Wire-tailed Manakin

About the Wire-tailed Manakin

The wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The wire-tailed manakin has two subspecies, the nominate P. f. filicauda (Spix, 1825) and P. f. subpallida (Todd, 1928). One publication has suggested that the two subspecies should be merged.

During much of the twentieth century several authors placed the wire-tailed manakin in its own genus, Teleonema, but that genus was merged into Pipra starting in the 1970s. The species forms a superspecies with its two congeners, the band-tailed manakin (P. fasciicauda) and crimson-hooded manakin (P. aureola).

The wire-tailed manakin is sexually dimorphic. The species is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long exclusive of the eponymous tail filaments. Male's filaments add about 4 cm (1.6 in) to its length and female's about 2.5 cm (1.0 in). The species weighs an average of about 14 g (0.49 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a yellow forecrown, face, and throat; the rest of their crown, nape, and sides of the neck are bright red. The rest of their upperparts, wings, and tail are black. Their entire... Wikipedia →