Araripe Manakin male, critically endangered


Posted by ugolino on Mon Aug 28, 2017 6:57 am

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Just back from Brazil, couldn't wait to see the photos on a large screen !
Starting with the most beautiful passerine of the trip, the critically endangered and highly localised endemic, the Araripe Manakin.
It was dicovered as recently as 1995 and described in 1998. Till then, nobody had really bothered to really look him up in the very tiny territory he occupies (the Chapada do Araripe, which is 50 square kms, as his song is incredibly similar to the Helmeted Manakin who can be found "easily" in the Amazon basin, a few thousand miles away.
Except that.... the Helmeted Manakin is entirely black with a red crown, not like this little beauty.
The North-Eastern region of Brazil is known to hold a number species and sub-species of Amazon birds, separated from that region by a great distance, due to the formation of the Cerrado in the Pliocene or Pleistocene.
However, scientists are struggling to explain whether the Araripe Manakin, who is now only the second member of the Antilophia genus (the other one being the Helmeted Manakin) evolved from the Helmeted manakin to become another species, and if so, why this is such a rare evolution.
In essence, the issue here is, if I have understood correctly, that a species morphs into a new species mostly by changing songs and not necessarily its appearance to such an extent.
I hope the above makes sense, as I am not a biologist.
Best, Ugolino
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by Karl Egressy on Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:52 am
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Good write up and an excellent image of this great looking bird.
 

by Peter Ireland on Mon Aug 28, 2017 10:46 am
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What a gorgeous looking bird.Lovely pose you caught there.Thanks for the info.
 

by WDCarrier on Mon Aug 28, 2017 11:01 am
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Outstanding image and very informative write-up.
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by Debapratim Saha on Mon Aug 28, 2017 11:08 pm
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Nice info and a beautiful capture of this gorgeous bird.
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by E.J. Peiker on Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:15 pm
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Excellent bird, very nice photo.
 

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