Blue-capped Manakin

The blue-capped manakin (Lepidothrix coronata) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. The males have a brilliant blue cap; some have black, others have green body plumage, but the relationship between the subspecies is not well understood. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest. == Taxonomy == The blue-capped manakin was formally described in 1825 by the German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix under the binomial name Pipra coronata. The type locality is the state of São Paulo de Olivença in western Brazil. The specific epithet is from Latin coronatus meaning "crowned". The blue-capped manakin is now the type species of the genus Lepidothrix that was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. Phylogeny based on Ohlson et al. 2013. === Subspecies === Six subspecies are recognised, but see the text below the table. With the exception of L. c. carbonata, the subspecies categories listed above are not supported phylogenetically. They were instead named based on differences in male plumage. Blue-capped manakins differ genetically into six clades based on geographic location: trans-Andean, Venezuela, North Amazon, Napo-Marañon…