At Long Last: The Resplendent Quetzal

This is a story about conservation; what happens when humans don’t pay close enough attention to the effects of deforestation and clearcutting, versus what happens when they do.

In December I got to go on a 10-day photo workshop/tour in Costa Rica. One high point for me was getting to see (and take pictures!) of the Resplendent Quetzal. It is a really beautiful bird that was really special and sacred to the Aztec and the Maya and is the national bird of Guatemala (plus the currency there is called the quetzal — the bird’s likeness is even printed on the bills).

I’ve been to Guatemala many times — the first time back in 1991. I’ve carried quetzales in my wallet, but I never got to see the bird, as the few remaining in Guatemala are rarely seen.

But there is a population of the birds in Costa Rica. Apparently a number of landowners there have been persuaded to stop cutting down the type of avocado trees whose fruit the Quetzals like to eat. Instead, those landowners make money off photographers and birdwatchers like me who come from all over to see these spectacular, threatened birds.

— Photo and story by Mark Silverstein