Andean cock-of-the-rock - stare intensifies, Jardin, Colombia

This is Henriette's favorite bird so we went to a place that gives really good odds of seeing them: the cock-of-the-rock reserve in Jardin. This reserve is simply a large forested garden operated by a nice old lady. There are no fences or nets, so the birds chose to be here. On any given day, you can see as little as 1 or as many as 30 cock-of-the-rocks. Almost all are males which are known for their loud and extravagant courtship displays.



I think we saw about 8 males, and no females. It's a very fun, loud and entertaining sight to see these males go nuts. They are constantly head-banging and loudly calling. They are of course all known for their appearance, in particular the disc-like crest that gives the illusion of the bird having a protruded head, and no beak. I'll be sharing many shots, get ready for lots of RED!















