When not putting on a display, the male is easily identifiable from behind, with his blue cape and brilliant red crown.
A little passerine bird that breeds in tropical South America is the blue-backed manakin (Chiroxiphia pareola). The male blue-backed manakin is a small, brilliantly colored forest dweller with a black body, scarlet cap, and vibrant blue back and pale orange legs.
The female of the species has an olive-green upper body and a pale olive below.
Males are olive as juveniles, but as they grow larger, they develop a red head and the beginnings of a blue back.
The range of this bird is from Colombia and Tobago to southeastern Brazil, including Venezuela, the Guyanas, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Tobago.