Quetzals around camp

A pair of Resplendent Quetzals perched up around the centre this morning. This led to a great deal of excitement, with a large group of 25+ people (including two tour groups) watching them as they made their way from tree to tree, perching for a couple of minutes at a time.

Resplendent Quetzal (male)

Resplendent Quetzal (female)

The Resplendent Quetzal is thought to have been revered by local people going back to the Mayan and Incan times. One legend of indigenous Guatemalans is that the quetzal received its showy plumage during the European conquest of the Americas: "After a particularly gruesome battle, huge flocks of quetzals (which were then only green) flew down to keep watch over dead Mayans, thus staining their breasts red." Mayans used the long tail plumes for artwork, feather capes, and ceremonial head-dresses. The chief god of the Mayans was Kukulcan and the chief god of the Toltecs was Quetzalcoatl, both meaning "The Plumed Serpent."

The quetzal remains a part of Central America today, and cannot live in captivity, a poetic quality that has made them a symbol of freedom for the people of Central America.