The Story
I photographed this Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) at San José de las Hermosas in Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia. The male has a large disk-like crest and brilliant scarlet or orange plumage, while the female is much drabber and browner. Males gather to compete for females, displaying their plumage, bobbing, hopping and calling. After mating, the female builds a nest under a rocky overhang and raises the young by herself. It eats fruit, along with insects, amphibians, reptiles and small mice. San José de las Hermosas is one of the rural villages of Chaparral, which lies about 163 km from Ibagué.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, −0.7 EV. IUCN lists the Andean Cock-of-the-rock as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus) belongs to the family Cotingidae (Cotingas) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2018), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List