We’ve seen boobies and tits. Now, it’s time for cocks

Tall, dark and handsome? It’s time to look at some South American cocks

Many of us may be familiar with the colloquial term for a male chicken, or a rooster: they’re called cocks.

Image credit: Henny and Roo blog. Did you know? A rooster's crow averages more than 130 decibels. That's about the same intensity as standing 15 meters away from a jet plane taking off! When a rooster's beak is fully open, as it is when crowing, a quarter of the ear canal completely closes and soft tissue covers 50% of the eardrum - which protects them from hearing loss caused by their own defeaning crows!

English words have some seriously cool etymological roots. Follow them far back enough, and you can see history all tangled up in a few short syllables.

“Rooster" was originally shorthand for "roosting bird”. The word “hen" started out as the feminine version of the Old English word for a rooster, hana. And hana itself came from West Germanic, which called the male chicken a khannjo: literally, "bird who sings for sunrise.”

As for the word “cock” - there’s no clear link to any old language for this. Only the French call their birds something similar (coq). There are theories that the birds were named after the clucking sounds they made, and their morning "cock-a-doodle doo"!

(I know this is all quite boring, and that you’re itching to see pictures of some beautiful cocks instead!)

He’s a show-er: Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

One of my favourite birds in the whole world: the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock!!! Not only are they beautiful with their striking orange colouring, they are completely unforgettable for their mating rituals. Oh - and you’ve got to love their name!

Image credit: eBird. The Andean cock-of-the-rock exhibits marked sexual dimorphism; the male has a large disk-like crest and scarlet or brilliant orange plumage, while the female is significantly darker and browner.

Brilliant orange-red plumage extends over its head and nape and down the chest, with a grey back and black tail and wing feathers. In contrast, the female is a darker, less colourful bird though it has the same general colour patterns. Both have strong claws and legs.

Image credit: eBird. A female Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. After mating, the female bird makes a nest under a rocky overhang, incubates the eggs, and rears the young by herself.

They are the national bird of Peru, and can be found in the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Cock of the WHAT?

These birds probably get their name because of their resemblance to roosters. (Or maybe the first guy who named these birds had a bright orange pee-pee himself!) But they’re called ‘of the rock’ because of their habit of nesting near rocky cliffs and ravines.

There’s only two types of people in the world: those who entertain, and those who observe.

Well, readers, Cocks are a put-on-a-show kind of guy!

The easiest way to spot the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock is to look for them during mating season. During this time, 40- 50 males will congregate in a ‘lek’ - an assembly area of sorts - and begin SHAKING THEIR THING!

Once a group of males gathers, male Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks break up into pairs or small groups, and begin confronting each other in a dance battle. These confrontational displays feature bowing, wing-flapping, head-bobbing, bill-snapping, and bizarre squeaking and grunting calls.

Image credit: Peter Eriksson. A group of three male birds congregate and begin their mating ritual.

When the female approaches, the males redouble their efforts and really shimmy to the beat. I’ve never seen this display in real life, but it’s said to turn into an unforgettable cacophony of bright colours, frenzied activities, and strange sounds.

The females make cup shaped nests from mud on rocks and ledges, and lay two eggs, while males are not involved in nest building and incubation. (They go off and practice their dance moves one before next year’s dance battle!)

Andean men not your thing? Try Guianan

Slightly to the East of the Andes, we have another subspecies of Cock-of-the-Rocks: the Guianan version.

Image credit: eBird. The Guinean and Andean birds are closely related to each other, and are two species within the genus Rupicola. (The genus name Rupicola is New Latin for "cliff-dweller” and refers to their love for rocks!)

By the way, these cocks get up to an impressive size. Slightly smaller than the Andean cock-of-the rocks, adult Guianan Cocks-of-the Rocks grow to be slightly smaller than their Andean counterparts; by measure in at around 12 inches or less (30 cm) in length.

Like their Andean brothers, the Guianan birds are polygamous. After a successful dance battle, males will mate with many females during the breeding season.

Image credit: Biographic. Two male Guinean Cock-of-the-Rocks battle it out for the right to mate with a groovy gal.

Females then raise the chicks without any assistance from the males. But, females do often choose nesting sites near the males’ leks, and it is not unusual for several females to build their nests in groups: ready to raise another generation of brilliantly orange, confidently groovy cocks.

Image credit: eBird. A close-up of the Guinean bird’s face. They are one of the most iconic birds of the Andes and are easily found in cloud forest at middle elevations, most often at a dawn display site where males make piglike squeals and jump and dance for females.

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post as much as I enjoyed writing it! See you in next week’s post!