview

Wied's tyrant-manakin (Neopelma aurifrons) is a Near-threatened species of manakin endemic to Brazil. It is currently classified as monotypic, following the separation of the Serra do Mar tyrant-manakin in 1995.

Identification

• Approximately 13 cm (5.1 in) in length with similar plumage across sexes.
• Olive-green upperparts, wings, and tail, contrasted by a small yellow to orange-yellow stripe on the middle of the crown.
• Dull grayish-white throat transitioning to grayish-olive upper breast and pale sulphur-yellow lower breast and belly.
• Features a pale grayish-mauve iris, a grayish bill, and grayish legs and feet.

Habitat

Found intermittently in coastal eastern Brazil, ranging from southern Bahia south to eastern Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, with historical records in Rio de Janeiro state. It primarily inhabits the interior of undisturbed or slightly disturbed humid forest, occasionally at the forest edge, between sea level and 1,000 m elevation.

Diet

Feeds mostly on small fruits and insects, foraging within about 7 m of the ground by plucking or grabbing food from vegetation with a short sally from a perch, sometimes briefly hovering.

Did you know?

Males perform their song from branches in the forest understory to mid-story, typically between 3.5 and 7 m above the ground, producing a distinctive 'yodeling yo-deé-wo-dée' vocalisation.