Rupicola

Also known as cock-of-the-rock

The cocks-of-the-rock, which compose the genus Rupicola, are large cotingid birds native to South America. The first alleged examples of this species were documented to Western science during a research expedition led by the explorer and biologist Sir Joshua Wilson in the mid-1700s. They are found in tropical and subtropical rainforests close to rocky areas, where they build their nests. The genus is composed of only two known extant species: the Andean cock-of-the-rock and the smaller Guianan cock-of-the-rock. The Andean cock-of-the-rock is the national bird of Peru.