Red-headed Manakin Ceratopipra rubrocapilla Scientific name definitions

The Red-headed Manakin is a small manakin of humid, lowland forests in eastern Peru, Brazil south of the Amazon, and northern Bolivia. A strongly sexually dimorphic species, the male Red-headed Manakin is jet-black overall with a bright red head, and the female is a dull-green overall. Like other manakins, the male Red-headed Manakin has a ritualized display which it performs repeatedly for nearby females during the breeding season. The Red-headed Manakin can be found either individually or in small groups foraging for small fruits and insects. Red-headed Manakin is locally common throughout its range. It is not placed on any threatened species lists.

10 cm; male 10·9–13·8 g, female 12·7–16·6 g. Male has red head from forehead and malar area to hindneck, red thighs; rest of plumage black; iris hazel-brown; bill pale brownish; legs dull pinkish. Differs from C. erythrocephala in head colour and eye colour, also longer tail; from C. mentalis in red thighs, black underwing-coverts. Female is dull olive-green, paler below, especially on belly, iris and bill darker than male’s; very similar to female C. erythrocephala, perhaps very slightly more yellowish on throat and belly. Juvenile plumage not documented, presumed similar to female.

E Peru, N Bolivia, and Brazil S of Amazon (E to N Maranhão, S to Rondônia and SC Mato Grosso, also disjunct coastal population from Pernambuco S to Rio de Janeiro).

Humid lowland forest and secondary woodland; to 500 m.

No information; almost certainly sedentary.

Small fruits and insects, plucked or snatched in flight.

Main call of male “drree-dit, dree-dee-dew”, with variations; other calls include sharp “zit, zit” and in display-flight series of “kew” notes, similar to calls of C. erythrocephala.

Eggs laid in Sept–Apr in N Brazil (Belém area). Male has complex lek display with others, posture and movements highly stereotyped and diverse, consisting of several elements , including rapid flights with “about-face” on landing; red thigh feathers exhibited conspicuously. Nest 2–5 m above ground. Clutch 2 eggs; incubation period not documented; fledging period 13–14 days.

Not globally threatened. Fairly common to common in most of range. Isolated E Brazilian population much reduced by extensive destruction of lowland forest; occurs in Pedra Talhada State Park and in Sooretama Biological Reserve.