#resplendent quetzals

[histsciart]

Happy Feathursday!

Resplendent quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno) are the emerald jewels of the Central American forests. Often considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world, these iridescent bright green quetzals were revered in Aztec and Mayan cultures. They are the national animal of Guatemala, and a male with its iconic tail feathers appears on the Guatemalan flag.

SciArt by John Gould and William Hart for Gould's Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons, Pt. 3 (1875). View more in the Biodiversity Heritage Library with thanks to the Ernst Mayr Library of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for digitizing.

[feather-bone]

[ID: an illustration of a bright teal and blue bird with a red chest, a very long tail, and puffy head feathers. It is on a branch on a blue, green, and purple-toned forest background. A dark purple border with red corners and a chevron pattern surrounds the illustration. End]

Resplendent quetzal. Resplendent! They eat fruit primarily, with a preference for avocados and other members of the laurel family. They swallow these fruits whole and regurgitate the pits, helping to spread the seeds of these trees. :-)

[purplishly-prosaic]

Finally finished Olrox! 💀🐍💜 Wanted something more ambitious/with more gravitas but this is the best I came up with... I'm sure I'll draw him again though.

[birdblues]

Resplendent Quetzal

[antiqueanimals]

Ranger Rick's Nature Magazine; November 1979 edition.

Internet Archive

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

(Photo by Andrew Spencer)

Conservation Status- Near Threatened

Habitat- Central America

Size (Weight/Length)- 40 cm; 25 cm tail

Diet- Insects; Fruit; Small reptiles

Cool Facts- Playing a massive part in the history of Mexico and Central America, the resplendent quetzal is iconic for their dual, iridescent tail feathers. These birds are extremely shy and use their plumage to blend in with trees. Resplendent quetzals are extremely important due to their love of fruit. These birds spread the seeds of 43 species of plant and play a large part in the cultivation of wild avocados. Quetzals are monogamous and share a large territory. Both parents take on parental duties for their chicks ranging from incubation to feeding to protecting their home. Resplendent quetzals are threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation, making it harder to find mates and suitable territory for raising a family.

Rating- 12/10 (If there’s any history or mythology nerds out there, eat your hearts out.)

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Trick or Treat

Resplendent Quetzal!

[lowcountry-gothic]

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) in Costa Rica. Photo by Greivin Araya.

[triruntu]

#491, a resplendent quetzal for @iamtheonethinginlifeicancontrol.

Just over six years ago, this bird was #64. It’s come a long way since then.

Requests for birds are open, updates happen on Thursdays. [project tag] | [kofi] [commissions] Find me on: [twitter]

[bird-bitez]

Birds I've drawn for ornithology. The colored ones are ones I've seen while out on walks and the black and white sketches are for an assignment focused on foraging adaptations :>

[colorsoutofearth]

Resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) close up of feathers

Photo by Claudio Contreras

[microwsoftpaint]

could you draw the Resplendent Quetzal? They’re my fav birdie! :3

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[birdblues]

Resplendent Quetzal

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Rarest Animals In The World That Are On The Brink Of Extinction

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus Mocinno)

Wikimedia Commons

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Don’t believe you eyes-- this bird is actually brown! The resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, has a very unique up its feathers that give it its shimmering green appearance. Up close, the feathers are translucent or dark brown. Inter spaced with these are microscopic stripes of melanin, a pigment that in humans causes the skin to darken. For the quetzal this pigment traps light and reflects the color green, making it appear to our eyes as a resplendent emerald.

(Image: A male resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) showing off his feathers by Kathy Adams Clark)

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[fandom-free-bingo]

INFO & RULES - FLIGHT EDITION (January)

- Feel free to interpret the prompts however you wish - the world is your oyster! <3 - No restriction to one prompt per fic/chapter. - You can merge this event with others, so long as the other event permits this. - Please mark rating clearly, and use CW where applicable. Posts not adequately marked will not be reblogged. - Use the tag #FandomFreeBingo and tag @fandom-free-bingo on tumblr for a reblog - don't forget to also add in the pairing/characters, the fandom and the warnings in the tags please <3 - The second event (Flight Edition) will run until February 29th. Feel free to post after this date, however - works will be reblogged until January 31st, 2025, and the Ao3 collection will be open indefinitely. - Two cards (at most) of each size for each participant. - All media forms, fandoms and original works are welcome! - You can request square changes twice, for up to a week after the card is issued. - Be respectful to other participants. - Be kind to me!- Ao3 collection can be found here! - This season we are offering BOTH 5x5 and 3x3 cards - please let us know which you would like!

Sign up here! Sign ups will run until January 31st - you can post whenever you're ready!

Why Flight Edition? Well - January 5th is National Bird Day! Why? "National Bird Day is a celebration of the wonder of birds and a time to raise awareness about the many threats that bird species face on a daily basis. Birds have long captured the imagination of humans as they effortlessly soar through the skies. It is no wonder that so many people have become either professional or amateur ornithologists (people who study birds). While birds may seem to live carefree lives, many of their natural habitats are under attack. Additionally, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade threaten many bird species. With these factors in mind we need to do everything that we can to protect our birds and their environments." [1]

Basically.... Because they're beautiful and majestic creatures, and we didn't want to lean into the whole 'winter' theme again, because it's not winter everywhere! So... Take Flight! <3

My favourite bird (uh, today-) is below the cut... Look at this majestic boy-

The resplendent quetzal lives in tropical forests in southern Mexico and Central America - and their population is decreasing. They've been given 'Near Threatened' status. Look at that fuzzy little head, and that MAJESTIC tail!

I like birds.