Scientific Name: Manacus candei

Chunky little bird of humid forest edge and second-growth thickets (especially with Heliconia plants) in tropical lowlands. Away from display areas, usually found in ones and twos perched quietly or feeding at fruiting trees and bushes from understory to canopy. Display often draws attention: loud clicks, buzzes, and whistles given by males low in understory. Unmistakable male often detected by low wing rattle in flight. Female greenish with yellow belly and orange legs.

The male’s elaborate courtship ritual, a spectacle of avian acrobatics, involves a rapid, almost mechanical sliding down thin saplings, accompanied by the aforementioned snaps, buzzes, and a sharp, clear whistle. This “moonwalk” display, as it’s sometimes called, is performed with astonishing speed and precision, a blur of black and white against the verdant undergrowth. Females, seemingly unimpressed or perhaps critically evaluating, often observe from nearby perches, their muted green plumage blending seamlessly into the foliage, making them a challenge to spot even when the male’s performance is at its peak.