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Quetzals () are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family. They are found in forests, especially in humid highlands, with the five species from the genus ''Pharomachrus'' being exclusively Neotropical, while a single species, the eared quetzal, ''Euptilotis neoxenus'', is found in Guatemala, sometimes in Mexico and very locally in the southernmost United States. In the highlands of the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Jalisco, and Michoacán, the Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis Neoxenus) can be found from northwest to west-central Mexico. It is a Mexican indigenous species, but some reports show that it occasionally travels and nests in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. June to October is the mating season for Eared Quetzals. Quetzals are fairly large (all over 32 cm or 13 inches long), slightly bigger than other trogon species.Restall, R. L., C. Rodner, & M. Lentino (2006). ''Birds of Northern South America.'' Christopher Helm. (vol. 1). (vol. 2).Ridgely, R. S., & J. A. Gwynne, Jr. (1989). ''A Guide to the Birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.'' 2nd edition. Princeton University Press. The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala because of its vibrant colour.

Quetzals have iridescent green or golden-green wing coverts, back, chest and head, with a red belly. Their wings are suited to camouflage under rainy conditions, because their feathers blend well with wet and shiny green area. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, and parts of the females' plumage are brown or grey. These largely solitary birds feed on fruits, berries, insects and small vertebrates (such as frogs). Even with their famous bright plumage, they can be hard to see in their natural wooded habitats.

Conservation status

None of the many quetzal species are under immediate threat in the wild, although the eared and resplendent quetzal are at the Near Threatened status. ''Pharomachrus mocinno'' is dependent on standing dead and mature trees for breeding holes, which are only formed in primary cloud forest; the species' breeding behavior is linked to the long term existence of these forests such as the few remaining in highland Guatemala. The remaining are not considered threatened by the IUCN and all are locally common. However, it should be kept in mind while despite the fact that quetzals typically inhabit cloud forests. The fact that they are being divided into much smaller patches is what is known as a principal threat to their survival. Resplendent Quetzals are known to relocate in lower elevated areas during the summertime when precipitation is known to increase, their patterns in movement are most likely correlated to an surplus of ripe Lauraceae fruits.

Etymology

The name ''quetzal'' is from Nahuatl , "large brilliant tail feather" (''American Audubon Dictionary'') or "tail coverts of the quetzal" ('' Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary''), from the Nahuatl root = "stand up" used to refer to an upstanding plume of feathers. The word entered English through Spanish.

The word ''quetzal'' was originally used for just the resplendent quetzal, the long-tailed quetzal of Guatemala, (more specifically the area of Northern Guatemala known as the Petén) which is the national bird and the name of the currency of Guatemala. It still often refers to that bird specifically but now also names all the species of the genera ''Pharomachrus'' and ''Euptilotis''.

''Pharomachrus'' is from Ancient Greek , "mantle", and , "long", referring to the wing and tail coverts of the resplendent quetzal (the second ''h'' is unexplained).

The quetzal is also known in Spanish as the .

Species

Genus '' Pharomachrus'':
* Crested quetzal, ''Pharomachrus antisianus''.
* Golden-headed quetzal, ''Pharomachrus auriceps''.
* White-tipped quetzal, ''Pharomachrus fulgidus''.
* Resplendent quetzal, ''Pharomachrus mocinno''.
* Pavonine quetzal, ''Pharomachrus pavoninus''.
Genus ''Euptilotis'':
* Eared quetzal, ''Euptilotis neoxenus''.
: ''Euptilotis neoxenus'' is related to ''Pharomachrus'' and is called the eared quetzal by some authorities, such as the American Ornithologists' Union, but the eared trogon by others.

See also

*List of English words of Nahuatl origin
* The Nest (aviary)

References

External links

*
Trogon videos
including quetzals, on the Internet Bird Collection
A study about quetzal
The quetzal description and habitat

{{Trogons

Trogonidae
Bird common names