White-bearded Manakin

The White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus) is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical South America. It is found from Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad south to Bolivia and northern Argentina.

This manakin is a fairly common bird of forests, second growth and plantations. The female builds a shallow cup nest low in a tree; two brown-mottled white eggs are laid, and incubated entirely by the female for about 18–19 days, with a further 13–15 days to fledging. The young are fed mainly on regurgitated fruit with some insects.

Like other manakins, White-bearded Manakin is a compact, brightly coloured forest bird, typically 10.7 centimetres (4.2 in) long and weighing 16.5 grams (0.58 oz). The adult male has a black crown, upper back wings and tail, and the plumage is otherwise white. He has orange legs.

The female and young males are olive-green and resemble female Golden-headed Manakins, but they have orange legs. The race endemic to Trinidad, M. m. trinitatis is larger than mainland birds, and the female has yellower underparts.

The male White-bearded Manakin has a fascinating breeding display at a communal lek. Each male clears a patch of forest floor to bare earth, and perches on a bare stick. The display consists of rapid leaps between sticks and the ground, accompanied by a loud wing snap, the whirring of the wings, and a chee-poo call. Groups of up to 70 birds may perform together, the largest leks being in Trinidad.

Apart from the buzzing display song, White-bearded Manakin has a number of other calls, including a trilled musical peeerr.

These manakins eat fruit and some insects.