Yungas Manakin

About the Yungas Manakin

The Yungas manakin (Chiroxiphia boliviana) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. The Yungas manakin was originally described in 1889 as Chiroxiphia pareola boliviana, a subspecies of the blue-backed manakin. A study published in 1987 noted how it differed in morphology, song, and courtship display from C. pareola sensu stricto. Following the study's suggestions, taxonomic systems elevated it to species rank with its current English name.

The Yungas manakin is monotypic. The Yungas manakin is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 14 to 22 g (0.49 to 0.78 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic, though both sexes have a short tuft of feathers on the forecrown. Adult males have a small dark red patch in the center of their crown and a pale blue back. The rest of their plumage is black. Adult females have olive-green upperparts with browner wing coverts and flight feathers. Their underparts are a paler green that becomes paler still on the lower belly and undertail coverts. Both sexes have a brown, gray-brown, or reddish brown iris, a black or blackish bill, and highly variable... Wikipedia →