Club-winged manakin

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Club-winged Manakin
Machaeropterus deliciosus -NW Ecuador-6.jpg
Male in NW Ecuador
call recorded in Ecuador
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Pipridae
Genus: Machaeropterus
Species:
M. deliciosus
Binomial name
Machaeropterus deliciosus
(Sclater, PL, 1860)
Machaeropterus deliciosus map.svg

The club-winged manakin (Machaeropterus deliciosus) is a small passerine bird which is a resident breeding species in the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. The manakins are a family (Pipridae) of small bird species of subtropical and tropical Central and South America.

Contents

Sound-making mechanism

The structures were first noted by P. L. Sclater in 1860, and the sound production adaptations were discussed by Charles Darwin in 1871 PipraWing.jpg
The structures were first noted by P. L. Sclater in 1860, and the sound production adaptations were discussed by Charles Darwin in 1871

Like several other manakins, the club-winged manakin produces a mechanical sound with its extremely modified secondary remiges, an effect known as sonation. [4] The manakins adapted their wings in this odd way as a result of sexual selection. [2] In manakins, the males have evolved adaptations to suit the females' attraction towards sound. Wing sounds in various manakin lineages have evolved independently. Some species pop like a firecracker, and there are a couple that make whooshing noises in flight. The club-winged manakin has the unique ability to produce musical sounds with its wings. [5]

Each wing of the club-winged manakin has one feather with a series of at least seven ridges along its central vane. Next to the strangely ridged feather is another feather with a stiff, curved tip. When the bird raises its wings over its back, it shakes them back and forth over 100 times a second (hummingbirds typically flap their wings only 50 times a second). Each time it hits a ridge, the tip produces a sound. The tip strikes each ridge twice: once as the feathers collide, and once as they move apart again. This raking movement allows a wing to produce 14 sounds during each shake. By shaking its wings 100 times a second, the club-winged manakin can produce up to 1,400 single sounds during that time. [6] In order to withstand the repeated beating of its wings together, the club-winged manakin has evolved solid wing bones (by comparison, the bones of most birds are hollow, making flight easier). The wing bones are not as efficient for flying, but are what has evolved via sexual selection. [4]

While this "spoon-and-washboard" anatomy is a well-known sound-producing apparatus in insects (see stridulation), it had not been well documented in vertebrates (some snakes stridulate too, but they do not have dedicated anatomical features for it).

Related Research Articles

Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mechanism is typically that of one structure with a well-defined lip, ridge, or nodules being moved across a finely-ridged surface or vice versa, and vibrating as it does so, like the dragging of a phonograph needle across a vinyl record. Sometimes it is the structure bearing the file which resonates to produce the sound, but in other cases it is the structure bearing the scraper, with both variants possible in related groups. Common onomatopoeic words for the sounds produced by stridulation include chirp and chirrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manakin</span> Family of South American birds

The manakins are a family, Pipridae, of small suboscine passerine birds. The group contains 55 species distributed through the American tropics. The name is from Middle Dutch mannekijn "little man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled jacana</span> Species of bird

The wattled jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae found throughout much of South America east of the Andes, as well as western Panama and Trinidad. It is the only species in the Jacanidae family with such a large distribution. Wattled jacanas have long toes and claws which help them walk through aquatic vegetation. Like the majority of species of jacanas, the female is larger than the male, and forms harems of up to 4 or 5 males at any given time. There is also a major difference in proportional development or ornamentation and defense relative to body size when compared to males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bird flight</span> Locomotion

Bird flight is the primary mode of locomotion used by most bird species in which birds take off and fly. Flight assists birds with feeding, breeding, avoiding predators, and migrating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bearded manakin</span> Species of bird

The white-bearded manakin is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical South America. It is found from Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad south to Bolivia and northern Argentina. This manakin is found in forests, secondary growth and plantations. It is a small, plump bird about 10.7 centimetres (4.2 in) long. Males have a black crown, upper back, wings and tail and are otherwise white. Females are olive-green and resemble female golden-headed manakins. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor during which they puff out their neck feathers. 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-collared manakin</span> Species of bird

