[kok-uh
v-thuh-rok] 
| a brilliant orange-red bird of the genus Rupicola, of northern South America, having an erect crest that conceals the bill. |
| cock-of-the-rock (kŏk'əv-thə-rŏk') n. pl. cocks-of-the-rock Either of two South American birds (Rupicola rupicola or R. peruviana) having a distinctive crest and bright-orange or reddish plumage in the male. [From its habit of nesting on rocks.] |
cock-of-the-rock
either of two species of brilliantly coloured birds of tropical South America, usually included in the family Cotingidae (q.v.; order Passeriformes) but sometimes placed in a family of their own, Rupicolidae. They are noted for the males' flattened circular crest extending over the bill. During much of the year, males display in open glades near the forest floor, maintaining and defending communal display areas. Much of the individual display consists of static posturing, interspersed with stylized eye-catching movements, especially when the display arena is visited by a female. The plain-brown female builds the nest of plant materials plastered with mud against a rock wall, usually in a cave.
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