Manakins!

In general manakins are one of the most difficult birds to photograph, but I managed to take pictures from at least 3. Enjoy!

At first sight the manakin looks like a short thick bird that is missing a neck. They are restless birds that seldom come out in the open as they are birds from the dense vegetation inside the forest. In Kabalebo I spotted at least 6 different manakins, but only managed to take a picture from 3. So here are the lucky 3:

This is the Crimson-hooded Manakin (Pipra aureola), a small bird of 11 cm which you can't miss. A real redhead and if you're lucky you can clearly see his white eyes. This one was spotted in the dense vegetation  on the River cabin trail. They are seen close to fruit/berrie trees and are sometimes also foraging for insects. Finding a lek would make it easy to spot them frequently …. which I haven't yet.

This is the White-crowned Manakin (Dixiphia pipra), also a small 'fat' bird that doesn't like to sit still. This one was spotted right at the beginning of the Misty Mountain trail close to a palm tree that was bearing berries at the moment. It was alone and was continuously hopping from branch to branch, explaining this blurry picture. 

And finally the White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus), the most common one of them all. I have seen this one on different spots (leks). On many occasions he was accompanied by the female but I also spotted him alone while trying to seduce one. Very recognizable by his white neck, breast and belly and his bright orange legs. This one is also foraging in the dense vegetation of Kabalebo looking for berries and insects. His lek is found on the forest floor inside the jungle (Beechcraft, Misty Mountain, River cabin trail and next to the airstrip). The White-bearded Manakin is the noisiest manakin I have ever seen. One of his recognizable sound is the loud snap he makes with his wings (sounds like fire crackers or breaking some twigs). Even though he is common he still gives me a hard time to photograph him. He merely gives me seconds before he disappears again, but it is well worth it.