The golden-winged manakin is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane and cloud forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. It favors dense understory and midstory along forest edges, ravines, and near streams, including mature forest and well-developed secondary growth. Birds often use leks in small clearings or semi-open understory patches. They avoid very dry or heavily deforested areas but can persist where fruiting trees remain.
Altitude Range
600–2200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The golden-winged manakin is a small Andean bird of the family Pipridae, noted for the male’s brilliant golden wing patches used in courtship displays. Males gather at leks to perform snaps, buzzes, and short flights to impress visiting females. As primarily fruit-eaters, they are important seed dispersers in montane forests. They are often heard before seen in dense understory foliage.
Temperament
shy in dense cover but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile darting
Social Behavior
Males display at leks, where several individuals hold small courts and perform visual and mechanical displays. Females visit leks to select mates and then nest solitarily, building small cup nests in low vegetation. Clutches are small, and the female alone incubates and cares for the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include thin, high-pitched whistles and brief buzzy notes. Males also produce mechanical wing snaps and rustling sounds during display.
Plumage
Male is mostly velvety black with striking golden-yellow wing patches on the coverts; female is olive-green above with paler underparts and yellowish edgings to the wings.
Diet
Primarily eats small fruits and berries from understory and midstory shrubs and trees, often swallowing them whole and later dispersing the seeds. It supplements with small arthropods, especially during breeding for protein. Foraging includes perching to pluck fruit, short sallies to nearby branches, and occasional gleaning.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shaded understory, fruiting thickets, and along forest edges and streamside vegetation. Frequently visits fruiting melastomes and other berry-producing plants.
