Andean cock-of-the-rock

Rupicola peruvianus

Photo by Garry Bakker (PBase)

Common name:

Andean cock-of-the-rock (en); galo-das-rochas-dos-Andes (pt); coq-de-roche péruvien (fr); gallito de las rocas (es); Andenklippenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Cotingidae

Range:

This species is found in the Andean slopes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Size:

These birds are 30-32 cm long and weigh 230-250 g.

Habitat:

Andean cocks-of-the-rock are found in mountain cloud forests, especially in ravines and along forest streams. They are found at altitudes of 500-2.400 m.

Diet:

They are mostly frugivorous eating a wide variety of forest fruits. They have an important role as seed dispersers in the forest. These birds also eat insects, small frogs and lizards and are known to follow army ants to gather food.

Breeding:

This species breeds in October-February. They are polygamous, with males performing elaborate displays in communal leks and having nothing to do with nesting once mating is done. Each female builds a mud nest plastered to to cave entrances or rocky outcrops in forest ravines. There she lays 2 white eggs which she incubates alone for 25-28 days. The chicks are raised by the female and fledge 40-44 days after hatching, but remain with their mother for the next 3 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. This species suffers habitat loss due to forests being converted to farmland, but the population is believed to be stable and the species is not considered threatened at present.