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The Golden-headed Manakin is a tiny bird with dance moves that would turn a pop star green with envy. Johanne Ryan, a nature educator who lives in Trinidad, describes this bird’s remarkable breeding display, which features a moonwalk and tail-flicks.
BirdNote®
Moonwalking Manakins
Written by Johanne Ryan and Conor Gearin
Michael Stein: This is BirdNote.
The Golden-headed Manakin is a tiny bird with dance moves that would turn a pop star green with envy. Johanne Ryan, a nature educator who lives in Trinidad, tells us more about this bird’s remarkable breeding display.
[Golden-headed Manakin males at display grounds]
Johanne Ryan: The air is still under the forest canopy in Trinidad. A Golden-headed Manakin sits, alert but patient. His golden yellow head flicks to the left, then to the right. There she is. An attractive little ball of olive-green feathers approaches. Her plumage, a stark contrast to the bright head and black body of the male, blends in with the verdant foliage. But she’s the center of the male’s attention.
He may be small, but he puts on a big show. He revs his engine and darts from his perch above ground towards an even higher branch. Quickly, he swoops back down while singing staccato notes that increase in tempo.
[Golden-headed Manakin display flight call]
As soon as he lands, he lowers his chest and raises his tail revealing colorful thighs. He sliiiiides backwards in a smooth, swift moonwalk, ending with an upward flick of his wings and a fan of his tail.
[Golden-headed Manakin display flight call]
The female is captivated and won over. Competition is fierce here on the display grounds of the male manakins.
Michael Stein: To learn more about the Golden-headed Manakin, visit our website, BirdNote dot ORG.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Golden-headed Manakin ML48705651 recorded by Tom Johnson, and Golden-headed Manakin ML115262 recorded by Curtiz Marantz.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote December 2022 January 2025
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# GOHMAN-01-2022-12-26 GOHMAN-01
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