seen from Germany
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Czechia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
I'd like to see the resplendent quetzal? (Pharomachrus mocinno)
Have you seen the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)?
I have now
Yes, in photos/videos
Yes, irl
I'm not sure
The first photo is of a male, the second is of a female.
Quetzal | Earth Odyssey: Up, Up, And Away!
QUETZALS / 2024
Resplendent Quetzal
The national bird of Guatemala. They are currently classified as endangered or near threatened by various sites due to habitat destruction.
Taxonomy Tournament: Birds
Trogoniformes. This order is made up of trogons and quetzals, colourful and reclusive tropical birds
Piciformes. This order is made up of woodpeckers, which bore holes in trees to reach insect prey within.
Which clade of animals is better?
Trogoniformes
Piciformes
Show results
Happy Feathursday!
Resplendent quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno) are the emerald jewels of the Central American forests. Often considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world, these iridescent bright green quetzals were revered in Aztec and Mayan cultures. They are the national animal of Guatemala, and a male with its iconic tail feathers appears on the Guatemalan flag.
SciArt by John Gould and William Hart for Gould's Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons, Pt. 3 (1875). View more in the Biodiversity Heritage Library with thanks to the Ernst Mayr Library of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for digitizing.
From The Rain Forest, 1990. Illustrated by Bob Masheris.
Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Don’t believe you eyes-- this bird is actually brown! The resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, has a very unique up its feathers that give it its shimmering green appearance. Up close, the feathers are translucent or dark brown. Inter spaced with these are microscopic stripes of melanin, a pigment that in humans causes the skin to darken. For the quetzal this pigment traps light and reflects the color green, making it appear to our eyes as a resplendent emerald.
(Image: A male resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) showing off his feathers by Kathy Adams Clark)
If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!
