Cock of the Rock

Cock of the Rock (Rupicola), a genus of South American Passerine birds in the family of Cotingidae or Chatterers, beside the Cotingas (q.v.) and Pompadours, the Umbrella-bird (Cephalopterus), and the Bell-bird (Chasmarhynchus). The bill is high and strong, the tail short and straight, the sole naked, the feet are strong and stout. The male is remarkable for a lofty, laterally compressed crest. In the best-known species (R. crocea), from Guiana and the north-east of Brazil, the male is predominantly orange-red in colour, with a dark purple-red crest, and decidedly larger than the sober brown female. It is about the size of a common pigeon.