Delayed plumage maturation (DPM) occurs when individuals are sexually mature but don’t present definitive plumage patterns. Most manakins present DPM, and juvenile males progressively molt into the definitive plumage across years. Historically, two main hypotheses have been proposed to explain DPM in manakins: female/juvenile mimicry and signaling status. In both, juveniles are more tolerated by adult males in their territories, which could bring benefits as copulations or perfecting courtship displays. The difference is that mimic isn’t an honest signal of age, while signaling status is. We review DPM patterns in manakins and evaluate which hypothesis is best supported. DPM seems related to sexual dichromatism, as both traits appear together in manakins. Males usually acquire definitive plumage in 2-3 years, but species with complex hierarchical partnerships may take 4-5. This is interesting as the loss of dichromatism is related to loss of lekking behavior, so species that lek and practice courtship displays would benefit from being accepted in other males’ territories to form alliances and perfect displays, especially when successful partnerships are relevant for reproductive success. Also, juveniles can be differentiated from females through plumage and behavioral cues, and suffer less aggression than adults. These data indicate that both juvenile mimicry and signaling status hypotheses are likely to explain DPM in manakins, but not female mimicry as juveniles can be differentiated from females. As variation in plumage stages is high within species, further studies are needed to elucidate whether DPM is under physiological control, and if interspecific variation relates to the type of lek.