Quetzal

The name “quetzal” is usually taken to mean the “resplendent quetzal” (Pharomachrus mocinno) although there are four other members of the Pharomachrus genus. The quetzal belongs to the Trogonidae family of tropical birds.

The quetzal is found from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and is particularly associated with Guatemala, where it is the national bird and features on the state seal. The national currency of the country is the quetzal, in honour of the bird.

The ancient inhabitants of the region, the Aztecs and the Mayas, worshipped the quetzal as the god of the air, which is slightly strange as the quetzal is not a very strong flier. The quetzal’s plumes were highly prized, but the birds were not killed for them, being allowed to escape once the plumes were plucked so that they could grow another set. For the Mayas, the quetzal’s plumes formed part of their representation of Quetzalcoatl (“the plumed serpent”), their chief god. As mentioned above, the quetzal is still respected by modern Guatemalans, who regard it as a symbol of freedom and refuse to keep specimens in captivity.

Appearance

The quetzal measures about 14 inches from bill to tail tip, but in breeding males the upper tail feathers grow into long, shimmering green plumes, the two central ones being up to two feet long. The bird’s plumage is spectacular even without the plumes, being iridescent bronze-green in colour with red and white underparts. The short bill is yellow in males and black in females, and the head feathers of the male rise in a crest. The eyes are relatively large, as befits a forest bird that spends much of its time in shady places.

The name “quetzal” derives from an Aztec word for “tall plume”.

Breeding

Quetzals, like all trogons, nest in holes in trees, choosing well-rotted wood to make the task of excavation easier. The usual clutch is two eggs, sometimes more, which both partners incubate for up to 18 days, the general pattern being that the male quetzal incubates during the day and the female at night. When the male quetzal enters the nest he folds his plumes above his back and head, so that they wave in the breeze like fern fronds.

Both birds feed the nestlings, although the male quetzal gradually does more of the feeding as the young birds approach the time when they fledge, which is at around 23 days after hatching.

Quetzals feed mainly on fruit but not exclusively so, as insects, frogs and lizards also form part of the diet.


Conservation

Despite this degree of respect and reverence for a spectacularly beautiful bird, the quetzal is threatened as a species, being on the red list maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This is due to threats in the region to the rain forest that is the quetzal’s home.

© John Welford