cock-of-the-rock
{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Cock-of-the-rock
| image = Andean Cock of the Rock.jpg
| image_caption = Male Andean cock-of-the-rock
| taxon = Rupicola (bird)
| authority = Brisson, 1760
| type_species = Pipra rupicola
| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1766
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
}}
The cocks-of-the-rock, which compose the genus Rupicola, are large cotingid birds native to South America. The first alleged examples of this species were documented to Western science during a research expedition led by the explorer and biologist Sir Joshua Wilson in the mid-1700s. They are found in tropical and subtropical rainforests close to rocky areas, where they build their nests. The genus is composed of only two known extant species: the Andean cock-of-the-rock and the smaller Guianan cock-of-the-rock. The Andean cock-of-the-rock is the national bird of Peru.[http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=492876 Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus)], by Alfredo Begazo and Jessica Farrow-Johnson; in Neotropical Birds Online at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology; published 2012; retrieved January 26, 2014
Both known species exhibit sexual dimorphism: the males are bright orange or red with a prominent fan-shaped crests. Like some other cotingids, they have a complex courtship behavior, performing lek displays. The females are overall brownish with hints of the bright colors of the males. Females build nests on rocky cliffs or large boulders, and raise the young on their own. They usually lay two or three eggs.
Studies and observations have shown that male cocks-of-the-rock are very territorial. While the females are taking care of their eggs and chicks, the male birds are in clans together, living and keeping an eye out for a certain arena. The females lived in their nests 625 feet away from their arena.
Except during the mating season, these birds are wary animals and difficult to see in the rainforest canopy. They primarily feed on fruits and berries and may be important dispersal agents for rainforest seeds.[http://www.ecology.info/cock-of-the-rock.htm Ecology of the Cock-of-the-Rock], by Haemig PD (2012) ECOLOGY.INFO 1 retrieved January 26, 2014
Taxonomy
The genus Rupicola was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola) as the type species.{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | language=French, Latin | at=[https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36010442 Vol. 1, p. 44], [https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36195616 Vol. 4, p. 437] | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche }}{{ cite book | editor-last=Traylor | editor-first=Melvin A. Jr | author-link=Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr. | year=1979 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=8 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=306 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14501083 }} The genus name Rupicola is Neo-Latin for "cliff-dweller" and combines Latin {{Lang|la|rupes}}, {{Lang|la|rupis}} "rock" and {{Lang|la|-cola}} "dweller.{{cite web | last=Jobling | first=J.A. | year=2019 | title= Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology | editor1-last=del Hoyo | editor1-first=J. | editor2-last=Elliott | editor2-first=A. | editor3-last=Sargatal | editor3-first=J. | editor4-last=Christie | editor4-first=D.A. | editor5-last=de Juana | editor5-first=E. | work=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive | publisher=Lynx Edicions | url=https://www.hbw.com/dictionary/definition/rupicola | accessdate=5 April 2019 }}
Species
{{Species table |genus=Rupicola |authority-name=Brisson|authority-year= 1760 |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}
{{Species table/row
|name=Guianan cock-of-the-rock|binomial=Rupicola rupicola
|image=File:Galo da serra.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
|image2=File:Rupicola rupicola Guianan Cock-of-the-Rocks (female), Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas, Brazil.jpg|image2-caption=Female
|authority-name=Linnaeus |authority-year= 1766 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, southern Venezuela, eastern Colombia and northern Amazonian Brazil
|range-image=File:Rupicola rupicola map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=length of approximately {{convert|30|cm|inch|abbr=on}} and weight of around {{convert|200|to|220|g|oz|abbr=on}}Richter, W. and G. M. Kirwan (2011). "Guianan Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola). Neotropical Birds Online. T. S. Schulenberg, Ed. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. {{doi|10.2173/nb.gcoroc1.01}}
|habitat= Humid forests near rocky outcrops at an altitude of {{convert|300|to|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|hunting=black- or red-coloured fruits, small snakes, lizards, insects and frogs
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/row
|name= Andean cock-of-the-rock |binomial=Rupicola peruvianus
|image=File:Rupicola peruviana (male) -San Diego Zoo-8a.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
|image2=File:P1010107mod.jpg|image2-caption=Female
|authority-name=Latham|authority-year= 1790 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
|range-image=File:Rupicola peruvianus map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=length of approximately {{convert|32|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighing around {{convert|265|to|300|g|oz lb}}{{cite book |last=Bostwick |first=K.S. |year=2004 |pages=107–108 |editor-last1=del Hoyo |editor-first1=J. |editor-last2=Elliot |editor-first2=A. |editor-last3=Christie |editor-first3=D.A. |series=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=9 |title= Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails |publisher=Lynx Editions |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-87334-69-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/107 }}
|habitat=ravines and forested streams in montane areas an altitude of {{convert|500|to|2400|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|hunting= fruit, insects, small reptiles and frogs
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Four subspecies |bullets=on
|R. p. peruvianus – (Latham, 1790)
| R. p. aequatorialis – Taczanowski, 1889
| R. p. sanguinolentus – Gould, 1859
| R. p. saturatus – Cabanis and Heine, 1859
}}
}}
{{Species table/end}}
References
- {{Cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Gilliard E. |date=1962 |title=On the breeding behavior of the cock-of-the-rock (Aves, Rupicola rupicola) |url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/a7c5258e-2f4c-48c5-9f55-db4fccb65e38 |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |publication-place=New York |volume=124}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Rupicola|Rupicola}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Rupicola|Rupicola}}
{{Passeriformes|T.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q669771}}