The white-collared manakin is a passerine bird in the manakin family. It is a resident breeder in the tropical New World from southeastern Mexico to Costa Rica and the extreme west of Panama. It typically inhabits thickets at the edges of moist forest, tall secondary growth and old cacao plantations. It is a small, plump bird about 11 centimetres (4.3 in) long. Males have a black crown, mid-back band, wings and tail, an olive-green rump and yellow belly. Females and juveniles are olive-green with yellow bellies and resemble female orange-collared manakins. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor during which they puff out their neck feathers. 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-collared manakin</span> Species of bird

The orange-collared manakin is a passerine bird in the manakin family. It is an endemic resident breeder in Costa Rica and western Panama, where it is found in forests, secondary growth and plantations. It is a small, plump bird about 10 centimetres (4 in) long. Males have a black crown, mid back, wings and tail and an olive-green rump. The rest of the head, neck, breast and upper back are orange, and the belly is yellow. Females are olive-green with yellow underparts and resemble female white-collared manakins. At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor. This is a fairly common species with a somewhat restricted range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buff-tailed coronet</span> Species of hummingbird

The buff-tailed coronet is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight feather</span> Long, stiff, feathers on the wings or tail of a bird that aid in the generation of lift and thrust

Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges, singular remex, while those on the tail are called rectrices, singular rectrix. The primary function of the flight feathers is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby enabling flight. The flight feathers of some birds perform additional functions, generally associated with territorial displays, courtship rituals or feeding methods. In some species, these feathers have developed into long showy plumes used in visual courtship displays, while in others they create a sound during display flights. Tiny serrations on the leading edge of their remiges help owls to fly silently, while the extra-stiff rectrices of woodpeckers help them to brace against tree trunks as they hammer on them. Even flightless birds still retain flight feathers, though sometimes in radically modified forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peruvian sheartail</span> Species of hummingbird

The Peruvian sheartail is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is the only species placed in the genus Thaumastura. It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tipped swift</span> Species of bird

The white-tipped swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pheasant cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The pheasant cuckoo is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. It is native to Central and South America where it occurs in lowland tropical forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose-faced parrot</span> Species of bird

The rose-faced parrot is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spot-winged parrotlet</span> Species of bird

The spot-winged parrotlet is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tipped cotinga</span> Species of bird

The black-tipped cotinga, also known as the white cotinga, is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in the Chocó region, from southeastern Panama to northwestern Ecuador ; its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The male, being white, is conspicuous, but in general it is an uncommon species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pin-tailed manakin</span> Species of bird

The pin-tailed manakin is a suboscine species of bird within the manakin family, Pipridae. This species is endemic to the Eastern coast of Brazil within the humid Atlantic Forest, and its range extends from the State of Bahia to the State of Rio Grande Do Sul. 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery-capped manakin</span> Species of bird

The fiery-capped manakin is a species of bird in the family Pipridae, the manakins. It is one of the five species in the genus Machaeropterus. It is named for its bright yellow head feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The white-throated woodpecker is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonation</span>

Sonation is the sound produced by birds, using mechanisms other than the syrinx. The term sonate is described as the deliberate production of sounds, not from the throat, but rather from structures such as the bill, wings, tail, feet and body feathers, or by the use of tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striolated manakin</span> Species of bird

The striolated manakin or western striped manakin is a small South American species of passerine bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in west and north west Amazonia. The striolated manakin was formerly considered conspecific with the kinglet manakin with the common name "striped manakin". Males have a bright red crown, which the females lack.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Machaeropterus deliciosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22701122A130270942. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22701122A130270942.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Sclater, P. L. (1860). "List of Birds collected by Mr. Fraser in Ecuador, at Nanegal, Calacali, Perucho, and Puellaro, with notes and descriptions of new species". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 83–97.
  3. Darwin, Charles (1871). The descent of man and selection in relation to sex. Vol. 2. London: John Murray. pp. 65–66.
  4. 1 2 Bostwick, Kimberly. "From Feathers, a Violin". BirdScope. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Archived from the original on 2006-09-12. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  5. "How beauty might have evolved for pleasure, not function". The Verge. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  6. Zimmer, Carl (August 2, 2005). "A New Kind of Birdsong: Music on the Wing in the Forests of Ecuador". The New York Times . The New York Times Company . Retrieved May 4, 2012.