Hello Photographers!

The Cock-of-the-rock is famous for its orange. But in the field, the sound comes before the color.

The Guianan Cock-of-the-rock and the Andean Cock-of-the-rock belong to the same genus and are among the most spectacular birds in South America. Although they share similar behaviors and habits, they show striking differences in appearance, distribution, and habitat.

But if you arrive in the Amazon looking for a Cock-of-the-rock, or on the humid slopes of the Andes, Venezuela, or Bolivia, what will guide you first is not the color, it is the sound. A sound that ornithology has compared to a rubber duck being strangled. Before the lek, before the orange, comes the "waa-oww".

The male Guianan Cock-of-the-rock has an intense orange plumage, almost uniform, with black wings and tail, forming an elegant contrast. A high, smooth semicircular crest that covers almost the entire bill when seen in profile.

The Andean Cock-of-the-rock, in turn, shows a more reddish orange coloration, with predominantly black wings and very noticeable silver-gray patches. Its crest is also showy, but with a slightly different shape and a more "cut-out" appearance compared to the Guianan species.

And how does the sound lead you to the lek?

Despite their visual differences, both species share a fascinating behavior: males gather in display arenas known as leks, where they perform jumps, vocalizations, and contests to impress the females. The best strategy to find a Cock-of-the-rock lek combines three readings:

• Habitat reading — rocky formations in humid forest, especially with white-sand vegetation and shaded streams. The arenas are established near the rocks. The genus name Rupicola literally means "rock-dweller."

• Sound reading — start with the "waa-oww" during foraging to confirm the species' presence in the area. Then follow the squawks and caws to locate the arena.

• Light reading — the lek is most active in the early morning, when light enters horizontally into the clearing. This is also the best light for photographing the orange against the dark green of the understory.

  What is the lek and why acoustics matter

The lek is a collective display arena. Up to 50 males gather in ~100 m² of forest floor, each defending a circular court 0.5 to 2.0 m in diameter. Females observe from perches on the periphery at ~2 m above the ground. The function of sound is triple:

• Attract females — the successful male sings louder, caws more, and copulates more.

• Drive off rivals — squawking that makes the neighboring male retreat to his own court.

• Mark presence on the court — a display call made when returning to the post.

It is an acoustic system before it is a visual one. The female is listening from 5-10 m away when she makes her choice. After the partner is chosen, all responsibility for nest building, egg incubation, and chick-rearing falls exclusively on the female.

Cock-of-the-rocks are orange, indeed. But before orange, it is sound. And if we start paying attention to the sound, to the movements in the canopy, the lek ceases to be a surprise and becomes a reading. The camera captures the color and the ear finds the lek.

Now tell me, have you ever heard a Cock-of-the-rock? Which sound struck you the most?