Andean cock-of-the-rock reverse competition, La Isla Escondida, Colombia
Last year, during our 2017 Colombia trip, the Andean cock-of-the-rock was a target bird. At La Isla Escondida, they are common. They can be found around the lodge each day and are easy to find due to them being obnoxiously loud. Unfortunately, they are at canopy level so as the photo shows, a good shit is nearly impossible.
The interesting thing of this observation is that it concern two females (center) and one male (red smudge at the right). This bird is normally spoken of in gatherings where you have a single female with a dozen or so males competing in a lek. As such, it was strange to find this reversed situation. The male continued to squawk and headbang like a maniac regardless, even with no competition around.
The Andean cock-of-the-rock is a medium-sized passerine bird of the Cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. It has four subspecies and its closest relative is the Guianan cock-of-the-rock.
