cock-of-the-rock

[ kok-uhv-thuh-rok ]

noun

, plural cocks-of-the-rock.

1. 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

noun

1. either of two tropical South American birds, Rupicola rupicola or R. peruviana, having an erectile crest and (in the male) a brilliant red or orange plumage: family Cotingidae (cotingas)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cock-of-the-rock¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Photograph: Andean Cock-of-the-rock/Flip De Nooyer/ Foto Natura / Mi Climate change poses a unique difficulty to biologists as they have to cut through several layers of uncertainty to understand how biodiversity might respond in 10, 20 or even 100 years.

From The Guardian

More than 300 different birds have been recorded at the lodge,from the glorious, glistening green Tanager to the scarlet Cock-of-the-rock and the delicate and unforgettable violet-tailed Sylph hummingbird, flitting in and out of the hanging vines and countless varieties of rambling orchids.

From Time

This was a nest of the Cock-of-the-Rock, containing two eggs; it was built upon a projecting piece, the body being made of mud or clay, then a few sticks, and on the top lined with green moss.

From Project Gutenberg

I once went to see the breeding place of the Cock-of-the-Rock; and a darker or wilder place I have never been in.

From Project Gutenberg

The other, Basilornis celebensis, is a blue-black bird with a white patch on each side of the breast, and the head ornamented with a beautiful compressed scaly crest of feathers, resembling in form that of the well-known Cock-of-the-rock of South America.

From Project Gutenberg