Resplendent quetzal

Appearance

This species is 36 to 40 cm long, plus up to 65 cm of tail streamer for the male, and weighs about 210 g . It is the largest representative of the trogon order. The subspecies ''costaricensis'' is slightly smaller than the nominate race and has shorter narrower tail plumes.

Resplendent quetzals have a green body and red breast. Their green upper tail coverts hide their tails and in breeding males are particularly splendid, being longer than the rest of the body. The primary wing coverts are also unusually long and give a fringed appearance. The male has a helmet-like crest. The bill, which is partly covered by green filamentous feathers, is yellow in mature males and black in females.

The skin of the quetzal is very thin and easily torn, so it has evolved thick plumage to protect its skin. Like other members of the trogon family, it has large eyes that adapt easily to the dim light of its forest home.

The "song" is a treble syllable described as ''kyow'' or like "a whimpering pup", often in pairs, which may be repeated monotonously. Resplendent quetzals have other unmusical calls as well.

Distribution

Their habitat is montane cloud forest from Southern Mexico to western Panama.

Status

The resplendent quetzal is classified as near threatened on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss.
However, it does occur in several protected areas throughout its range and is a sought after species for bird watchers and eco-tourists.

Behavior

Resplendent quetzals are weak fliers. Their known predators include the ornate hawk-eagle, golden eagle, and other hawks and owls as adults, emerald toucanets, brown jays, long-tailed weasels, squirrels, and the kinkajou as nestlings or eggs.

Habitat

Their habitat is montane cloud forest from Southern Mexico to western Panama.

Reproduction

Resplendent quetzals usually live alone when not breeding. They are monogamous territorial breeders, with the territory size being measured in Guatemala as 6–10 ha . They are also seasonal breeders, with the breeding season being March to April in Mexico, May to June in El Salvador and March to May in Guatemala. When breeding, females lay two pale blue eggs in a nest placed in a hole which they carve in a rotten tree. A tree in the required stage of decomposition is susceptible to weather damage, and the availability of suitable trees may limit the resplendent quetzal population.

Both parents take turns at incubating, with their long tail-covert feathers folded forwards over the back and out of the hole, where they tend to look like a bunch of fern growing out of the hole. The incubation period lasts about 18 days, during which the male generally incubates the eggs during the day while the female incubates them at night. When the eggs hatch, both parents take care of the young, feeding them fruit, berries, insects, lizards, and small frogs. However, the female often neglects and even abandons the young near the end of the rearing period, leaving it up to the male to continue caring for the offspring until they are ready to survive on their own.

Food

Resplendent quetzals are considered specialized fruit-eaters, although they mix their diet with insects , frogs and lizards. Particularly important are wild avocados and other fruit of the laurel family, which the birds swallow whole before regurgitating the pits, which helps to disperse these trees.