The Blue Manakin or Swallow-tailed Manakin Chiroxiphia caudata is a common Atlantic Forest endemic. Small groups of males team up to attract females by performing a dancing display. Only the dominant male will actually mate with each female, with the other males acting as assistants in the hope that one day the dominant male will cark it and one of them will finally get a chance to become the dominant male.
At REGUA you often hear birds displaying as you walk around the forest trails, but most of the leks are located deep in the understorey, making seeing them, let alone photography, very difficult. However, today we found a lek on the Waterfall Trail located out in the relative open and I had enough light to capture a very short video of part of the display. No female attended which might explain why this display was quite short.
For much better footage, see this clip from the Life of Birds.
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