Colophon

The image on the cover of Designing Web Interfaces is a Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola). Easily identified by the distinctive half-moon crest on its head, this bird is native to mountainous regions in northern South America, spanning the countries of Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Colombia, Venezuela, and Amazonian Brazil. Mainly fruit eaters, Guianan cocks-of-the-rock pass whole seeds through their digestive systems, thereby contributing to tree and plant diversity in the lowland forests they inhabit.

Adult cocks-of-the-rock reach heights of eight inches and have stout, round bodies. Males are typically smaller than females and have bright orange plumage with black and white accents, whereas the females are a muted brown. The males take advantage of their bright plumage to attract females as part of their elaborate mating ritual, during which they gather in a lek, spread their wings, strut, ruffle their tail feathers, and issue a series of unique calls. The birds are polygamous; successful males will mate with many females during breeding season. Females build cup-shaped nests for their eggs out of clay and plant matter inside cliff cavities or along rock faces, and they raise their chicks alone.

In the early 20th century, hunters trapped Guianan cocks-of-the-rock and sold them as pets. Today, the birds are popular among bird watchers, eco tourists, and fly fishermen (who use the colorful feathers to make fishing flies). Additionally, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, with its prominent “mohawk” and vibrant plumage, has been featured on tourism brochures and stamps for several of the countries it inhabits. Although native tribes still hunt the birds for feathers and food, the species is not threatened or at risk of extinction.

The cover image is from Johnson’s Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro, and the heading and note font is Adobe Myriad Pro Condensed.