The crested quetzal is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae native to South America, where it is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane and cloud forests from Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia. It favors mature, moss-laden forests with abundant epiphytes and fruiting laurel trees, as well as forest edges and ravines. Typically keeps to the mid- to upper canopy and along forested streams. It may use secondary growth when fruiting trees are present and makes short movements to track fruit availability.
Altitude Range
1200–3200 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A canopy-dwelling quetzal of Andean cloud forests, the crested quetzal plays a key role in seed dispersal, especially for laurel family trees. Males show a small forward-swept crest and shimmering greens with a rich red belly, while females are duller and more cryptic. Pairs excavate nests in rotten trunks or stumps and share incubation and chick-rearing. Its soft, mournful whistles often reveal its presence before it is seen.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Pairs excavate a nesting cavity in a rotten trunk or stump and share incubation and feeding duties. Territorial around nest sites but otherwise relatively unobtrusive in the canopy.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives soft, mournful whistles in spaced sequences, often descending in pitch. Calls carry through the forest canopy and are more often heard at dawn and dusk than midday.
Plumage
Iridescent green upperparts with finely vermiculated dark wings and a contrasting deep red belly; males have a small forward-swept crest and longer upper tail-coverts. Females are duller with olive-brown head and chest, greenish back, and a more subdued reddish underbelly. The underside of the tail shows white with dark barring.
Diet
Primarily consumes small, lipid-rich fruits, especially from Lauraceae (such as Ocotea and Persea), as well as figs and other canopy fruits. Supplements diet with large insects and other arthropods taken by sallying from perches. Swallows fruits whole and later regurgitates seeds, aiding forest regeneration.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid- to upper canopy of humid montane forest, along fruiting tree crowns, forest edges, and ravines. Often follows fruiting events and may join mixed-species frugivore aggregations at peak trees.
