Deep in the Amazon lives an orange ghost.
It is called the cock-of-the-rock, although in Brazil they know it as Galo-da-serra, and its intense plumage, together with that fan-shaped crest, makes it look as though it had been taken from a painting. The males display all the color; the females, by contrast, are understated and camouflage themselves among the rocks where they nest.
When the breeding season arrives, dozens of males gather in areas called ‘leks’ to compete for the females’ attention. They leap between branches, spread their wings, and make strange sounds for hours, in a choreography so complex that researchers spend entire years just to see it once. It lives hidden among the cliffs and humid forests of the Amazon, and its role in dispersing seeds keeps alive the rainforest that conceals it.
