Helmeted manakin

The Helmeted manakin (Antilophia galeata) is a species of small passerine bird in the family Pipridae. Unlike most manakins, a family associated with tropical rainforests, the Helmeted manakin inhabits the seasonally dry Cerrado savanna of Central Brazil.

Helmeted manakin
Female
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pipridae
Genus: Antilophia
Species:
A. galeata
Binomial name
Antilophia galeata
(Lichtenstein, 1823)

Until the discovery of the Araripe manakin, the helmeted manakin was the only known member of the genus Antilophia.[2]

Description

The Helmeted manakin has sexually dysmorphic plumage. Both males and females are adorned with a feathered crest at the crown of the head.[3] Females and immature males sport a uniform dull-green plumage similar to other female Pipridae.[4] Males are a glossy black with a striking red crest that stretches across the mantle, nape and crown.[5] Subadult males have green plumage with the characteristic black and red colors of the adult male sprouting up in patches.[6] Antilophia are the only genus of manakin with dichromatic (two-coloured) male plumage.[5]

Taxonomy

The Helmeted manakin is a member of Pipridae, a family of small Neotropical songbirds. The Helmeted manakin and the critically endangered Araripe manakin (Antilophia bokermann) are the only members of the genus Antilophia.[2]

Antilophia are very closely related to Chiroxiphia, another genus of manakin which inhabit rainforests in Central and South America.[5] There is possible hybridization between the two genera where their distributions overlap.[5]

Habitat and Distribution

Helmeted manakins are endemic to the Cerrado savanna ecosystems of central Brazil as well as pockets in northeast Paraguay and Bolivia.[3][4] They are often found near bodies of water in gallery forests.[4][7] The seasonally dry Cerrado is an unusual habitat for Pipridae, a family that typically occupies lush rainforests.[4] Within its atypical habitat the Helmeted manakin is fairly abundant.[5] Although its populations are on the decline, due to its large distribution the Helmeted manakin is considered of least concern by the IUNC.[8]

Behaviour

Vocalizations

The Helmeted manakin has a sonorous song that has been likened to that of a cotinga.[6][9] The male song is a whistle composed of eight notes.[6] The song is loud enough to be perceived by the human ear up to 100m away in the forest.[6] Males sing year-round, but song-intensity is highest from July to November.[6]

Diet

Like most Pipridae manakins are primarily a frugivorous species, though populations of Helmeted manakins in gallery forests near Capetinga, Brazil have been documented gleaning and sallying insects.[4][10] Fruit availability in the Cerrado savanna ecosystems is highly seasonal; fruiting peaks in the wet season, and diminishes by 80% in the dry season.[7]  Accordingly, Helmeted manakin foraging habits vary seasonally. In the wet season they forage primarily in the canopy and are selective in their choice of fruit, preferentially foraging for the highest quality fruit.[7] In the dry season they forage in the understory and are less choosy with the fruit species they consume.[7] Helmeted manakins are important seed dispersers for a number of fruiting plants in the Cerrado.[10]

Helmeted manakins have been observed participating in mixed-species flocks with other passerine birds.[4]

Reproduction

The reproductive period for males stretches from July to December, with a peak in singing intensity and courtship displays in August and September.[6] Female reproductive period begins in August and ends in December.[6] Like many Pipridae the Helmeted manakin is a promiscuous species; males and females are non-monogamous and can have multiple mates.[2] During the breeding season males frequent multiple leks to perform for different females.[2] Mixed-paternity has been documented in chicks from the same nest, indicating females may choose multiple mates.[2]

Territoriality

In the wet season males establish feeding territories and defend them from other males.[7] In the dry season, when food is less abundant, territorial boundaries dissipate and home range overlap between individuals increases.[7] Subadult males occasionally sing and engage in territorial behaviour.[6]

Home ranges of males and females are large (on average 16 to 20 hectares during the breeding season) and overlap considerably with one another.[2][9]

Courtship

Like all members of Pipridae male Helmeted manakins gather in leks during the mating season where they perform a courtship display for an onlooking female.[2] The female Helmeted manakin initiates the courtship display with short call.[2][5] Up to six prospective males gather in a single lek in the forest canopy.[2] The Helmeted manakin's mating display is unusually subdued for a Pipridae, a family characterized by their complex and flashy courtship performances. The male birds initiate a series of chase-flights, during which they disappear into the canopy in mutual pursuit.[6] After completing a circuit the males return to the lek before repeating the chase-flight performance again.[2][6] Subadult males have been observed participating in courtship displays.[2]

Nests

Nests are bowl-shaped and assembled from twigs and roots.[6] The outside of the nest is decorated with dry leaves while the inside is lined with horsehair fungus.[5][6] Nests are typically constructed up to 3m off the ground in shrubs or other vegetation.[5] Nests are usually secured within a forked branch and are attached using spider silk.[5] Clutches always consist of two eggs, which are yellowish-white in colour with irregular spots, blotches or streaks.[5] Male Helmeted manakins contribute no parental care; females are solely responsible for constructing and cleaning the nest.[2][5]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Antilophia galeata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. de Freitas Marçal, Bráulio (2019). "Non-monogamous mating system and evidence of lekking behaviour in the helmeted manakin (aves: pipridae)". Journal of Natural History. 53 (39–40): 2479–2488. doi:10.1080/00222933.2019.1704899. S2CID 213294370.
  3. "Helmeted Manakin - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  4. Marini, Miguel Ângelo (1992). "Foraging behavior and diet of the helmeted manakin". The Condor. 94 (1): 151–158. doi:10.2307/1368804. JSTOR 1368804.
  5. de Freitas Marçal, Bráulio; Esteves Lopes, Leonardo (2019). "Breeding biology of the Helmeted Manakin Antilophia galeata in an ecotone between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado". Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia. 27 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1007/BF03544440.
  6. Marini, Miguel Ângelo (1992). "Notes on the breeding and reproductive biology of the helmeted manakin". The Wilson Bulletin. 104 (1): 168–173.
  7. Pires, Luis Paulo (2020). "Individual–resource networks reveal distinct fruit preferences of selective individuals from a generalist population of the Helmeted Manakin". Ibis. 162 (3): 713–722. doi:10.1111/ibi.12794.
  8. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2018-08-06). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Antilophia galeata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  9. Marini, Miguel Ângelo; Cavalcanti, Roberto Brandão (1992). "Mating system of the helmeted manakin (antilophia galeata) in central brazil". The Auk. 109 (4): 911–913. doi:10.2307/4088172. JSTOR 4088172.
  10. Silva, Adriano M.; de Melo, Celine (2011). "Frugivory and seed dispersal by the helmeted manakin (antilophia galeata) in forests of brazilian cerrado". Ornitologia Neotropical. 22 (1): 69–77.



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