How did you do with last month’s Mystery Creature? I know I am a bit (very) late posting this reveal, I’ve been busy in the background, despite the quiet status of the blog of late.

Rather than a long ramble, back to the task at hand, the reveal… last months Mystery Creature was the aptly named Resplendent Quetzal!

Image credit:By Supreet Sahoo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58173977

The Resplendent Quetzal

The Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) belongs to the Trogon family. There are two recognised subspecies… P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis.

Here are five more facts about these amazing birds

1. These beautiful birds are found in mountainous rainforests of Central America. Their habitat stretches from Southern Mexico to Western Panama. They are particularly partial to cloud forests, hanging out near the top of the tall forest canopies, blending in with all the natural colour around them.

2. Resplendent Quetzal are not strong flyers. They prefer to take short flights or hop among the branches. They have an interesting toe configurations, with two toes facing forwards, two facing backwards. This facilitates good gripping in the branches in the forest canopies they prefer. They are not so good for walking though, which is why they are very rarely spotted down on the ground.

3. Resplendent Quetzal were much revered by ancient civilisations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans; They were considered sacred birds, not surprisingly, as they really do have a beautiful plumage of iridescent green/blue feathers with a red breasted front. Males tend to be a little more colourful than females. The males grow two very long tail feathers on reaching sexual maturity. These feathers can grow up to a metre in length and often featured in royal costume among the Aztecs and the Mayan people.

4. It is the national bird of Guatemala, visible on their flag and coat of arms. In fact their currency is called Quetzal too.

Image source: wiki commons

5. Male Resplendent Quetzal are not thought to reach sexual maturity for many years. This is when they grow those two impressive tail features, hoping to show themselves off and attract a mate. Males will also perform fairly lavish displays and dances, which an interested female may mimic. Mating pairs dig a nest out of rotten tree stumps or branches and both parents are involved in incubating the brood of two to three pale blue eggs that the female lays. The chicks are often ready to fly within three weeks of hatching but it can take a few months before they fully fly the nest. The mother will then be finished with her duty of care but it has been reported that the father will still supplement their diets for a year or more.

I’m sure you will agree, a very interesting and beautiful bird. Check back tomorrow for this month’s Mystery Creature, see if you can guess what it is.