Pipra filicauda
The Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda) is a small, dazzling jewel of the Amazonian understory, renowned for the male's extraordinary tail streamers. Males average 11-12 cm in length, including their prominent tail wires which can extend an additional 5-7 cm, and weigh around 10-15 grams. Their striking plumage features a velvety black body, a vibrant scarlet cap, a contrasting white throat, and bright yellow thighs and rump, while the female is a much more cryptic dull olive-green, providi...
Found primarily in humid lowland evergreen forests, particularly along riverine corridors, várzea, and transitional zones. Typically occurs at elevations below 1,000 meters.
Primarily frugivorous, consuming a wide array of small forest fruits and berries. They also supplement their diet with small insects, which are typically gleaned from foliage or caught in short aerial sallies.
Wire-tailed Manakins are diurnal and largely solitary, though males congregate at leks during breeding season. Males engage in elaborate, highly ritualized courtship displays at communal lek sites, often involving specific perches where they perform rapid aerial maneuvers, tail-flicks, and wing-s...
The Wire-tailed Manakin is a resident species found throughout the upper Amazon Basin in South America, particularly within the lowlands and foothills of the Andes. Its extensive range spans southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil. Within Brazil,...
Least Concern
- The male Wire-tailed Manakin's 'wire' tail is not actually metal, but highly modified, stiffened central tail feathers that are almost devoid of barbs. - These distinctive tail wires can regenerate if broken or lost, a crucial adaptation for a bird whose display relies heavily on their visual i...