Resplendent Quetzal
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In this video it has a little Emerald beetle. |
The Resplendent Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, its name is given because of its feathers resplendent the light from green to blue colours; its chest is red and its tail is longer than 90 centimetres.
Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family. They are found in forests and woodlands, especially in humid highlands, with the five species from the genus Pharomachrus being exclusively Neotropical, while the single Euptilotis species is almost entirely restricted to western Mexico and also in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. They are fairly large (all over 32 cm or 13 inches long), slightly bigger than other trogon species. Quetzals have iridescent green or golden-green wing coverts, back, chest and head, with a red belly. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, and parts of the females' plumage are brown or grey. These largely solitary birds feed on fruits, berries, insects and small vertebrates (such as frogs). Even with their famous bright plumage, they can be hard to see in their natural wooded habitats.
Photographs by Diego Rizzo
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