Pharomachrus mocinno
Status: Near threatened and with decreasing population, due to being hunted for feathers or capture to be sold as pets. They are unable to survive in captivity, so such a fate is death to a quetzal.
The resplendant quetzal, with its beautiful shimmering train of metallic blue-green feathers, was sacred, precious, and divine to many Mesoamerican civilizations.
The ancient Aztec diety, Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, was inspired by the quetzal. Its serpentine body is adorned with iridescent green feathers, and the snaking, long body that is like the quetzalâs whipping train of feathers when in flight. Quetzalcoatl was a god of vegetation, earth, and water, and controlled the winds.
In Guatamala, the quetzal is a symbol of freedom, because its nature does not allow for it to survive captivity. If captured and kept in a cage, the bird will spurn food and water and die rather than live as a prisoner. |
