The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. It is also considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world. Both the male and the female are brightly colored. The male has a ruby red breast and an emerald green back and head and a long tail. The female has a brown or gray chest and a darker green head. Her back is a bright iridescent green — a little darker than the male. They can vary in color from green to a bluish purple.
• It is on the flag and the coat of arms of Guatemala.
• Quetzal is also the name of the local currency.
• Quetzal is the Aztec word for “tall upstanding plume.”
• They are smaller birds, only 14-16 inches long.
• The large tail of the male can grow up to three feet long, which is much longer than their bodies.
• They are not very strong flyers.
• Their diet is usually fruit like wild avocados, but they also eat insects, frogs and lizards.
• They usually live alone.
• The female lays her eggs in rotting trees.
• She lays two or three eggs at a time.
• The male and female take turns caring for the eggs.
• It is difficult to determine the conservation needs of this bird because they are solitary and difficult
to count.
• Poaching and habitat destruction are threats to the resplendent quetzal.
• They only live in the mountainous forests of Central America.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Trogoniformes
Family:Trogonidae
Genus: Pharomachrus
Species: P. mocinno
The quetzal was very important in ancient Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztec and Mayan cultures. The green feathers were symbols of growth, wealth and freedom. The birds were thought to be the gods of the air. They were so important that they were illegal to kill or to keep captive. Rulers and nobility would capture the birds, take a few feathers for their headdresses and then let the birds go. Wearing the feathers would connect the rulers to the bird.
For more information visit: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=284856,
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/quetzal/, http://www.rainforestanimals.net/rainforestanimal/resplendentquetzal.html
