Scientists Discover Amazon’s Golden-Crowned Manakin To Be Rare Evolved Hybrids

27 December 2017, 6:15 am EST By Charmagne Nojas Tech Times

The golden-crowned manakin was found by scientists to be an “incredibly rare” hybrid after analyzing its DNA. What makes this bird from the Amazon Rainforest so special? ( Dysmorodrepanis | Wikimedia Commons )

After more than 50 years of studying the golden-crowned manakin, scientists have finally identified it to be an extremely rare hybrid that evolved to form its own distinct species.

Discovery of the golden-crowned manakin was made by Brazilian scientists Helmut Sick and Raimundo Costa in July 1957. They collected three adult males from a small tributary to the left of the upper Rio Cururu-ri located east of the Brazilian Amazon.

The holotype of the species is kept at the Museu Nacional Rio de Janeiro, while two specimens were sent to the American Museum of the National History and Museum für Naturkunde Alexander Humboldt.

Confusion Clouds Study Of Rare Amazon Bird Species

The golden-crowned manakin was formerly known as pipra. It was later changed to Lepidothrix vilasboasi, a name that pays tribute to the Villas-Boas brothers. The siblings were well-regarded activists known for their work with indigenous peoples of Brazil.

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Tropical birds develop 'superfast' wing muscles for mating, not flying

Date: April 12, 2016

Source: eLife

Studies in a group of tropical birds have revealed one of the fastest limb muscles on record for any animal with a backbone. The muscle, which can move the wing at more than twice the speeds required for flying, has evolved in association with extravagant courtship displays that involve rapid limb movements, according to a paper to be published in the journal eLife.

The 'superfast' wing movements of male red-capped and golden-crowned manakins are undetectable to the human eye, and are about six to eight times faster than the 8-hertz (Hz) speed at which a sprinter, such as Olympian athlete Usain Bolt, moves their legs through the air in a 100-metre run.

"The discovery of the superfast wing muscle in these birds paves the way for further studies into what has to change, or what can change, in a muscle to make it drive faster movements," says first author Matthew Fuxjager, from Wake Forest University.

"This could be important for developing therapies for motor disorders, particularly those characterized by decreases in muscle performance that result from diseases such as cancer and HIV."

Many different species perform rapid limb movements as part of their courtship displays, from certain birds running across lake surfaces, to the unusual boxing displays of hares in March.

However, because muscle performance is limited by trade-offs between speed and force, it is unclear how animals develop the ability to generate both the swift movements involved in showy physical displays and the force needed to drive these movements.

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