White-crowned Manakin (Dixiphia pipra)

[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Pipridae | [latin] Dixiphia pipra | [UK] White-crowned Manakin | [FR] Manakin a tete blanche | [DE] | [ES] Saltarin Coroniblanco | [NL]

The male is black with a white head; the female is olive-green and grayish on the top and sides of the head. It is typically 9.7-10 cm long, weighs 12 g, and has red eyes.

Latin America : Costa Rica through Amazonia, Southeast Brazil

It is common in mountain foothills, breeding mainly between 800-1600 m, although in northeastern Venezuela it apparently occurs down to sea level. This is a species of the understory of wet forest and adjacent tall second growth.

The nesting behaviour is undescribed, but presumably resembles that of other manakin species in which the female lays two brown-speckled white or grey eggs in a cup nest. The nest is built about 3 meter above ground. All is done by the female inclduing incubation and caretaking. Like other manakins, this species has a fascinating breeding display at a communal lek, but the leks of this species are much more dispersed than the small cleared areas favoured by most manakins, with 3-4 males just within earshot of each other, and up to 100 m apart. Males fly between horizontal perches 3-12 m high and up to 50 m apart with a swooping flight, or, when a female is present, a slow butterfly-like flutter.

The White-collared Manakin feeds low in the trees on fruit and some insects, both plucked from the foliage in flight.

This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 5,000,000 km2. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population size criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. less than 10,000 mature individuals in conjunction with appropriate decline rates and subpopulation qualifiers), even though the species is described as ‘uncommon’ in at least parts of its range (Stotz et al. 1996). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Sedentary throughout range, with somne altitudinal movements.