Andean ‘cock-of-the-rock’ has a bad hair day
An Andean cock-of-the-rock, Peru’s national bird, was pictured diving toward the camera as it chased another male through a bird park in Singapore.
Its bright orange plumage and dramatic crest, sported by males of the species, was left looking uncharacteristically unkempt after heavy rainfall at Bird Paradise park in Mandai.
The Tunki, as it’s known in the indigenous Quechuan language, is found in the wild only in the tropical cloud forests of the northern Andes mountains.
Despite its name, the cock-of-the-rock is not a type of rooster at all, but actually a fruit-eating cotinga that spends its time perched on cliff tops and flying through ravines, earning at least the “rock” component of its moniker.
Frankie Low, 55, a hobbyist photographer from Singapore, said: “It was raining heavily and that’s why it got ‘bad hair’ that day. After the rain stopped, he was chasing another male around.”
Mr Low added that he had always wanted to photograph the bird, but as wild specimens only live in South America, visiting the park offered the best chance of getting the shot.
