Golden-headed Quetzal
The Golden-Headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps) is a colorful bird native to South America.
Description
Males and females are approximately the same size, reaching up to 35cm in length and 160g in weight as adults. Adult males are iridescent green with a golden cast to their heads, black wings, and bright red bellies; females are slightly duller in appearance. Their beaks are yellow. They are solitary, seasonally monogamous birds which share the 18-day incubation period of their two eggs and the feeding of their offspring during the fledging period of 25 to 30 days.
Habitat
Golden-Headed Quetzals occur in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. They live in moist, hilly, wooded areas and typically nest in hollow trees. Their diet mostly consists of fruit and insects, with the occasional small lizard.
References
Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
Page from the Houston Zoo with a photograph accessed October 18, 2005
Golden-headed Quetzal videos on the Internet Bird Collection; accessed October 18, 2005
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Golden-headed Quetzal