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190 Featured Specimen
Resplendent quetzal

Details

Resplendent quetzal

Pharomachrus mocinno

Size
Wingspan 0.6–1 m · 180–220 g
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Pair
Lifespan
8-25 years

The resplendent quetzal is a vivid bird of Central American cloud forest. Diurnal pairs use fruit-rich forest canopies.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It favors humid montane and cloud forest, especially where wild avocado relatives fruit. Soft decaying trunks are needed for nesting cavities.

Appearance

Wingspan is about 64-100 cm and weight about 180-220 g. Males have metallic green plumage, a red belly, and very long upper tail coverts; females are plainer.

Behavior

Active by day, it moves quietly from midstory to canopy. Short flights carry it to fruiting trees, and pairs hold breeding areas.

Feeding

It is omnivorous but eats many fruits. It also takes insects and small animals, while dispersing seeds of swallowed fruit.

Reproduction

Pairs enlarge holes in decaying trees and share incubation and feeding. The male's long plumes may hang outside the cavity.

Notes

Its status is listed as Near Threatened. Loss and fragmentation of cloud forest are key concerns, making connected montane forest important.