Purrbirds

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Purrbirds
White Ribbed Pipra (Manacus candei), young male

White Ribbed Pipra ( Manacus candei ), young male

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Screeching Birds (Tyranni)
Partial order : Screaming birds of the New World (Tyrannides)
without rank: Tyrannida
Family : Purrbirds
Scientific name
Pipridae
Rafinesque , 1815

The purrbirds (Pipridae), also called Manakins or Pipras , are a species-rich family in the order of the passerine birds (Passeriformes). The name for this bird family is derived from the fact that some of the species make purring or cracking noises during courtship dances or flights. In these species, the shafts of the arm fins are swollen and contain air, while the outer hand fins are strongly narrowed.

distribution

Distribution in the South America

Purrbirds inhabit the tropical forests of Central and South America .

features

The small colorful birds reach a body length between 8 and 19 centimeters; roughly in the range of titmice . They usually have short tail feathers, short wings and, in relation to the body, delicate legs. Long tail feathers, however, are mostly seen in the males of some species. With the relatively broad, pointed beak, the upper beak lies slightly above the lower beak. The plumage color within a species makes the sexes distinguishable in many species. Males have a dark, almost black or greenish-brown basic color with large spots of brightly contrasting primary colors on the head, on the stomach or on the back. The females are mostly inconspicuously colored olive green.

nutrition

Purrbirds feed mainly on insects, which they often find similar to the tangerines by following the trains of the wandering ants and eating the fleeing and startled insects. When searching for insects, they avoid open terrain or defenseless places and usually hop from branch to branch. They rarely fly in search of food. Fruits are also on the menu.

Reproduction

There is no permanent partnership with purrbirds. A female can be mated by several males. The nest with one or two eggs, made of plant fibers and animal hair, is often built high on the trees and is usually located in a fork of a branch. It is the job of the female to build the nest, hatch the eggs and raise the young.

Genera and species (selection)

Splendid pipra ( Chiroxiphia pareola )
Blue breasted pipra
Thread pipra

literature

  • Wolfgang Baars: Fruit eater and flower visitor . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8001-7088-4 .

Web links

Commons : purrbirds  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Baars: Fruit Eaters and Flower Visitors . P. 48
  2. ^ Daniel F. Lane, Andrew W. Kratter and John P O'Neill. 2017. A New Species of Manakin (Aves: Pipridae; Machaeropterus ) from Peru with A Taxonomic Reassessment of the Striped Manakin ( M. regulus ) complex. Zootaxa . 4320 (2); 379-390. DOI: 10.11646 / zootaxa.4320.2.11