Helmeted Manakin

The helmeted manakin (Chiroxiphia galeata) is a species of small passerine bird in the manakin family Pipridae. Unlike most manakins, a family associated with tropical rainforests, the helmeted manakin inhabits the seasonally dry Cerrado savanna of Central Brazil. == Taxonomy == The helmeted manakin was formally described in 1823 by the German naturalist Hinrich Lichtenstein from specimens collected near São Paulo in Brazil. He coined the binomial name Pipra galeata. The helmeted manakin was placed together with the critically endangered Araripe manakin in the genus Antilophia that was introduced by Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850. Antilophia were considered very closely related to Chiroxiphia, another genus of manakin which inhabit rainforests in Central and South America, and there is possible hybridization between them. Therefore, the two species were transferred to the genus Chiroxiphia. The helmeted manakin is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. == Description == The helmeted manakin has sexually dimorphic plumage. Both males and females are adorned with a feathered crest at the crown of the head. Females and immature males sport a uniform dull-green plumage similar to other female Pipridae. Males are a glossy black with a striking red crest that stretches across the mantle, nape and crown. Subadult males…