Just in from Costa Rica: The Resplendent Quetzal!

Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/80 sec., f/8.0, ISO 2000, +0 EV. 

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My wife and I just returned from two weeks in Costa Rica, where we toured three regions with Emily Carter and Holbrook Travel: first the wetlands of Cano Negro in the north, then the rainforest of Selva Verde further south, and finally the Talamanca Mountains in the province of San Gerado de Dota.  In San Gerado de Dota we stayed at the Savegre Hotel, Natural Reserve and Spa,  and on two successive mornings trekked a bit up the road to the edge of the cloud forest to look for the magnificent Resplendent Quetzal! 

This is my first post on Costa Rica, one of many posts planned!  Stay tuned!

The Resplendent Quetzal is a member of the Trogan Family, the only family in the order Trogonidae. There are two recognized subspecies of the Resplendent Quetzal, Pharomachrus mocinno mocinno, and P.m. costaricensis, the former Guatemalan, the latter Costa Rican, seen here. The Guatemalan subspecies lives in southern Mexico and Guatemala,  the Costa Rican in the mountains of Costa Rica and northern Panama. 

The Resplenent Quetzal is a magnificent bird, with arresting irridescent coloration, and a long uppertail covert feather sported by the male in breeding season. The species lives year round on their territories, although the Costa Rican quetzal will migrate locally within the tropical cloud forest depending on the season. 

We saw and photographed the quetzal at the end of the two week tour with Holbrook Travel, organized by our Tucson photography/birding buddy Jack, and led by the fantastic photographer and workshop leader Emily Carter, (Nature as Art), along with our  outstanding local guide and photographer, Andres Quiros, and of course Holbrook Travel. 

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Andres Quiros is on the left bundled up against the pre-dawn chill, and Emily Carter is on the right, leading our group in search of the Magnificent Quetzal. Thanks to them and our fellow travelers, Jack, Linda, Tom, Barbara, Mike, Nancy, D.J., and Laurie, who all made the trip a big success and a lot of fun. And of course, Poppi, our expert bus driver, who negotiated narrow mountain roads with skill!

On November 6th we arose at 4 am (ugh!) for coffee and a short bus ride down the road where we hiked up the side of the mountain valley to a level field adjacent to the forest and wild avocado trees. These trees produce a small fruit that is a quetzal favorite, attracting them first thing in the morning.   

The map below shows our location in the mountains at about 7600 feet above sea level on the Pacific side of the continental divide.

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We arrived at our site well before the 6 am sunrise and joined about a dozen other photographers, tripods set up, carefully examining the edge of the dense cloud forest and all the possible Quetzal perches. Finally, about 6:15 am the quetzal alert went out - a male was spotted in an avocado tree. 

Below, a "where's Waldo" photograph of a male Resplendent Quetzal perched behind the leaves. I resorted to manual focus to get the eye as sharp as possible (the autofocus options on my Canon R5 Mark II seemed to find everything but my subject!). 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/200 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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5 minutes later he hopped out and gave us a nice back shot, below. The males are probably growing out their uppertail covert feathers* now for a breeding season that will begin in a few months. 

The back of the quetzal's head looks similar to the face and throat, a trait many birds share, and likely an adaption that confuses predators. If you think a bird is facing  you, you may be less likely to go on the attack.

* An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the long feather the male grows in breeding season as a "tail feather" when in fact it is part of the uppertail coverts, the feathers that cover the base of the tail feathers. This makes sense, in that the tail feathers are essential for flight and vary by species, depending on the the nature of their flight, and patterns of acquiring food. The tail coverts contribute to better aerodynamics, and a long decorative feather as part of breeding plumage would logically grow from this group. My thanks to my friend, ornithologist /birder/professional photographer Steve Vaughan for picking this up. Thanks Steve!

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/200 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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Below the male flared his white tail feathers, then took off.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/200 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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Deep sigh . . not a great quetzal photo day. 
So, we decided to come back the next day for another try.

Up again at 4 am, coffee at 5 am, short drive down the road to the forest and our viewing spot, arriving at ~5:30 am. We were two days past the full moon, with our favorite planetary partner about to disappear over the western ridge of the mountain valley. It provided welcome light for our trek up the hill. 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/10,000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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I was at the back of our group as we we walked uphill, sharing the path with another photographer who whispered in my ear, "Look, a female on the branch above us!"

Sure enough, a female quetzal perched above us, image below.  The females have coloration similar to the males, but a bit more muted, and without the long tail the male grows in breeding season. 

These birds have a definite "cute factor", perhaps due to the short bill and large eyes on an open face. 

This photo was captured at 5:32 am, 30 minutes before sunrise. Definitely low light photography.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/30 sec., f/7.1, ISO 4000, +0 EV. 

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5 minutes later I was set up with our group for the morning show, when SUCCESS, a male Resplendent Quetzal was spotted on a perch, likely having just eaten an avocado. The avocados are small (more on this later) with thin flesh over a large pit. The quetzal does not pass the pit, but regurgitates it after digesting the fruit itself. So some digestion time is required. Why fly around with a pit in your stomach (literally!) when you can find a nice perch and wait!

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/125 sec., f/7.1, ISO 8000, +0 EV. 

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Below, likely the same male on a different perch 40 minutes later and 20 minutes after sunrise in better light. The coloration varies with light and position of the bird, but is almost alway spectatular! Note the long tail dcovert.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/80 sec., f/8.0, ISO 2000, +0 EV. 

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Below, the same male 4 minutes later. It is not clear how many avocados a quetzal consumes at one sitting, but we can thank the pits for some great photo ops! 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/160 sec., f/7.1, ISO 4000, +0 EV. 

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This male probably barfed up a pit when I was fiddling with my camera settings, and then flew.

More on avocados. What we call avocados are the fruit, really a large berry, of the avocado tree, an evergreen in the laurel family. The avocado tree is common in the Americas, from Mexico through Central and South America. In addition to the cultivated  avocado we enjoy in salads and guacamole, there are many wild varieties that are small, with a relatively large pit in relation to the flesh or fruit. Below, beside the tip of the quetzal's tail, a small avocado on the tree of the same name.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 400mm, 1/125 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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Resplendent Quetzals eat primarily fruit, especially the small avocados seen above. Like other frugivores in Central America they are important agents of seed distribution throughout the forest, facilitating new tree growth.

Below, at 6:53 am, a young male quetzal arrives in a tree close to us. He is likely digesting an avocado.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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Image below, mouth open, the seed is most likely on its way to the ground . . . 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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And he takes off, looking for more food! 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/250 sec., f/7.1, ISO 5000, +0 EV. 

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The Resplendent Quetzal is a sacred symbol in many Mesoamerican cultures, representing freedom, divinity, and rebirth. The species was deeply revered by the Maya and Aztec peoples, a significance that endures today in Guatemala where it is the national bird appearing on the flag and the currency. 

It is difficult to estimate changes in population of this elusive bird, but they are considered "near threatened" with populations declining due to loss of habitat, the cloud forests. 

For more on the Resplendent Quetzal, see eBird, or  this essay from Living Bird magazine, Costa Ricans Join Hands to Cultivate A Quetzal Community, by Alan Poole.

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That's all for now! 
More on Costa Rica soon!

​Happy trails!

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