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| Family
Trogonidae |
Resplendant Quetzal
(Pharomachrus
mocinno)
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| Diet
& Food |
What do Quetzals eat?
The quetzal is a frugivore, and feasts on
the "aguacatillo". This is
similar to a miniature avocado,
of the laurel family. This is a great
example of symbiosis, because the
aguacatillo
needs the quetzal to spread its seeds.
Quetzals follow the seasonal
fruiting
of different laurel species, so you can time
your visit to this season.
If
you are here at this time, you can easily
find them during their
feeding hours,
which are practically fixed.
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| Habitat
and Mating |
Where do Quetzals live?
The quetzal is endangered due to loss of its
cloud-forest home,
especially the lower
forests, where families descend during March
through June breeding
season. This
is the best time to see the males showing
off their tail plumes, their
peculiar
mating dance. They spiral skywards, then
suddenly plummet, diving with
their
tail feathers rippling behind.
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Education |
Literature
&
eBooks
Children's Classic Literature by Twain,
Bronte, Fitzgerald, Hawthorne,
Thoreau and more.
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Quetzals in the Rainforest
The
quetzal (resplendent trogon) is one of the most
prized species for bird
watchers
who come to Costa Rica. The bird's coloring is truly
awesome, a vivid
green
that bursts into flame in direct sunlight, changing
from emerald, to
golden,
to iridescent green. The tail plumes can be up to 24
inches long.
The bird is so elusive that early European
naturalists believed the
quetzal
was a fable invented by the natives. In 1861, an
English naturalist,
Osbert
Salvin was the first European to record observing a
quetzal. He
pronounced
it "unequaled for splendour among the birds of the
New World," and then
shot
it. Soon colorful quetzal feathers were all the rage
in Europe,
especially
as decorations on European ladies' fashionable hats. § continued
below ...
Populations and Habitat
This was
nothing new for the poor quetzal, who had a long
history as a
fashionable
decorative element for humans. The Aztecs worshiped
Quetzalcoatl, the
Plumed
Serpent, and depicted him with a headdress of
quetzal feathers. The
Mayans
considered the male's tail feathers worth more than
gold, and hunting
the
sacred bird was a capital crime. Quetzal plumes were
the Mayans' most
precious
objects, along with jade. Archaeologists believe
that only Mayan
priests
and nobility could wear quetzal plumes, as a symbol
of authority.
For birdwatching, the quetzal is most easily seen in
Costa Rica. It is
protected in these national parks and reserves: Braulio Carrillo, Poás, Chirripó, La Amistad, Monteverde and Los
Angeles. It has a
1,000-mile range from southern Mexico to western
Panama. §
The resplendant quetzal is listed on the CITES
endangered
species list as "near threatened". It is possibly
facing the risk of
extinction
in the wild due to loss of habitat and degradation
of the montane
cloudforests
and its primary food, the aguacatillo. §
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