The Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola rupicola)

The Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola rupicola) is one of those uniquely plumed birds that can be easily identified by birders of all levels. It is a wonderful bird with stunning orange plumage and conspicuous rounded crest. Adult male has bright orange body plumage. The wings are black with pale orange to creamy-white edges. Females(inset) have a dull-brown plumage. They have a wide-array of sounds that range from a popping noise caused by the snapping of their bills to a call that is compared to a distressed cat. The male’s energy is devoted to very elaborate display rituals that show off its magnificent plumage. Guianan Cock-of-the-rock feeds mainly on fruits, but it also takes large insects, small reptiles and frogs. Several males (between 5 and 25, but sometimes up to 40-50) gather at communal ‘leks’, where each male has its own territory of about one or two metres of diameter. They usually display on the ground, but they spend much time in the lower branches of the nearby trees, above the lek. Each male defends its territory and the closest perches. Guianan Cock-of-the-rock is found in Guyana, E. Colombia, S. Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana and northern Amazonian Brazil.