Quetzal, Sacred Bird of the Maya

Sacred to ancient Mesoamerican people, gorgeously plumed quetzals live in the mountains of Central America.

Quetzal Profile
The resplendent quetzal is an aptly named bird that many consider among the world's most beautiful. These vibrantly colored animals live in the mountainous, tropical forests of Central America where they eat fruit, insects, lizards, and other small creatures.During mating season, male quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an amazing train up to three feet (one meter) long. Females do not have long trains, but they do share the brilliant blue, green, and red coloring of their mates. Male colors tend to be more vibrant.Resplendent quetzal pairs use their powerful beaks to hollow hole nests in rotted trees or stumps. Inside, they take turns incubating two or three eggs—though males have such long tails that they sometimes stick outside the nest.Young quetzals can fly at about three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.

Hear the Quetzal in the cloud forest.

Quetzal, Sacred Bird of the Maya

Sacred to ancient Mesoamerican people, gorgeously plumed quetzals live in the mountains of Central America.

Quetzal Profile
The resplendent quetzal is an aptly named bird that many consider among the world's most beautiful. These vibrantly colored animals live in the mountainous, tropical forests of Central America where they eat fruit, insects, lizards, and other small creatures.During mating season, male quetzals grow twin tail feathers that form an amazing train up to three feet (one meter) long. Females do not have long trains, but they do share the brilliant blue, green, and red coloring of their mates. Male colors tend to be more vibrant.Resplendent quetzal pairs use their powerful beaks to hollow hole nests in rotted trees or stumps. Inside, they take turns incubating two or three eggs—though males have such long tails that they sometimes stick outside the nest.Young quetzals can fly at about three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.

Hear the Quetzal in the cloud forest.

Bug's "Bird Poop" Disguise Decoded

This larval swallowtail butterfly's clever disguise (left) is literally a load of crap.
In its larval stages, the Asian swallowtail—also known as the Chinese or Japanese yellow swallowtail—mimics the appearance of bird droppings to prevent predators from gobbling it up.
In its last phase of development, the insect turns green (right) to blend into the leaves on which it lives.
A new study shows that a single juvenile hormone is responsible for switching on and off the "spectacular diversity" of the caterpillar's colors, Japanese researchers say.
"[Juvenile hormone] has been known to be involved in molt, metamorphosis, and some other events," study co-author Haruhiko Fujiwara of the University of Tokyo told National Geographic News in an email.
"But in this report, we found that [the hormone] regulates pattern change, which is an original finding."
Hormone levels drop when the caterpillar leaves the bird-droppings stage and begins its green color transformation.
The substance also has the power to shape the caterpillar's texture and pigment distribution, enhancing its disguise.
The study, conducted by Fujiwara and Ryo Futahashi, also of the University of Toyko, appears tomorrow in the journal Science.
—Christine Dell'Amore
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Photograph courtesy Ryo Futahashi