This magnificent bird is present in the Western, Central & Eastern Andes, favoring steep forested canyons where they use rocky cliffs for nesting. Frugivorous, they sally for fruits like trogons due. Gregarious, polygamous males gather at specific spots in forest (called leks), displaying with audible calls and short to medium flights, moving up and down the trees.

Males carry a permanently erect crest that nearly covers the bill, females have a smaller crest and are entirely brownish. Males of the Western Andes subspecies (R. p. sanguinolenta, this picture) are deep scarlet red, whereas males of the Central & Western Andes subspecies are more orange red.

A gorgeous lek can be seen in the outskirts of Jardín (Antioquia). Pairs can be seen in Otún-Quimbaya Sanctuary wandering through the forest.