II. Birds of Splendor
Resplendent quetzal
IN 1.40.03-A
Resplendent quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
Adult portrait
II. Birds of Splendor
Field notes
Among cloud-forest branches, the quetzal follows ripening fruit, swallowing wild avocados and later releasing their seeds. Its movements connect different elevations through the year. During nesting, both parents tend a cavity in decaying wood and bring animal prey to their young.
- Range
- Highlands from southern Mexico through Central America to western Panama.
- Habitat
- Montane cloud forest, with seasonal movements into lower-elevation forest.
Conservation
Forest clearing and fragmentation threaten the quetzal’s breeding and feeding habitat. Protecting cloud forest alone is not the whole task: its seasonal journeys also depend on forest at lower elevations remaining accessible.
Sources & conservation context
- American Bird Conservancy — Resplendent Quetzal
- IUCN Red List — Pharomachrus mocinno, BirdLife International 2023
- Florida Museum — Resplendent Quetzal
Near Threatened — IUCN global species assessment of Pharomachrus mocinno, assessed 2022 and published 2023.
Source review: 6 October 2026. Assessment dates, where given, belong to the cited source.