The strange-looking Picathartes have lived in the Congo for 44 million years. Bald-headed birds that mate for life and breed in the rainy season, they build their nests out of mud on the underside of overhanging rocks on a cliff or cave roof to stay dry. This has also earned them the alternative name of rockfowls.
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The ground-loving birds have intriguing ways of working together and both male and female birds build their nests, incubate the eggs and forage for food together.
Male and female birds take turns to sit on their eggs over the course of three weeks - 12 hours on, 12 hours off.
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They are accomplished hunters, and will feed on insects and invertebrates from the forest floor and beyond. In this video David Attenborough explains how the male bird reaffirms their connection with an alluring display and the duo work together to protect their young,
The birds are marked as vulnerable on the the IUCN Red List of threatened species, because Picathartes’ habitat is rapidly disappearing.
Top image: Neil Bowman via Getty
