THE PERUVIAN COCKROCK

The Peruvian Cock of the Rock or "Tunqui" is one of the most spectacular birds in the world. Its fantastic colorful plumage is comparable to any bird of paradise.

There are two species: The Andean Cock of the Rock (Rupicola Peruviana) and The Guyanese Cock Rock (Rupicola rupicola). Both live in mountain areas in South America . The first one is spread in the Andes from Venezuela till Bolivia; the second one is located in the oldest mountains and highly eroded at east side of the Andes and at the north side of Amazon River.

The diet of both species is mainly fruits and their nests are built in the front face of the crags, the great sleeky rocks, etc. The female build the nest and takes care the babies without any help of the male. Two eggs is normally the amount of the brood.

The adult males spend most of their time in the communal cortege areas called leks, where they show themselves to the visiting males, then the females selected the ones to pair.

When the Cock of the Rock eats fruits, they swallow the entire seed and most of it stays intact through their digestive system. Then, many of them can be germinated when the animal defecates. In this way the Cock of the Rock develops an important role spreading the seeds of many different species of tropical trees and other species. Because the Cock of the Rock male spend their time in activities around the lek and the adult female around the nests, frequently the seeds are deposit in the leks and nests. For example around the leks in the Andean area of Peru it was found more than 35 different vegetal species. This lek was located at the top of a crag and this vegetation was remarkable different of the species founded in the bordering areas. While there was uniformity in the species of the area, in the lek, the vegetation was a mosaic of different communities.

The females build their nests in the front areas of the rocks, caves or clefts using mainly a mix of mud and saliva and some parts of plants. Inside it is cover with plant fiber.

No matter where the nest had been build, it will always have general characteristics like: it is near a course of water, there is darkness in the place, humidity. If these features are not considered the nest get dry and break apart when the mother sits down in it.

When the males are in the leks, they try to attract the females with strong noises, colorful and brilliant feathers and a great activity. Unfortunately this also attract the hunters like eagles, shrews, hawk, , snakes, etc.