page_title: Resplendent quetzal
section_title: Feeding
hierarchical_section_title: Resplendent quetzal / Behavior / Feeding
caption_attribution_description: English: A resplendent quetzal found in the talamanca cloud forests of costa rica. www.supreetsahoo.com
context_page_description: The resplendent quetzal is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Chiapas, Mexico to western Panama. It is well known for its colorful plumage. There are two subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis.
  The resplendent quetzal plays an important role in various types of Mesoamerican mythology. It is the national bird of Guatemala, and its image is found on the country's flag and coat of arms. It also lends its name to the country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal.
context_section_description: Resplendent quetzals are considered specialized fruit-eaters, although they mix their diet with insects (notably wasps, ants, and larvae), frogs and lizards. Particularly important are wild avocados and other fruit of the laurel family, which the birds swallow whole before regurgitating the pits, which helps to disperse these trees. Quetzals feed more frequently in the midday hours. The adults eat a more fruit-based diet than the chicks, who eat primarily insects and some fruits. Over fifty percent of the fruit they eat come from the family Lauraceae. Quetzals use the methods of "hovering" and "stalling" in order to selectively pick the fruit near the tips of the branches.
caption: A resplendent quetzal found in the Talamanca cloud forests of Costa Rica
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