DANCING IN THE DARK

The long-wattled umbrellabird always eluded the limelight, until one photographer succeeded in bringing this striking avian out of the shadows

- MURRAY COOPER

ENDEMIC TO THE CHOCÓ RAINFOREST OF Ecuador and Colombia, the male long-wattled umbrellabird is without a doubt among the most extravagant-looking birds of the neotropics. This handsome, black-feathered species looks most impressive during the mating season from November to February when his outlandish, Elvis-like hairdo expands over his beak, and his extraordinary wattle - resembling a phallic necktie - swells to twice its normal size.

Given its legendary looks, you may wonder why the umbrellabird has managed to evade the limelight for so long. It has never been photographed properly before and this has a lot to do with the hours it keeps, and the dark, dangerous neighbourhood in which it lives.

I first learned about the long-wattled umbrellabird in 1991, when I left South Africa for Ecuador and took up the job of creating the 21,000-acre Los Cedros Reserve in Ecuador's north-western Chocó. Thumbing through my bird guide, I chanced across a -reference to this mysterious bird and its ostentatious courtship display and decided it had to be seen to be believed.

It wasn't until 2001, however, that I actually set eyes on the species, having joined a scientist who had located a nest in the southern stretch of the Chocó, and needed images for his research paper. I'll never forget the thrill of being one of the first photographers to witness the first officially described nest of the long-wattled umbrellabird, complete with resident female.

One afternoon, returning to camp after a day at the nest, I stumbled across a male perched in plain view and managed to snap a few shots. They were not good enough to be publishable, but it was a serious 'eureka moment' nonetheless. I knew then that photographing this charismatic species and its flamboyant courtship ritual would become my life's mission.