Resplendent Quetzal

Pharomachrus mocinno

eBird gives this description for the Resplendent Quetzal:  Large, spectacular trogon of humid evergreen and pine-evergreen forest in the mountains of southern Mexico and Central America. It is the national bird (and lends its name to the currency) of Guatemala. Usually rather shy, but can be found feeding quietly at fruiting trees. Male is unmistakable with long emerald plumes flowing out behind in flight or blowing in the wind when perched. On females, note large size, grayish head, gray bill, and greatly reduced jagged plumes on the side of the breast.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Resplendent Quetzal with this descriptive information:  Across time and cultures, the Resplendent Quetzal has been heralded for its great beauty. With an iridescent green sheen and uppertail covert feathers longer than its entire body, the bird has attracted much attention from pre-Columbian peoples, ornithologists, collectors, market hunters, and birders. Skutch (1944) described the male Resplendent Quetzal as “a supremely lovely bird; the most beautiful, all things considered, that I have ever seen. He owes his beauty to the intensity and arresting contrast of his coloration, the resplendent sheen and glitter of his plumage, the elegance of his ornamentation, the symmetry of his form, and the noble dignity of his carriage.”  While we know a great deal about the birds’ appearance, diet, behavior, nesting habits, and food provisioning to young, population estimates are out of date and we lack population trend data, which hampers a thorough understanding of the conservation needs of the species. Yet, this quetzal may be the most threatened of all trogonids and the tropical cloud forest that the bird depends on continues to decline, further threatening it. Conservation of this altitudinal migrants’ high and low elevation habitats, as well as connecting corridors, are called for.

I saw, and photographed, my first Resplendent Quetzal early on the morning of February 8, 2023.  I saw the bird at Casa Monge in the Savegre Valley of Costa Rica with a small tour group with Tropical Birding.  I was grateful to see and watch this amazing bird!