Chiroxiphia linearis
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The long-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae native to Central America where it inhabits both wet and dry tropical and subtropical forests. It is a small, plump bird about 10 centimetres (4 in) long. Males have black plumage with a blue back and a red crown, and the two central tail feathers are greatly elongated. Females and juveniles are olive-green with paler underparts. At breeding time, males are involved in a cooperative lekking behaviour with a complex coordinated courtship dance. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Large for a manakin, the long-tailed measures about 10 cm (3.9 in) long and weighs 18 g (0.63 oz). The male is mostly a rich black. This is contrasted by a bright red crown and legs. The back is bright blue. The two central tail feathers are narrow and greatly elongated. The female is olive green, paler below and on the chin and throat. Some females have a small amount of red in the crown.
It closely resembles the lance-tailed manakin (C. lanceolata), the blue-backed manakin... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Masaya Volcano National Park | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 12 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Manakin sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 496th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Manakin in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Manakin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Manakin sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 60%), Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (Costa Rica, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Pipridae
The closest relatives of the Long-tailed Manakin that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Pipridae, Manakins) are White-collared Manakin (about 30%) and White-ruffed Manakin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Manakin is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
