White-ruffed Manakin

About the White-ruffed Manakin

The white-ruffed manakin (Corapipo altera) is a sub-oscine (Tyranni), passerine bird in the manakin family. It is a resident breeder in the tropical New World from eastern Honduras to northwestern Colombia. Its typical habitat is wet forest, adjacent clearings and tall secondary growth. It is a small, plump bird about 10 centimetres (4 in) long. Males have glossy blue-black plumage with a white erectile ruff on the throat and females are green. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor during which they puff out their neck feathers. This is a fairly common species with a wide range.

The white-ruffed manakin is, like its relatives, a compact short-tailed bird with a flat, wide bill, dark legs and striking male plumage. It is typically 10 cm long and weighs ~11 g (9–14 g; males are smaller than females).

The adult male is mostly glossy blue-black with a white erectile ruff on the throat and sides of the neck. His wings are modified, with a very short outer primary. Females and birds in their first year of life are olive-green with a greyish throat. In their second year, males molt into a mostly-green plumage but with a black mask and... Wikipedia →