Lance-tailed Manakin Cam

(2/4) YWmF, our familiar webcam star, had a slow but steady season. While his performances didn’t draw huge crowds, he remained consistent, and upcoming genetic tests may reveal that a few of this year’s chicks carry his genes.

(4/4) Stay tuned for genetic results and updates as we head into the quiet season! Thanks for watching the @ManakinCam and enjoying this behind-the-scenes look at an active research site. You can see all the highlights at youtube.com/playlist?list=… Till next year!

(3/4) His biggest fan this year? A new female, YWOm, who kept busy with three back-to-back nesting attempts. Her final nest of the season is still active, with two 6-day-old chicks—likely fathered by YWmF—growing rapidly under the watchful eye of their hardworking mom.

(1/4) The 2025 Lance-tailed Manakin breeding season has come to a close. The DuVal Lab field crew in Panama reports that most of the birds are now molting—their colorful feathers giving way to a fresh coat—so the singing, dancing, and flirting will be on pause until next year.

12:02 6/5 Our alpha male is posing on the display branch.

16:08 5/30 It is not often that you can see the "lance-tail" (long spiky central feathers) on the Lance-tailed Manakin.

14:27 5/29 Alpha male with a piece of a leaf. He continues to remove any vegetation that might obscure the view of the display perch.

13:28-29 5/19 A male manakin's work is never done. Our alpha male is still pruning nearby vegetation that might obscure the view of the display perch.

10:58 5/17 Male manakin on duty at the display perch this morning.

15:10 5/16 Adult male in all his glory (aka definitive plumage). Did you know? The definitive plumage takes 3 years to attain, so they are in definitive plumage starting in their 4th year after hatching (3 years old).

There was another solo display and a copulation on the ManakinCam! This is the same female that copulated on April 27. Once females decide to mate with a particular male, they frequently return for multiple copulations. youtu.be/8u9NaGLwET4

13:10 5/14 Our alpha male is still looking for love manakin style (he needs a wing man).

16:13 4/11 Our alpha male is practicing his dance moves.

14:06 5/9 The male manakin removes a twig from the display area.

8:11 5/7The alpha male is practicing some of his dance moves this morning.

16:06 5/5 Our alpha male impresses the female with his bounce moves and then the bow and finishing up with copulation.

9:24 5/4 The alpha male is at the display perch. Will he have any others join him? Stay tuned.

10:05 5/2 Manakins are not the only birds you can see on this cam. Can you spot the woodcreeper?

11:33 5/2 The male is spending time on the display perch practicing his moves and hoping to attract a female.

The intrepid alpha male successfully wooed and mated a female manakin. The male YWmF did a solo display that ended with a copulation at 14:07. This display checks all the boxes of stuff that is manakin-normal that people do not think is normal. youtu.be/l0xZXfbcI9U