Manakins (Pipridae)

Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda) - HBW 9, p. 143

French: Manakin filifère German: Fadenpipra Spanish: Saltarín Uirapuru

Taxonomy: Pipra filicauda Spix, 1825, São Paulo de Olivença, River Solimões, west Amazonas, Brazil.
Was for long placed in monotypic genus Teleonema on basis of highly modified tail feathers. Closely related to, and forming a superspecies with, P. aureola and P. fasciicauda, all three replacing each other geographically. “P. heterocerca” is hybrid between present species and P. aureola. Race subpallida apparently intergrades with nominate around Colombia-Ecuador border. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

subpallida (Todd, 1928) - E Colombia (E of Andes) and NW Venezuela (E, on both sides of Andes, to Miranda).
filicauda Spix, 1825 - S Venezuela (S & W Amazonas), NW & C Brazil (E to mouth of R Negro, S to headwaters of R Juruá and middle R Purus), E Ecuador and NE Peru (S to middle R Ucayali).