Andean Cock-of-the-rock

Rupicola peruvianus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Andean cock-of-the-rock is the national bird of Peru and one of the most striking in South America. The male is a blazing orange or red with black wings and tail and a disc-shaped crest that covers even his bill. The females are brown and inconspicuous, and build a mud nest stuck to rock faces beside torrents. The males gather at communal arenas where they compete with calls and leaps in front of the females.

Weight

220 g – 270 g

Size

30 cm – 32 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

reproducciónMales gather at communal display grounds called leks, competing with synchronised displays and leaps to be chosen by the females.
The males gather at leks: as many as a dozen compete in a single clearing in the cloud forest with leaps, bill-snapping and guttural calls, while the females walk the arena and choose. The male takes no further part in anything afterwards.
Its disc-shaped crest is so prominent that it covers the bill almost entirely: only the lower part remains visible.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Montane cloud forest with torrents and rock faces, between 500 and 2,400 metres in the Andes
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 28 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/