Common name: Resplendent Quetzal

Type: Bird

Family: Trogonidae

Range: When you consider about the range of Resplendent Quetzal, it normally occurs in the cloud forests available in the Central America from Southern Mexico to Panama including Costa Rica.

Size: If you go through the size of Resplendent Quetzal, it normally has the length of 36 to 40 cm along with the 65 cm tail streamer for the male. The weight of the bird is about 210 grams.

Diet: These birds are normally treated as the fruit-eaters with special characters. They also mix out their diet along with the insects including larvae, wasps and ants, lizards and frogs for getting other minerals. Mainly they prefer with the wild avocados along with the laurel family fruits, which would probably be swallowed out whole before the pits have been regurgitated in order to disperse the trees in a better manner.

Average lifespan: Resplendent Quetzal has the average lifespan of 3 to 10 years and some species have it as 3 to 5 years
Habitat: When you go through the habitats of this species, it is normally treated as weaker fliers. Predators of this bird include owls, Ornate, Hawk-Eagle and the adults as squirrels, Emerald Toucanets, Long-tailed Weasel, and brown Jays along with the Kinkajou eggs or nestlings in a better way.

Breeding/Reproduction: These birds normally prefer to live alone when they are not breeding. They are monogamous territorial and seasonal breeders. The territory size of these birds differ with the different breeding season depending on the range. When you consider about the Central American ranges including Costa Rica and Mexico, the breeding season would be March to April. In the case of EI Salvador range, the bird would go through the mating between May to June and also March to May in the Guatemala region.

During the breeding, normally female Resplendent Quetzal lays two eggs in the color of pale blue in the nest, which has been placed in a hole that too in the rotten tree where they made carve. The incubation period of this bird is about 18 days and both genders would probably share the incubation process. Generally the male bird incubates the egg in the daytime and female incubates at nighttime.

After hatching of eggs, both parents would take care of the young in order to feed with small frogs, fruit, lizards, berries and insects. At the end of rearing period, the female bird doesn’t allow the young near it and it probably neglects and leaves the young to a male bird for continuing care at the time of offspring. The male needs to take responsibility to take care of young one until they survive on their own.

Resplendent Quetzal is another beautiful bird of Costa Rica. It is tremendously attractive to viewers. When sitting on trees, it brings riveting to eyes views to viewers. People from around the world like to see this bird in natural places. Having the presence of the Resplendent Quetzal in natural places makes people realize that they are in a very beautiful world.

In Costa Rica, you can find Resplendent Quetzal in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Chirripo National Park, Juan Castro Bianco National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forrest Reserve, Poas Volcano National Park and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Presence of Resplendent Quetzal amplifies the attractiveness of these beautiful national parks.

Voice of Resplendent Quetzal is very melodious; you can hear its sounds from far. When Resplendent Quetzals fly, their green color blends with green leaves. Therefore, it takes harder concentration to spot them when they are flying within the height of trees. Children love to see Resplendent Quetzal. They become very happy when they see these beautiful birds in natural scenery. Sounds of Resplendent Quetzals make children very happy also. They like to have views of Resplendent Quetzal and like to have fun. However, you must have attendant when you have children along with you. Cost Rica is filled with dangerous species also.

When you consider about the birds available in the order of the Trogon, Resplendent Quetzal is normally treated as the largest representative. The subspecies of this bird are slightly smaller, which has the tail plumes as shorter and narrower one. This bird is available with the green colored body that would probably reflect from green-gold to blue-violet in the case of iridescence along with the red colored breast. Tails of these birds are normally hidden by the green upper tail coverts and it is generally being splendid one in breeding males and it is longer compared to other parts of the body. The fringe appearance of Resplendent Quetzal has got through the usual primary wing coverts. A male bird has the crest in the shape of the helmet along with the matured yellow bill, which is covered with the green color filamentous feathers. The female bird has the bill in the color of black.

It has the skin as easily torn and very thin one hence the protection has been got through the thick plumage of it. In order to get adapted easily with the dim light available in the forest home, this bird has large eyes those are normally like the Trojan family birds. It produces the singing sound as kyow or related to whimpering pup and it would probably be repeated in the case of pairs. These birds also have the unmusical sound to interact with other birds.

Resplendent Quetzal is treated as the one with divinity since it is associated with the snake god Quetzalcoatl according to the civilizations of Columbian Mesoamerican. The symbol of spring plant growth has been got through the iridescent green tail feathers, which is normally venerated along with the ancient Maya and Aztecs who treated this bird as the god of the air that would probably the symbol of light and goodness. This is because the rulers and some nobility of other ranks related to Mesoamerican have been designed with the help of Quetzal feathers in order to connect it with the Quetzalcoatl. Since it is normally treated as the crime to kill out the bird, for making out the rulers the bird is captured to pluck the feathers and set free. It is usually depicted with grey colored hair in the case of the god of wind description and also represented as sacred, erected and precious one in most of the Mesoamerican languages.

When you consider about the breeding, it normally doesn’t prefer to go along with. It has been noticed that in captivity, it preferred to kill itself in the case of captured or caged. Because of this reason, Resplendent Quetzal is treated as the traditional symbol of liberty. But, there was a zoo in Mexico that kept this bird in captivity and announced it as the one suitable for captivity in reliable and efficient circumstances.

Since the trees may be suspected to get damaged because of weather conditions, the population of the Resplendent Quetzal could be limited to available trees those are suitable one. During the incubation period, parents would probably fold out the egg with the help of the long tail-covert feathers.

When you visit Costa Rica you can see these birds in zoos and along sides of its forests.