So Squee! Friday presents… the Araripe Manakin!

The Araripe is a gorgeous bird with a very striking pattern of black, white, and red. Only males display this vivid coloring - the ladies are olive-green with smaller frontal tufts.

 

This species is very rare, and are only known to live one one location in on Earth - Brazil. Unfortunately, a recreational park and banana plantation were built in the early 2000’s, which destroyed a large portion of their habitat, as well as fires and human diversion of springs and streams.

  

Due to their rarity, not much is known about the lives of this species, although they are often sited in pairs and have been reportedly seen eating fruit. In 2008, Sir David Attenborough lectured at the BirdLife International and announced he would be raising funds for these amazing birds.

If you’d like to learn more about extinction prevention programs, or would like to become a Species Champion, you can read more here.