The specimen of the Resplendent Quetzal in the Diversity Section of our new exhibit is actually a carved wooden model created by Craig Yanek, an award winning artist in the museum's exhibit and graphics section. The museum's bird collection contains several skins and mounts of quetzals, but all are very old and not suitable for display. Because of Craig's talent, few museum visitors will distinguish this model from a real specimen. Oropendolsa range from southern Mexico to Ecuador and Brazil with the Montezuma found from southern Mexico to central Panama. The male Montezuma Oropendula is about 19 inches in length similar in size to a crow.
Females are smaller in length and weight.
Both sexes are similar in coloration in that they have a chestnut colored body, a black head and bright yellow outer tail feathers. Oropendolas nest in colonies ranging in size from four to over one hundred nests, although there are usually between thirty and forty. The large baglike nests, well over three feet in length, are most often found at the edge or in a clearing of the rain forest. Females almost always out number males in colonies, sometimes as high a ration as 5 to 1. The breeding season takes place during the dry season, from the end of December to the middle of June.