Nature Field Guide
Long-tailed Manakin
- Spanish name
- Saltarín toledo
- Scientific name
- Chiroxiphia linearis
What Do Pico & Tati Think?
Pico: “Two birds are moving together on the branches!”
Tati: “We can watch the rhythm without interrupting.”
Species overview
About the Long-tailed Manakin
Adult male Long-tailed Manakins combine a black body, blue back, red crown and elongated central tail feathers. Females are much less conspicuous. The sexes look different enough that a single color description cannot cover the species.
Fruit is important in their diet, and birds visit familiar fruiting plants in their territory. Males can cooperate in elaborate courtship displays, taking turns hopping and fluttering around a display perch. Dense, shaded understory provides the setting for these movements. At Santa Rosa, ACG documents this species and its behavior; staying on the trail protects the cover that makes the display possible.
Identification
Key Features of the Long-tailed Manakin
Adult male: black body, blue back and red crown.
Long central tail feathers in males.
Female: less conspicuous greenish plumage.
Habitat & range
Gallery forest, mature secondary woodland and mangrove edges in the northern Pacific, extending toward Carara, the Central Valley and suitable Dota slopes. Shaded woodland is essential.
Local observations
ACG publishes a photographed Santa Rosa record. The La Cruz tag provides park access context, not a town-center bird record.
When to observe
Plan a quiet observation with a local guide. Weather, food availability and the chosen habitat affect what you may see; a location record does not guarantee a sighting.
Conservation & care
Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.
Observation activity
If a display occurs naturally, draw its sequence afterward. Do not use playback, clear vegetation or approach a display perch.
Explore by location
Central Highlands · Central Pacific · Central Valley · Guanacaste · Puntarenas & the Gulf Islands · Guanacaste · La Cruz