The display repertoire of the Band-tailed Manakin (Pipra fasciicauda)
Wilson Bulletin
1983
Journal Article
95
3
320-342
Reserva Nacional Tambopata animals birds animal behavior Pipra fasciicauda Band-tailed Manakin taxonomy vocal communication communication single-species study Madre de Dios Bibliography
The diversity of mating systems found in neotropical birds is very striking. The family Pipridae (commonly known as "manakins") is particularly rich in such systems. Almost the entire range of these systems is represented among its 51 species, most of which are polygamous. Although the band-tailed manakin Pipra fasciicauda is widely known in South America, there is little information about its natural history. The three closely related species: Pipra fasciicauda, P. filicauda and P. aureola are considered to be a superspecies. The purpose of this study was to acquire a better understanding of the display repertoire of Pipra fasciicauda and to compare its behavior with that of the other two species. It was studied for five or six months during 1980 at the TRZ. Its displays differ from those of the other species of manakins in that two or more males usually execute co-ordinated displays to attract females. In each display site an alpha male, the dominant bird, which is extremely sedentary and territorial, normally carries out brief co-ordinated non-territorial displays with a subordinate male; the beta males are less sedentary and can be more active than the alpha males in their daily displays. They inherit the ownership of the territories. Once a female arrives, only the alpha male courts her. The display combines visual and acoustic elements, being composed of vocalizations and ritualized movements. The displays of Pipra fasciicauda are remarkably similar to those of the other two species. This characteristic, combined with the similar plumage shared by these species, sustains the argument that the three species together form a superspecies.