The pin-tailed manakin (''Ilicura militaris'') is a suboscine species of bird within the manakin family, Pipridae. This species is endemic to the Eastern coast of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

within the humid

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

, and its range extends from the State of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

to the State of

Rio Grande Do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

. The pin-tailed manakin is monotypic within the genus Ilicura, and has no known subspecies. It is a relatively small species that has pronounced

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

. Male birds of this species have a bright white neck, chest, auriculars, and flanks. They have black and dark-green wings, with a signature pin shape tail that has a small fork near the tip, helping to give it its common name in English. The males are most easily identified by their characteristically vibrant red fore-crown and rump. The females of this species are a muted green, except for their neck and auriculars—which are light grey, and their cream-colored chest. Both male and female birds of this species share a slightly elongated head shape that gives them a distinguished raised forehead. The pin-tailed manakin's vocalizations are quiet, but resemble a high-pitched “see-see-see” in descending tones. There has been very little research conducted on this species of manakin, and it especially lacks information on its ecology and breeding habits. The pin-tailed manakin is a primary

frugivore A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance an ...

, but it has been recorded consuming small amounts of insects on occasion. The diet is relatively unknown, but is hypothesized to be able to transform the keto-carotenoids found within its diet into

rhodoxanthin Rhodoxanthin is a xanthophyll pigment with a purple color that is found in small quantities in a variety of plants including ''Taxus baccata'' and '' Lonicera morrowii''. It is also found in the feathers of some birds. As a food additive it is ...

, a rare pigment in animals, that gives this bird its signature red color. The pin-tailed manakin has an elaborate courtship ritual called

lekking A lek is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals, known as lekking, to entice visiting females which are surveying prospective partners with which to mate. A lek can also indicate an avail ...

, and is suspected to breed sometime between November and February. This bird is non-migratory, and its conservation status is currently

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

, but its population numbers are hypothesized to be in decline.

Taxonomy

The pin-tailed manakin is a monotypic species within the genus ''Ilicura'', with no known subspecies. This bird was first named in 1850, without indication of etymology, by a German zoologist named Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach on in a work titled “Avium Systema Naturale”.Straube, Fernando Costa. 2008. De Onde Vem o Nome Ilicura?. ''Atualidades Ornitológicas.'' Vol. 144. 42-43. Its protonym is ''Pipra militaris''. The common name pin-tail manakin in English is based on its tail shape. The first part of its scientific name, ''Ilicura militaris'', stems from the root “ilex” or “ilicis”, referring to the botanical species (

Ilex aquifolium ''Ilex aquifolium'', the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family (botany), family Aquifoliaceae, native plant, native to western and southern Europe, nort ...

) of which the tail feathers’ pointed central veins resemble the thorns of the leaves, and the Greek root “oura” meaning tail. The second part of the scientific name, ''militaris'', comes from the Latin roots mille, milia, millia, or militaris, referring to thousands or a large quantity. It may also come from the Latin root "militar", giving distinction to the pointed tail's appearance. In Brazil, the common name is Tangarazinho, but is also known as saira-ilicuria, “cracker”, and the rainbow tangara in some regions of Santa Catarina. The relationship between the pin-tailed manakin and the rest of its closest relatives within the family Pipridae is relatively unknown, although there is strong correlation between certain aspects of their courtship displays.Snow, Barbara K; Snow, D. W. 1985. Display and Related Behavior of Male Pin-tailed Manakins. ''Wilson Bull''. Vol. 97. Issue 3. 273-282.

Description

Males measure , while the females measure from tail to beak at full maturity.2018. Tangarazinho (Ilicura Militaris). ''WikiAves''. https://www.wikiaves.com.br/wiki/tangarazinho. There is clear

between mature adults of this species, but can be nearly impossible to identify the sex for certain if they do not have the adult male colorations, as both juvenile males and females resemble each other. All pin-tailed manakins share some common traits: a forking tail at the very end of their rectrices, a slightly elongated forehead, brownish black legs, and bright yellow-orange irises. Adult male pin-tailed manakins have a slightly longer tail, with a very uniquely pigmented red fore-crown and rump, black wings with green secondaries, and a white chest that extends from their under-tail coverts all the way to their auriculars.Pin-tailed manakin. ''eBird.'' https://ebird.org/species/pitman1. Females are an olive-green color everywhere except for their grey neck and auriculars, and their crème colored chest extending to its under-tail coverts

Vocalizations

Vocalizations from this bird are often very quiet, but high-pitched. Their songs sound like “see-see-see” in descending tones, with an average anywhere from 3-8 “see” sounds. Many local birdwatchers are fond of this bird, despite it not being particularly rare, because it is difficult to track in the forest through its songs.

