Red-capped Manakin
Pipra mentalis

Manakins are tiny and entertaining residents of the neotropics; they are best known for the males' energetic courtship displays on openings in the forest that serve as leks (mating grounds). When birders hear a high-pitched call note that indicates a manakin is near, they might clap their cupped hands together in imitation of the popcorn-like sound made by the courting birds' wings. That's exactly how we attracted the attention of the Red-capped Manakin pictured here, seen along Semaphore Hill in Panama in August 0f 2003. While the bird entertained us for some ten minutes, it was moving so fast that I was fortunate to catch even the cryptic image below.

Practice makes perfect; I wandered off on my own on a walk along Plantation Road in July of 2005, and happened upon the gregarious male Red-capped Manakin pictured below. I was quite patient as I waited for the hyperactive bird to close and still, and was rewarded with some remarkable video of this striking bird.

Elsewhere on this site:
Birds of Panama, 2003.

Birds of Panama, 2005.

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