White-bearded manakin

Manacus manacus

Photo by Dário Sanches (Flickrhivemind)

Common name:
white-bearded manakin (en); rendeira (pt); manakin casse-noisette (fr); saltarín barbiblanco (es); weißbrustpipra (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Pipridae


Range:
This South American species is found from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guyanas, through Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, and into Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina.


Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh 16,5-18 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests, especially in gallery forests along river and streams and along forest edges with dense undergrowth. They are also found in second growths and other degraded former forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.


Diet:
White-bearded manakins are mostly frugivorous, eating a wide range of small fruits which they usually swallow whole. This makes them an important seed disperser. They also eat seeds and arthropods including beetles, flies, termite alates and spiders.


Breeding:
They can breed all year round, with the local breeding season varying according to the region. The female builds the nest, a shallow cup woven with rootlets, dead leaves and plant fibres, and lined with finer materials. The nest is built between two horizontal twigs and secured with spider webs. It is placed in a bush or small tree, up 1,5 m above the ground, typically near water. The female lays 2 white eggs with brown mottles, which she incubates alone for 18-19 days. The female raises the chicks alone and they fledge 13-15 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The white-bearded manakin has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.