Distribution and habitat

The pin-tailed manakin is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Brazil, specifically inhabiting the Atlantic Forest range from the State of Bahia to the State of Rio Grande Do Sul.Kirwan, Guy M. 2008. The Range of the Pin-tailed Manakin ''Ilicura militaris'' Extends to Central Brazil. ''BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY''. Vol. 16, Issue. 3. 260-261. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. They are not very commonly spotted within their range, but spend their time within the lower and middle strata of the rainforests. Their nests are built very similar to a cup, and holds a clutch of 2 to 3 eggs. Their distribution has not been studied in depth, and as a result there is not a firm grasp of where their populations may inhabit. Three pin-tailed manakins have been collected by the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro that has their location of collection tagged as Nova Veneza, which is more inland and Northern than previously recorded, providing evidence for a possible extension of their range.

Behavior and ecology

Feeding

They feed mostly on small berries, but have been documented eating a few small insects as well. Like most manakins in the family Pipridae, they swallow their food whole. Most feeding observations of this bird have been located on the edges of forests, eating off of small fruit trees and shrubs. The fruits that it has been recorded eating most commonly are of the yellow magnolia (michelia champaca) and the ripe fruits of the chickweed plant (struthanthus polyrhysus). Food is plucked from the air in diving and snatching motions—they do not typically spend time on the plant picking berries to eat.Snow, D. W. (2004). Family Pipridae (mankins). ''Handbook of the birds of the world''. Vol 9. Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Barcelona: Lynx Editions. 110-169.

Mating

It is believed that the pin-tailed manakin is a solitary species, especially during the breeding season, in which the males create special arenas to display for females. The male pin-tailed manakin creates whirring and snapping noises from its wings during displays in flight. Males will hold an area of approximately 20 to 30 meters across, with a display site called a “lek” and a mating perch in the area. These territories are separate from any other male's territory, but within earshot of one another. The males will “garden” an area they would like to display at, by picking and pulling leaves, debris, and any other vegetation that has grown in the area until the ground is completely clear. They will also clear the space above their mating perch that obstruct the light, presumably to make their feathers appear more vibrant or make room for their display jumps and flights. Unlike any other species of manakin, the pin-tailed manakin's mating perch is not on the ground. The perch is approximately 3.3–20 meters above the ground, and the females are drawn to the male's display site by the male's frequently repeated, “see” calls that descend in volume and pitch throughout the day.Anciães, Marina; Prum, Richard O. 2008. Manakin Display and Visiting Behaviour: a Comparative Test of Sensory Drive. ''Animal Behavior''. Vol. 75. Issue 3. 783-790. Once a female is in the area, the male will draw her to his mating perch and jump back and forth over her, sometimes making a snapping noise in the air, and fluffing out the vibrant red rump with his chin down when he lands facing her. After the snapping sound in the air, it is typically followed by a special “weep” sound. Young males will also visit other male's display sites before they have their definitive plumage to practice their own displays and dances.

Relationship to humans

There is little to no mention of the pin-tailed manakin in culture or relationship to humans.

Status

The pin-tailed manakin is not globally threatened, but is uncommon to fairly uncommon within the Atlantic Forest range of Brazil. According to the IUCN, the pin-tailed manakin is rated as Least Concern with an unknown quantity of individuals, suspected to be in decline from habitat destruction, but needs more research conducted to provide an accurate conservational account.

Other

The pin-tailed manakin's characteristically vibrant red fore-crown and rump come from the carotenoid pigment

.Hudon, Jocelyn; Anciães, Marina; Bertacche, Vittorio; Stradic, Riccardo. 2007. Plumage Carotenoids of the Pin-tailed Manakin (Ilicura militaris): Evidence for the Endogenous Production of Rhodoxanthin from a Colour Variant. ''Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology''. Vol. 147, Issue 3, 402-411. Rhodoxanthin is a uniquely rare red pigment amongst most animals, as it is created endogenously from the organism itself.Hudon, Jocelyn; Storni, Alline; Pini, Elena; Anciães, Marina; Stradi, Riccardo. 2012. Rhodoxanthin as a Characteristic Keto-Carotenoid of Manakins (Pipridae). ''The Auk''. Vol. 129, Issue 3, 491-499. Rhodoxanthin is a

carotenoid Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic compound, organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and Fungus, fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpki ...

hypothesized to be created from the 4 keto-carotenoids that are found in the diet of the pin-tailed manakin, and then transformed into stereoisomers of rhodoxanthin to be used as pigmentation in the feathers through some unknown process. Rhodoxanthin is unique because it can produce a wide range of reds and yellows due to its ability to reflect and absorb light from longer wavelengths—which most other pigments are incapable of. One mutant has been found of the pin-tailed manakin species in which the normally red fore-crown and rump were replaced with an orange and yellow color. This mutant is hypothesized to have a mutation that does not allow for the 4 keto-carotenoids to be transformed into rhodoxanthin, or for the production of its stereoisomers. Research on rhodoxanthin in pin-tailed manakins has revealed much about its pigmentary capabilities, but more research is still needed to identify the biological processes that lead to the

phenotypic In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

red color in these bird's feathers.