Andean cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) is an iconic bird found in the subtropical and cloud forests of the Andes spanning a wide range across South America from Venezuela to Bolivia.
The male cock-of-the-rock stands out with its brilliant red-orange plumage, black-and-white wings, and a large fan-like crest, with its bill sitting under the crest and completely hidden. Known as tunki in Quechua, the region’s indigenous language, this bird is considered the national bird of Peru and is related to other distinctive tropical fruit-eaters such as the Banded Cotinga, Long-wattled Umbrellabird and Bearded Bellbird.
True to its name, the Andean Cock-of-the-rock frequents rocky cliffs and ravines close to forest streams. Its genus name, Rupicola, is derived from the Latin word meaning rock or cliff inhabiting, a nod to this bird’s preferred nest sites.
The bright colouration of the males makes them stand out amidst the canopy of the cloud forests while their powerful, raspy and clanky calls make them unmistakable.
Listen to the vociferous calls of a group of Andean cock-of-the-rock males below:
Andean cock-of-the-rock is such an iconic bird that birders from all over the world come down to South America to see them. Even though these birds are brightly coloured, they are more often heard than seen given how dense the undergrowth can be in the habitats they thrive in. The best places to see them are at their communal gathering spots also known as the ’leks’. At these leks, the males get together and engage in highly vociferous, vivid courtship displays to attract the females nearby.
Andean cock-of-the-rock was high on my list of birds to see while in Ecuador. Though this bird has a wide range of distribution, habitat destruction is causing a steep decline in its numbers. As such, it has become difficult to sight except for the few lekking locations that have been identified by the local people who are fantastic bird guides as well as great proponents of conservation.
Such a location is where we went one early morning. We had to be at the lek before the sun started breaking through the canopy. So, just before the break of dawn, we set out and the trek or should I say the walk down to the lek through the thick cloud forest was indeed lovely. It was still relatively dark as we reached the bird blind that has been set up overlooking the lekking area. As we got closer we could already see that the Andean cock-of-the-rock males had gotten on with their activities. Their calls were clamouring through the woods! It was like a cacophonous melee out there.
Once a group of males gathers, competitors, perch in pairs or small groups to perform mock confrontational displays, which feature bowing, wing-flapping, head-bobbing, bill-snapping, and bizarre squeaking and grunting calls. A lot of effort goes into their performance, all in a frantic attempt to woo the females around.
Standing there and watching the wonderful behaviour was magical. These birds are truly stunning!
Andean cock-of-the-rocks are frugivorous, mainly feeding on fruits while supplementing their diet with insects, amphibians and smaller reptiles.
After about an hour of their elaborate display at the break of dawn, the birds fly away from the leks in search of food. However, with their courtship displays being as elaborate as they are and lasting for a long time at a stretch, some of the birds do look for a quick snack on the trees near the lek to gain that energy kick. They then get back to their demanding display rituals :-)
Andean cock-of-the-rocks are polygamous with the male not having much of a contribution to the nesting process. These birds exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning distinct differences between the species’ males and females. A female cock-of-the-rock is darker brown in colour. After mating, she heads off on her own to find a place to nest and raise her chicks.
We came by a female cock-of-the-rock which had made her nest inside a crevice, under a bridge over a stream.
A few of us from the group that travelled together visited another lekking spot where we got to see the cock-of-the-rocks with a slightly different ( a more orangish ) body colouration. Not sure, if they are a different sub-species per se. The difference is quite evident when you see the images below and compare them to the ones above, the more orangish body and the pronounced, yellow eye-ring.
Different sub-species or not, the more the merrier I would say :-)
Although the Andean cock-of-the-rock distribution is quite widespread, their populations are in decline as I mentioned before. These birds remain vulnerable to habitat loss and significant efforts are being made to preserve the habitats of these wonderful birds. Hope the efforts bear fruit and we see stability in their numbers.
Words cannot describe what an amazing experience it was to watch and enjoy these beautiful birds, it was sheer bliss!
Hope the post was enjoyable too :-) Feel free to let me know your thoughts by dropping a comment below.
You can find the full gallery of my images from Ecuador here - Ecuador-Dec-2022
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