Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
SWALLOW-TAILED MANAKIN Chiroxiphia caudata
Despite his gorgeous colouration, the gem-like male Swallow-tailed Manakin is surprisingly easily overlooked in the undergrowth of humid forest. Learn his whistling call however and he becomes easy to find, his bright red cap and shimmering blue back and underparts ample reward for the patient observer. To see him at his best you'll need to find a lek, a communal display ground where groups of males “dance” for females. Oddly males appear to co-operate at leks, assisting more qualified rivals in exchange for a better “dancing spot”, and hence improved future mating chances. Uniform green females are much harder to detect, their dull plumage ideal camouflage in the leafy foliage.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - Adult male, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu June 2008 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 2 - Adult male, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu May 2008 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 3 - Adult male, location unknown (Arne Lesterhuis undated).
FIGURE 4 - Adult male, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 5 - Same individual upperwing (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 6 - Adult female, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 7 - Same individual upperwing (Paul Smith June).
FIGURE 8 - Immature male, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu May 2008 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
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Chiroxiphia caudata
1 call recorded Estancia Kanguery, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
2 slow call recorded Estancia Kanguery, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel November 2006 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
3 chi-voo call recorded Mbaracayú Forest Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Paul Smith October 2008).
Click the links to hear the calls. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website www.xeno-canto.com - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.