A chunk little bird with a suit of pure black making his iridescent crown stand out that much more!

Meet the Blue-crowned Manakin

The blue-crowned manakin (Lepidothrix coronata), is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. Males of this species weigh between 8.5 grams and 9.5 grams and sport a brilliant blue cap, with either a body covered in black plumage, with some subspecies wearing green. Though the relationship between the plumage color in subspecies is not well understood.

Females are heavier at 9.8 g on average with a max weight of 11.5 g and a minimum weight of 8.5 g.

They tend to be green in color.

This species can be found from Costa Rica to Peru, Bolivia, and north-western Brazil.

The blue-crowned manakin is mostly found in the understorey of tropical rainforests, also using some mature second-growth forests. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 1.400 m.

A frugivorous bird, they feed mainly on small fruits and berries.

Blue-crowned manakins breed in February-June. The males gather in leks where they perform a simple display to attract females, having no further part in the breeding process after mating. The female builds the nest, a tiny cup-shaped arrangement made of fine fibers and lined with pieces of leaves and moss. It is placed in the fork of a horizontal branch, up to 2 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 18-19 days. The chicks fledge about 15 days after hatching.

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common.