Hello Photographers!

The-of-the-mountain is famous for its orange. But on the pitch, sound comes before color.

The Brazilian-of-the-mountain and the Andean-of-the-mountain belong to the same genus and are among the most spectacular birds in South America. Although they share similar behaviors and habits, they have marked differences in appearance, distribution, and habitat.

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

The male of the Brazilian-of-the-mountain has an intense orange plumage, almost uniform, with black wings and tail, forming an elegant contrast. A tall, smooth semicircular crest, covering almost the entire beak when viewed in profile.

The Andean-of-the-mountain, on the other hand, has a more reddish orange color, with predominantly black wings and very evident silvery-gray spots. Its crest is also exuberant, but with a slightly different shape and a more "jagged" appearance compared to the Brazilian one

And how does sound lead you to lek?

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

• Habitat reading — rock formations in humid forest, especially with meadows and shaded streams. The arenas are installed near the rocks. The genus name Rupicola literally means "inhabitant of the rocks".

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

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

  What is lek and why acoustics matter

The lek is a collective exhibition arena. Up to 50 males gather on ~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 ~2 m from the ground. The function of the sound is threefold:

• Attract females — successful male has taller color, more crows, more copulations.

• Scaring away rivals — squawking that makes the male neighbor retreat to his court.

• To be present on the court — called assembly when resuming the post.

It is an acoustic system before it is visual. The female is listening 5-10 m away when she chooses. After choosing the partner, all responsibility for building the nest, incubating the eggs and raising the chicks rests exclusively with the female

The-of-the-mountain are orange, yes. But before orange, it is sound. And if we start paying attention to the sound, the movements made in the cups, the lek stops being 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-of-the-mountain? Which sound marked you the most?