THE RESPLENDENT QUETZAL...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immortalised in myth and legend, across time and cultures, the Resplendent Quetzal has been heralded for its great beauty...


With an iridescent green sheen and uppertail covert feathers longer than its entire body,

the Quetzal has attracted attention from pre-Columbian peoples, ornithologists, collectors, market hunters, and birders alike.

 

Skutch (1944) described the male Resplendent Quetzal as "a supremely lovely bird; the most beautiful, all things considered, that I have ever seen. He owes his beauty to the intensity and arresting contrast of his coloration, the resplendent sheen and glitter of his plumage, the elegance of his ornamentation, the symmetry of his form, and the noble dignity of his carriage."