Velvety Manakin

The velvety manakin (Lepidothrix velutina) is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is native to Costa Rica, Panama and the Chocó–Magdalena region. == Taxonomy and systematics == The velvety manakin has a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described in 1883 as Pipra velutina. By about 1929 authorities were beginning to treat it as a subspecies of the "blue-crowned manakin" (then Pipra coronata). By the late 1900s genus Lepidothrix was recognized as separate from Pipra and several species including the "blue-crowned manakin" were assigned to it. A study published in 2022 found that there were significant vocal and phylogenetic differences between taxa west of the Andes those east of the Andes. Based on that study most regional and worldwide taxonomic systems have adopted the velvety manakin as a full species. To avoid confusion, they also renamed L. coronata sensu stricto the blue-capped manakin. However, as of December 2024 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains the taxon as subspecies of the "blue-crowned manakin" L. coronata sensu lato. The systems that have adopted the velvety manakin as a species and include subspecies in their published lists assign it two subspecies, the nominate L. v.…