Golden-headed Quetzal
Encyclopedia
The Golden-Headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps) is a colorful bird native to highlands forests in South America
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of Venezuela
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Peru
, and Bolivia
. They live in humid highland forests and are uncommon to locally fairly common. 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. The nest is usually placed in a hollow in an old tree. Their diet mostly consists of fruit and insects, with the occasional small lizard.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
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Description
Males and females are approximately the same size, having a total length of ca. 35 cm and a weight of 160 g. as adults. Adult males are iridescent green with a golden cast to their heads, black wings, bright red bellies, and a yellow bill. The female is duller with a greyer head and lower chest and a dusky bill. Both sexes have an entirely blackish undertail unlike the Crested QuetzalCrested Quetzal
The Crested Quetzal is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:...
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Habitat and behavior
Golden-headed Quetzals occur in the AndesAndes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. They live in humid highland forests and are uncommon to locally fairly common. 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. The nest is usually placed in a hollow in an old tree. Their diet mostly consists of fruit and insects, with the occasional small lizard.
External links
- Page from the Houston Zoo with a photograph accessed October 18, 2005
- Golden-headed Quetzal videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection