Wire-tailed manakin

Pipra filicauda

Common name:

wire-tailed manakin (en); rabo-de-arame (pt); manakin filifère (fr); saltarín uirapuru (es); fadenpira (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Pipridae

Range:

The wire-tailed manakin is found upriver in the western Amazon Basin, in Brazil and the neighboring countries of northern Peru, eastern Ecuador and Colombia, and in thesouthern and western portions of Venezuela.

Size:

These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh 14-17 g.

Habitat:

Wire-tailed manakins prefer the edges of humid, tropical forests, forest clearings, and the edges of agricultural land, especially near streams and rivers.

Diet:

They mostly eat berries and fruit, but also hunt small insects which are taken during quick, sallying flights.

Breeding:

Wire-tailed manakins are polygamous with males forming widely scattered leks in forest, in perches located 1-8 m above the ground. After copulation, the females fly off alone to build the nests, incubate the eggs, and raise the young. The nest is constructed using woven fibers and grasses to form a tiny hammock in small trees or ferns, usually over water. There the female lays 1-2 eggs which she incubates for 17–21 days. The chicks fledge 13-15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

Although The global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as 'fairly common but patchily distributed' throughout its very large breeding range. With no evidence for any declines or substantial threats this species is not considered threatened at present.