Amazing Long-tailed Manakin Courtship Display

Long-tailed Manakin males (Chiroxiphia linearis) displaying in front of a female manakin in Costa Rica.

Taking turns, several pairs of males are displaying on a lek in front of a female manakin (green bird).

Male Lance-tailed Manakins form long-term two-male alliances. When a female approaches, they perform a dance of coordinated leaps and butterfly-like flights on the display perch.

The dominant “alpha” male and his subordinate “beta” partner may remain together for up to six years. With very rare exceptions, only alpha males reproduce.

Why do betas cooperate rather than striking off on their own? Being a beta increases a male’s chance of becoming alpha, but many males die while “waiting in the wings” and never have the chance to be alpha.