The female's plumage is brownish/dark smokey grey in colour, and generally less noticeable than the males because of their nesting work in rocky areas.

The Guianan cock-of-the-rock breeds in the early months of the year and, on average, the female lays her eggs around March.

During the height of the mating season, males engage in competitive displays in the lek, which is a complex courting behaviour that is done to attract females.

The mating success varies based on multiple factors, ranging from the plumage exhibited by a male to the composition of the lek itself.

The less conspicuous female is dark brownish-grey overall and has a yellow-tipped black bill, a duller orange iris, and a smaller crest.

Its closest relative and congener, the Andean cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus), is similar in body shape and colouration,[3] though the two are wholly allopatric from each other.

They make their characteristic marking by clearing out debris from the ground, including twigs, leaves, and pellets.

[6] The diet of the adult Guianan cock-of-the-rock consists mainly of fruits meaning they are frugivorous.

[7] In British Guiana, E. Thomas Gilliard found papayas growing at the base of a huge rock.

[7] By selectively feeding on nearby fruit trees and then defecating or regurgitating the seeds within the leks, these birds can actively influence the regeneration and succession of the forest habitat where they breed.

[9] Guianan cocks-of-the-rock breed early in the year, and the females lay their eggs around March, nesting in rocky areas.

[5][11] Mating success is dependent on a variety of factors that range from the plumage exhibited by a male to the composition of the lek itself.

In one study, the female Guianan cocks-of-the-rock displayed sexual selection based on sequential comparisons or threshold standards.

The hens engaged in a "pool–comparison" tactic, meaning that females chose males of higher rank in courtship.

[3] Unlike other species of the family Cotingidae, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock makes its nest on rocky cliff faces and caves rather than in the trees.

[6] The female lays one or two eggs in the nest of mud and plant material, which is attached by saliva to a vertical rock.

The ideal nesting sites for this species are usually located in a cave or vertical rock face with crevices that provide some shelter and protection from the elements.

The nests themselves are solid moldings formed from mud and plant material deposited into the crevices.

These displays take place in communal leks, where 40 or more males may gather to challenge rivals and beckon to the females.

[12][13] The displaying male purposely contrasts himself from the forest, shows his crest and plumage so much that the bill and tail become obscured; almost making him difficult to recognize as a bird, to attract females.

The males have a variety of calls and movements, showing off the crest, elongated filaments on the rump, secondary feathers, and the snapping of their bills.

In this strong system of sexual selection, the successive breeding of dominant and aggressive males leads to high sex drives and the endurance of polygyny.

[18][19] One possible advantage to lek formation (in Guianan cock-of-the-rock and other species) is severe selection and consequent rapid evolutionary advancement, all of which is possible due to the high expendability of males.

This bright colouration provides a sexual advantage for adult males, increasing their likelihood of successfully mating.

The result is rapid evolutionary selection within the species for brighter plumage and more conspicuous behaviour patterns in the males.

[20] Fairly common in its large range, and with its population stable, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a Least Concern on its red list of threatened species.