Birds Posters
Quetzal
Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family.
The name quetzal is from Nahuatl quetzalli, large brilliant tail feather or tail coverts of the quetzal, from the Nahuatl root quetz
which means stand up used to refer to an upstanding plume of feathers.
The word quetzal was originally used for just the Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno, the famous long-tailed quetzal of Central America,
which is the national bird and also the name of the currency of Guatemala.
It still often refers to that bird specifically but now also names all the species of the genera Pharomachrus and Euptilotis.
The Eared Quetzal was first described by John Gould, the English ornithologist, in 1838.
Crested quetzals are found in the neotropics, in northern and western South America, including Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.
The Quetzal is a relatively inactive bird who lives among lush vegetation, in very moist rainforest zones.
They often choose high mountain ranges (4,000-10,00 ft.) that are cool. They live in the trees that form the canopy of the rainforest.
Pharomachrus mocino prefers to inhabit decaying trees, stumps, and sometimes old woodpecker hollows.
The biosterously loud colors of the quetzal are somewhat camouflaged by their natural habitat in the rainforest.
Pharomachrus auriceps also known as golden-headed quetzals live in moist mountainous forest areas ranging from 1,000 to 3,300 m elevation.
They seek out rotted, standing trees to excavate nest cavities. They prefer areas of dense vegetation to conceal the nesting cavity as well as themselves.
Golden-headed quetzals are recognized for their bright iridescent green body and wings.
They weigh between 154 and 182 g with a wingspan of 30 to 36 cm.