Revue Magazine 2010-11 (November)

It is an unusual behavioral trait that the quetzal seems incapable of taking
a fruit while perched.
...continued from page 92
with a winged sun; carried by the ancient
messengers of the gods, Mercury and Hermes.
Could it be that the winged serpent of
the Maya and the Egyptian symbology,
which gave rise to the caduceus of Greek
mythology, had a common origin? Both
represented the herald of the forces of light,
the Life Force. Thousands of years before the
flowering of Egyptian civilization, the great
sages of India had used essentially this same
symbol. It stood for the serpentine power of
life-energy that they termed “Kundalini” in
the ancient Vedic scripture.
We spent three months living with Rosendo
in the cloud forest. We logged hundreds
of hours observing the quetzal’s courting,
nesting, eating and rearing their young. I
was able to take many photographs, which
have been used in campaigns to promote the
conservation of this supremely beautiful bird.
96 » revuemag.com
IN-FLIGHT MEALS
Quetzals are sedate birds who perch
tranquilly for long periods. Their
flight is undulating with intermittent bursts
of rapid wing beats. Food is chiefly fruits,
especially of the Laurel family (Lauraceae),
and occasionally insects, both of which are
plucked from stems or foliage in mid-flight at
the end of a sudden upward or outward sally,
without alighting. It is an unusual behavioral
trait that the quetzal seems incapable of
taking a fruit while perched.
I have spent many hours observing quetzals
feeding in fruit trees and have noticed that
even if the bird is perched on a branch full of
fruit, and even if the fruit is within inches of
its beak, it is unable to take it. Only in flight
will the bird pluck the fruit. Sometimes a
lizard, frog or snail is taken.
The song is simple but often very melodious,
the most common being a melancholy coo-