Lance-tailed Manakin

Lance-tailed Manakin

Chiroxiphia lanceolata

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Coiba National Park

In 3 days >90%

132 Verified sightings at Coiba National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,354 In all 7 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lance-tailed Manakin

The lance-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from Costa Rica to northern Venezuela. This manakin is a fairly common bird of dry and moist deciduous forests, but not rainforest. It is a small, compact bird about 13 centimetres (5 in) long and similar to the blue-backed manakin, but both sexes have the two central tail feathers elongated to form a spike. Males have black plumage with a blue back, a red crown and orange legs. Females and juveniles are olive-green with paler underparts. At breeding time, males are involved in a cooperative behaviour during which they jump up and down alternately. 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".

Like other manakins, the lance-tailed manakin is a compact, brightly coloured forest bird, typically 13.5 cm long and weighing 17.5 g. Both sexes have bring orange legs and two central tail feathers elongated to form a spike.

Females are olive-green, with slightly paler underparts. Most females are solid green, however, a small portion... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:14

Venezuela · 2023

© Nelson Cumare · XC863677 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:11

Colombia · 2022

© Simon Mills · XC784359 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call1:25

Colombia · 2020

© Hernán Arias · XC716758 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~60%
2 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
3 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
4 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
6 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
2 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
3 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Dallas World Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lance-tailed Manakin in Coiba National Park?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lance-tailed Manakin sighting in Coiba National Park on a given day, based on 132 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lance-tailed Manakin in Coiba National Park?

February–April and July

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lance-tailed Manakin in Coiba National Park on a given day, against about 60% in June, August–September and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Coiba National Park's driest months, with about 200 mm of rain a month against 590 mm in November. May and October have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Lance-tailed Manakin?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lance-tailed Manakin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Coiba National Park the best place to see a Lance-tailed Manakin?

Yes

Of the 7 parks where we can rate Lance-tailed Manakin sightings, Coiba National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Tayrona National Natural Park (Colombia, about 40%) and Parque Natural Metropolitano (Panama, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Lance-tailed Manakin live in Coiba National Park?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the Lance-tailed Manakin that you can see in Coiba National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Bananaquit (about 60%), Barred Antshrike (about 60%) and Crimson-backed Tanager (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lance-tailed Manakin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lance-tailed Manakin is recorded against all the birds logged in Coiba National Park (132 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.

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