Resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) images and facts - this stock photo gallery showcases the brilliant, iridescent colors of the resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala. Enjoy views of the quetzal from a variety of angles and positions, especially in their elevated homes amongst canopy trees. The resplendent quetzal’s range stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, to the western point of Panama in montane cloud forests. The resplendent quetzal has a green body and a red...
more »Resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) images and facts - this stock photo gallery showcases the brilliant, iridescent colors of the resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala. Enjoy views of the quetzal from a variety of angles and positions, especially in their elevated homes amongst canopy trees. The resplendent quetzal’s range stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, to the western point of Panama in montane cloud forests. The resplendent quetzal has a green body and a red chest, with iridescence in green-gold and violet-blue. The colors visible is highly variable depending on the light and angle of observation, but their plumage colors generally ranges between green, cobalt, light green, and yellow. Their iridescence serves the purpose of camouflaging themselves in the spotted lighting of the canopy trees in their rainforest environment.
Conservation status: Near Threatened
Scientific Classification | Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Aves > Order: Trogoniformes > Family: Trogonidae > Genus: Pharomachrus
Binominal name | Pharomachrus mocinno
Subspecies | P. m. costaricensis, P. m. mocinno
Their bills are yellow in adult males and black in females, and males have a crest of feathers on the tops of their heads. Both males and females have large eyes, which aid them with seeing in the dim light of the shaded canopy trees, and they have thick plumage that protects their thin skin. The body of resplendent quetzal is only 14-16 inches long, but males sometimes add an additional 26 inches of length due to their long, eye-catching tails. They only weigh 7-8 ounces.
The resplendent quetzal is important to Mesoamerican mythology and history in multiple different cultures, and in Guatemala, it is not only the national bird but also has its image on their flag and coat of arms. To Pre-Columbian Mesoamericans, the quetzal was seen as a divine being and was considered the “God of air” by Aztecs and Mayans, and is associated with the snake God Quetzalcoatl. Today, it remains a symbol of divinity, freedom, wealth, and goodness.
The resplendent quetzal courts with mates in the air with specific calls and make their nests over 200 feet high, laying two eggs in self made holes carved in rotted trees. They are monogamous breeders, and the mother and father will take turns presiding over the nest. After the 18 day incubation period has ended, both parents take turns feeding the fledglings, as well.
Resplendent quetzals are mainly fruit eaters, although they also eat insects, lizards, and small frogs. Unfortunately, they often falls victim to large birds of prey. In addition, habitat loss has had a devastating impact on quetzal populations, and they have a 70% nest failure rate. For these reasons, the IUCN lists the resplendent quetzal as Near Threatened.
« less
