Animalia Life

Pharomachrus mocinno
SUBFAMILY
Trogoninae
TAXONOMY
Pharomachrus mocinno de la Lave, 1832, Guatemala and Chiapas. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Coasta Rican quetzal, northern quetzal, magnificent quetzal; French: Quetzal resplendissant; German: Quetzal; Spanish: Quetzal Guatemalteco, Quetzal Centroamericano.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
14.2–15.7 in (36–40 cm), with 25.6–in (65 cm) tail-streamers, 6.2–7.3 oz (180–210 g). Head, chest upperparts, and elongate greater coverts brilliant gold-green iridescing to bluish, flight feathers blackish, lower breast and undertail-coverts red, undertail white, yellow bill. Filamentous feathers give head bristling appearance.
DISTRIBUTION
Discontinuous through Central America, from southern Mexico to western Panama.
HABITAT
Cloud forests, forest edges.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial. Males engage in flight displays during breeding season.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Sally-gleans fruit, insects, small reptiles and amphibians. Primarily frugivorous.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds March through June over range; nests in deep cavity in decaying tree stumps often high above ground; lays one to two eggs, incubates 17–19 days, fledges in 23–31 days. High chick mortality.
CONSERVATION STATUS
IUCN Near Threatened species. Threatened locally by poaching and habitat disturbance.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Revered by Maya and Aztecs of Central America; plumes used for decoration well into the twentieth century; very popular birdwatching target.

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