We have come to Los Quetzales National Park to find the Resplendent Quetzal, despite them being endangered and hard to find! When we were in Monteverde in 2008, a tour group in front of us said they saw the bird, but we never did.
The Quetzal is actually the national bird of Guatemala, but there is a much larger population here in Costa Rica due to better protection of the forests.
Mating season is February to July when the birds move from high in the canopy to lower in the forest to nest and eat wild avocado and figs.
At 0515 our guide, Raoul, drove us a little way up the road from the lodge to a potential sighting location. And, a bit of patience paid off today! The first bird we saw was a male.
Quetzals were important symbols to the Aztecs; the name comes from their word “quetzalli” for the tail-feathers they used ceremonially. The word can also mean precious or beautiful.
Then a little way down the road we found a breeding pair.
Quetzals raise their young in tree holes, but their beaks are not strong enough to bore into live wood, so they enlarge existing holes in dead trunks started by woodpeckers or toucans.
According to Raoul, this couple is re-using their nest from last year which is rare but not unheard of. The Quetzales often check out several holes over a few days before choosing one. But based on the birds’ behaviour today, he thinks they have already laid eggs inside!
Despite having a gluten free dinner roll for Dave, the barbecued ribs at the lodge restaurant contain wheat, so he ended up with a steak, while Kris sampled the local river trout with blackberry sauce.
Tomorrow’s tour starts a little bit later in the morning, so hopefully we can get a good night’s sleep.
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