Quetzal Watching
in Costa Rica
Although the people of Costa Rica,
don't worship the
Resplendent Quetzal,
with the same passion, as the Aztecs
and the Mayans,
the Quetzal, is most easily seen in
Costa
Rica, where it is actively Protected, in four
National Parks: Braulio
Carrillo, Poás,
Chirripó, La Amistad and the
Monteverde and Los
Angeles cloud
forest reserves.
Throughout the Resplendent Quetzal's 1,000-mile range,
(from
Southern Mexico to Western Panama), they are
endangered,
due to the loss of their Cloud Forest
habitat.
Especially around the lower forests,
that are
1,500
to 2,000 meters, in which flocks of
Resplendent Quetzals descend,
during Mating
Season, (March
through June), to search for
suitable
dead and decaying trees, in
which to
hollow out
their
nests.
This is the perfect
opportunity, to observe warrior Quetzal
males, with their long "Emerald Green" tail
feathers,
undulating through the wind, or
see them, in their dynamic flight patterns,
launching up in the sky, with spiraling flights,
ending in a plummeting dive, with
their tail
feathers
rippling
behind,
all
part of their elaborate courtship ritual.
At other times, the elusive
Resplendent Quetzals, aren't
easily spotted. Their
plumage, blends in, under the rainy,
forest
canopy, making them, very difficult to observe.
The Quetzals also sit motionless, for long periods, with
their
vibrant, red chests turned away, from any suspected
danger. If a warrior male Quetzal, knows you're
close by
and feels
threatened, you may hear a harsh "weec
weec"
warning call
and see the male's flicking tail feathers,
give
away his
presence.
Resplendent Quetzal
Mating & Breeding
A Resplendent Quetzal's territory,
spans a radius of
about 300 meters. The male Quetzal claims
his territory
each
dawn, through midmorning and again, at dusk,
with a telltale melodious whistle, a hollow,
high pitched
bird
call consisting of two notes, one ascending
steeply,
the other descending, repeated every eight to ten minutes.
Quetzal Nests, (often already hollowed out, by woodpeckers),
are about 30 feet, from
the ground. Inside the Quetzal Nest,
the female Quetzal, normally
lays two light-blue eggs, which
take
about 18 days to hatch.
The breeding season, is
usually from late March to
April. The male Quetzal chooses his partner
and courts her,
by
flying high in circles and then descends
vigorously
and
perches in the treetops.
The female Quetzal, lays two
pale blue eggs, that are about
35 x 30 mm, in size. Both
parents, incubate the eggs,
for 17 or 18 days and young
Quetzal birds stay with their parents,
for about a month, to learn how
to fly, obtain food,
and protect themselves.
The growing Quetzal chicks, are fed mostly small
invertebrates, amphibians, and
reptiles, but begin to eat fruit
as
they
mature. Less than 20 percent of the
young, survive
to leave the nest. Toucans, jays,
squirrels, and weasels
are some
of the predators, that young Quetzals
have to
avoid.
Resplendent Quetzals
Eating Habits
In the Costa Rican
cloud forests, Resplendent Quetzals
primarily
eat Wild Avocados, which are smaller than
traditional domestic avocados. The fruits, are swallowed
whole. The Wild Avocado's
large
seeds, are often then
regurgitated, at some
distance from
the
source tree. For
other tropical birds,
the Avocado seeds
hold too many
toxins.
Because Resplendent Quetzals, are
among the only
frugivorous
(fruit - eating) birds, able to eat these
large
Avocado fruits, it
is believed, that the Wild Avocados,
rely
on the Resplendent Quetzal,
to spread the Avocado
seeds, to more fertile
grounds,
for reproduction.
The Wild Avocado is a tree, and the fruit of that tree,
(Persea
Americana), in the flowering plant family Lauraceae.
The
Avocado tree, does not tolerate freezing temperatures,
and can only be grown in subtropical and tropical
climates,
where the fruit is sometimes called a
pear or
alligator
pear.
The Wild Avocado fruit is a berry. Horticultural varieties
range from round to egg or pear - shaped, typically the size
of a temperate zone pear or larger, on the outside bright
green to green-brown (or almost black) in color, and high
in fat, with a large central seed or pit.
The flesh is typically greenish yellow to golden yellow, if
ripe, turning dark soon after exposure to air. The avocado
is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making a good
substitute for meats and
cheeses, in sandwiches because
of the high fat content. The fruit is not sweet, but fatty,
flavorful, and of smooth, almost creamy texture. It is
used
as the base for the Mexican dip, known as guacamole.
The name "Avocado" comes from its Nahuatl
Indian name, 'ahuacatl'
which also meant testicles, with influence from the irrelevant,
but much more familiar
Spanish Avocado, an
obsolete
form of 'abogado' (lawyer).
The Nahuatl "ahuacatl", could be compounded with others,
as in "ahuacamolli", meaning
“avocado soup or sauce,” from
which the Spanish
word, "guacamole" derives.
The avocado fruit does not ripen on the tree, but will fall
off in a hard,
"green" state, then ripen quickly on the
ground. Generally, the fruit is
picked, once it reaches a
mature size, and will then ripen, in a few days,
faster
if stored with other fruit, such as bananas. Up to a point,
fruit can be left on the tree until required, rather than
picked and stored.
Barlow & Martin (2002) identify the
avocado, as a fruit
adapted for ecological relationship, with large mammals,
now extinct,
(as for example the South American
herbivorous giant ground sloths or Gomphotheres).
This
fruit, with its mildly toxic pit, co - evolved with those
extinct
mammals, to be swallowed whole and excreted in
dung,
ready to sprout. The ecological partners have
disappeared,
and the avocado plant, has not had time to
evolve an
alternative seed dispersal technique.
Resplendent Quetzals and Wild
Avocado trees, both need
each other. In science, we call
this relationship between
two organisms a
symbiotic relationship, meaning
that both
the organisms win.
The main diet of the Resplendent Quetzal, is
fruit, they also
eat
insects, small frogs, and lizards, and they
enjoy a penchant
for the fruit of the broad-leafed
"Wild Aguacatillo", (a kind of
miniature avocado, which is less toxic, in the Laurel family),
which depends
on the Quetzal bird, to distribute
it's seeds.
The movement
of Quetzals, follows the seasonal fruiting
of different Laurel
species.
Time your bird watching
visit, if
possible, to coincide
with the Quetzals' meticulous
feeding hours,
which you
can almost
set your watch by. They're
fascinating
to watch,
as they are feeding: an upward
swoop
for fruit, is the bird's aerial signature.
The Resplendent Quetzal is now
endangered, throughout
most of their range. Mountain people, still regard the
Quetzal
with
awe,
but are
very aware of its cash value.
The birds are hunted for their
feathers and skins.
Despite protective laws, tourists and
dealers,
keep the
illicit
trade alive, which encourages poaching.
Also habitat destruction, is destroying
large tracts
of
the cloud rainforests, which is the prime nesting area
of
the Resplendent Quetzal. Nests are holes in
trees with
soft
rotting
wood.
Because the Resplendent Quetzals are
not equipped with
strong beaks
and
claws, they
usually use the old homes,
of
Woodpeckers
or Toucans.
"EL Quetzal" Mayan & Aztec Legends
Back to Costa Rica Bird Directory
Stray Reality Home
