The lance-tailed manakin is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from Costa Rica to northern Venezuela. This manakin is a fairly common bird of dry and moist deciduous forests, but not rainforest. It is a small, compact bird about 13 centimetres (5 in) long and similar to the blue-backed manakin, but both sexes have the two central tail feathers elongated to form a spike. Males have black plumage with a blue back, a red crown and orange legs. Females and juveniles are olive-green with paler underparts. At breeding time, males are involved in a cooperative behaviour during which they jump up and down alternately. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Region
Central America and northern South America
Typical Environment
Found from Costa Rica through Panama to northern Colombia and northern Venezuela, mainly in lowland and foothill zones. It favors dry and moist deciduous forests, secondary growth, forest edges, and gallery woodland rather than deep interior rainforest. Birds keep to the shaded understory and midstory where fruiting shrubs and vines are abundant. It is locally common where habitat is intact and can persist in moderately disturbed mosaics.
Altitude Range
0–1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Males perform remarkable cooperative courtship displays in leks, where an alpha and beta male execute synchronized jumps and wing-snaps to attract females. Both sexes have two elongated central tail feathers forming a lance-like spike, giving the species its name. It prefers dry and moist deciduous forests and edges rather than dense rainforest, and remains fairly common across its range.
Temperament
social during lekking, otherwise unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Males gather in small leks and perform coordinated, cooperative displays with precise alternation of jumps and perch changes. A dominant alpha male secures most matings, while the beta participates in displays. Females build a small cup nest low in dense vegetation and rear the young alone.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls include clear, whistled notes and sharp ticks, often interspersed with distinctive mechanical wing-snaps during displays. The song is simple but carries well through the understory, aiding communication within leks.
Plumage
Male is glossy black with a bright blue back and a vivid red crown; both sexes show two elongated, lance-like central tail feathers. Female and juvenile are olive-green with paler underparts and lack the male’s bright crown and blue back.
Diet
Primarily consumes small fruits and berries from understory shrubs and vines. It supplements its diet with small insects and other arthropods, gleaned from leaves or taken in short sallies. Foraging is methodical, moving perch to perch and taking advantage of seasonal fruiting.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the forest understory and midstory, along edges, clearings, and second-growth thickets where fruit is abundant. Often visits vine tangles and fruiting trees in light gaps.
