Manakins

Male Golden-Headed Manakin (Photo by Jake Bicknell)

“Iwokrama’s mission is to develop strategies for conservation and sustainable development of the tropical rain forest system for local people in Guyana and the world at large. Come visit us in the Rain Forest or at our office, 77 High Street, Kingston, Georgetown. We are online at http://www.iwokrama.org. Also check for updates on our Facebook Page- https://www.facebook. com/#!/IwokramaInternationalCentre”

Manakins are little, elegant, vibrant birds, both in colour and in behaviour. They are found across South and Central America from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, and in Trinidad and Tobago as well. They live in tropical forests, and here in Guyana, we have over fifteen different kinds of manakin. The males are much more colourful than females, often with bright yellow, blue, red or white heads. In contrast the females are usually a plain olive green all over. They feed on small fruits and insects that they