Resplendent Quetzal
Photo Courtesy of Wix Images
The majestic Resplendent Quetzal is an elusive and endangered species that inhabits the cloud forests of central Latin America. Donning their extravagant iridescent feathers of emerald and cobalt, bright scarlet breasts and delicate lime-coloured heads with small yellow beaks, these magnificent birds are correlated with the Toltec God Quetzalcoatl (Kukulkan to the Maya), or "feather-plumbed serpent god," which remains a powerful force among indigenous groups of Mexico and Mayab. Quetzals were so deeply revered among the ancients, a death-sentence was the consequence for anyone guilty of killing one.
With flowing tail feathers that can measure up to 3 feet (1 meter) long during mating season, male Quetzals were especially cherished by the ancients of Mesoamerica. The Toltec and Maya understood the need of Quetzals to enjoy their freedom; therefore, Quetzals were never held as captives, nor were their feathers plucked from them as previously thought. Studies on Moctezuma's controversial headdress (which is housed in Austria) have indicated the feathers were collected from the forest after being naturally shed. These fantastic plumes were so exotic and desirable among cultures spanning Mesoamerica and Oasisamerica, they were traded as far north as Chaco Canyon, where archaeologists have even recovered a few Quetzal skeletons.
Roadrunner was robbed of his colourful coat
Photographer Unknown (Wikipedia)
According to one legend (sourced online), Quetzal tricked Roadrunner into an unfair competition, bargaining for his beautiful feathers. Roadrunner lost, and Quetzal procured a brand new luxurious coat and ascended as King of the Forest. It's rather humorous to compare the two images above, with that story in mind!
In another legend (sourced online), a Maya prince and great warrior named Tecún Umán was killed as he fought the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. As Tecún Umán lay dying, Quetzal descended onto his chest and was marked by his blood. Some say this is how Quetzal got his red chest.
Penacho of Moctezuma II
Photo Unknown (Wikipedia)
Quetzal is the namesake for Guatemala's currency and holds rank as the national bird of Guatemala. There are an estimated 50,000 Resplendant Quetzals living in central Latin America, disbursed across several endangered cloud forests. Their population is currently decreasing due to deforestation, illegal hunting and changing eco-climates that are affecting their immediate environment.
The Resplendant Quetzal is a descendant of ancient Trogons, whose fossil records date back 49 million years to the Eocene Era. Scientists have dated their existence to approximately 10 million years after the Dinosaurs were killed off, and humans didn't appear for another 55 million years after the first Trogons. Imagine being the first group of humans to arrive in a virgin forest, where countless birds and animals are already living. It's easy to comprehend why the ancients may have revered these special birds as messengers of the Quetzal god.
Quetzal Coin from Guatemala
Photo Unknown (Wikipedia)
The Resplendant Quetzal continues to enjoy her pomp and circumstance in Latin America, and her beautiful and beguiling intrigue is still valuable enough to save her habitats if responsible tourism can bring an economy to her homeland that reduces excessive logging and industrial resource extraction. Thankfully, Montebello Lakes National Park in Mexico is protected by UNESCO, and the Mexican government has made efforts to protect other biospheres for the survival of other endangered species.
Please contact us if you are interested in our birding adventures in Chiapas, which will include birding in the cloud forest of the Montebello Lakes National Park area. We cannot promise that we will be able to see these elusive, magnificent creatures, but we can certainly help the local economy there, while we try.
*I mention sourcing the legends about Quetzal online because the guardians of these legends are indigenous, as are these oral histories that are sure to be inaccurate or taken out of context when written down and/or interpreted by outsiders. Online information is not necessarily from an indigenous source and could even be pan-American. In short - they aren't my stories to tell, but some aspects of these stories have become universal due to the internet. We will continue to seek authentic sources through our network.
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A Resplendant Quetzal
Painted by Olaf of Patzcuaro
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