The Andean cock-of-the-rock, Peru’s bright red national bird found along the slopes of the Andes Mountains, has been highlighted in a recent article by Texas-based Houston Chronicle.
“Andean cock-of-the-rock evokes glory of ancient Incan empire,” is the title bestowed by daily newspaper columnist Gary Clark, who claimed that the said bird matches the profiles of ancient Incans.
“The heartthrob bird of Peru is the Andean cock-of-the-rock. Its radiant orange color and a stately, disc-shaped crest nearly match the profiles of ancient Incans, whose heads were sometimes deliberately elongated in infancy,” the columnist said.
The
article details the experience Clark and his wife, Kathy Adams Clark, had when they saw a male bird close up on the ground of the Inkaterra Machu Pichu Pueblo Hotel.
The paper shed light on aspects of male and female differences including size of crest, color of feathers and width of the wing.
Clark mentioned the bird feeds principally on a variety of fruits from the tree canopy and that it can be found along the slopes of the Andes, close to rocky areas, where they build their nests.
The males are magnificent birds, not only because of their bright orange or red colors, but also because of their very prominent fan-shaped crests.
The females are overall brownish with hints of the brilliant colors of the males. Females build nests on rocky cliffs or large boulders, and raise the young on their own. They usually lay two eggs.
Except during the mating season, these birds are wary animals and difficult to see in the rainforest canopy. They have a complex courtship behavior, performing impressive lek displays.
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Published: 6/13/2014