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Resplendent Quetzal — printable fact sheet
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Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
Pharomachrus mocinno is famous for a tail it does not actually have. The metre-long streamers trailing behind a breeding male are not tail feathers at all — they are enormously elongated upper tail coverts, the feathers that normally just cover the base of the tail, and they gro…
Did you know?
- The name 'quetzal' comes from Nahuatl, meaning 'precious' or 'sacred', reflecting the bird's importance in ancient Mesoamerican civilizations.
- Guatemala named its currency the quetzal after the bird, and it appears on the national flag and coat of arms. Captive quetzals almost invariably die quickly, and the bird's reputation for pining to death in a cage was read as a symbol of liberty across Central America. The male's streamers are so long they must be flown with care, and a displaying bird spirals up above the canopy and plunges back down so the plumes ripple behind him like a banner.
What I learned
Draw the resplendent quetzal
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