Red-capped Manakin

Red-capped Manakin

Pipra mentalis

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Soberanía National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

4,138 Verified sightings at Soberanía National Park From 2019 to 2026
11,768 In all 28 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-capped Manakin

The red-capped manakin (Ceratopipra mentalis) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Panama. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

The red-capped manakin was formally described and illustrated in 1857 by the English zoologist Philip Sclater based on specimen collected by Auguste Sallé in Córdoba, Veracruz, southern Mexico. Sclater placed the species in the genus Pipra and coined the binomial name Pipra mentalis. The specific epithet mentalis is Latin meaning "pertaining to the chin".

The red-capped manakin was moved to the genus Ceratopipra when molecular phylogenetic studies found that Pipra was non-monophyletic. It is closely related to, and in eastern Panama sometimes hybridizes with, the golden-headed manakin.

Three subspecies are recognized subspecies: Ceratopipra mentalis mentalis (Sclater, PL, 1857) – southeast Mexico to east Costa Rica Ceratopipra mentalis ignifera (Bangs, 1901) – west Costa Rica and west Panama Ceratopipra mentalis minor (Hartert, 1898) – east Panama, west Colombia and northwest Ecuador Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:46

Costa Rica · 2026

© Nick Talbot · XC1180627 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:14

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1153702 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Leksounds1:10

Ecuador · 2023

© Niels Krabbe · XC785828 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~40%
2 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
3 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~30%
4 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
5 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
6 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
7 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
8 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
9 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
10 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
11 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
12 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
14 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
15 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
16 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
18 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
21 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
23 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
24 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
27 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-capped Manakin in Soberanía National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-capped Manakin sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 4,138 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 449 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-capped Manakin in Soberanía National Park?

February–May and September–November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-capped Manakin in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June–August and December–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Red-capped Manakin?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-capped 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 Soberanía National Park the best place to see a Red-capped Manakin?

Among the best

Of the 28 parks where we can rate Red-capped Manakin sightings, Soberanía National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Red-capped Manakin live in Soberanía National Park?

Same family: Pipridae

The closest relatives of the Red-capped Manakin that you can see in Soberanía National Park (family Pipridae, Manakins) are Blue-capped Manakin (about 30%) and Golden-collared Manakin (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-capped Manakin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-capped Manakin is recorded against all the birds logged in Soberanía National Park (4,138 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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