RESPLENDENT QUETZAL: Meaning of Precious

TROGONS AND QUETZALS (TROGONIDAE)
Known for nibbling holes in trees, Trogons are cavity nesters. These Birds also are noted for their long elaborate tails. Trogons are the only Birds with a heterodactyl toe arrangement (the first and second toes reversed). Therefore what other Bird Family that They are related to remains a mystery.

RESPLENDENT QUETZAL: Meaning of Precious

Sacred to the Mayas and Aztecs, Quetzal means “precious” in Nahuatl. According to the Aztecs, pregnant women carried both a jade stone and quetzal feather inside of them. Together these items would create the infant’s face and status in the world. Furthermore, Quetzalcoatl, their “Feathered Serpent” was transfigured from Resplendent Quetzal.

Living in the cloud forests of Central America, Resplendent Quetzal offers a glimpse of his incandescent green tail and red breast. Although, He remains still, you can see his long tail waving in the breeze. When He wants to court a Female, Resplendent Quetzal will display Himself in flight.

In a rotting tree trunk, Resplendent Quetzal and his Mate will often nest in a cavity that They had dug out with their beaks. Afterwards, They will incubate their eggs throughout the day. The longer Resplendent Quetzal spends raising his young brood, the more frayed his magnificent tail becomes. If Mother Resplendent Quetzal deserts their nest, He will remain to raise their nestlings alone.

Resplendent Quetzal personifies the meaning of “Precious”. In the cloud forests, He reminds us of how we need to husband our planet. With his tattered tail, Resplendent Quetzal shows that we must give up what is “precious” to us in order for our next generation to flourish.