The golden-headed quetzal or corequenque is a strikingly coloured bird in the genus Pharomachrus. It is found in moist mid-elevation forests from eastern Panama to northern Bolivia.
Region
Andes Mountains
Typical Environment
Occupies humid montane cloud forests and mature secondary forests from eastern Panama through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru and northern Bolivia. Favors densely vegetated slopes, ravines, and ridgelines with abundant epiphytes and fruiting laurels. Often found at forest edges and along riparian corridors where fruit is concentrated. Uses midstory to canopy strata, perching quietly and making short sallies to fruiting trees.
Altitude Range
900–2500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The golden-headed quetzal, also called corequenque, is a brilliantly colored trogon of humid Andean forests. Males have a striking golden-bronze head and crimson belly, while females are duller and more olive-gray. Both sexes excavate nest cavities in soft, decaying wood. Its presence is a good indicator of intact cloud forest ecosystems with abundant fruiting trees.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, maintaining small territories around fruiting trees. Monogamous pairs excavate nest cavities in rotting trunks or stumps and share incubation and chick-rearing duties. Nests are placed several meters above ground in soft wood.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Delivers mellow, flute-like whistles, often in evenly spaced two-note phrases. Calls carry through cloud forest, sounding plaintive and far-reaching, with soft churring notes at close range.
Plumage
Male with iridescent emerald-green upperparts, a metallic golden-bronze head, and rich crimson underparts; wings appear dusky with fine vermiculation. Female is olive-green to brownish above with grayish underparts and reduced red on the belly. Both sexes show contrasting white undertail feathers with dark tips.
Diet
Primarily consumes soft fruits, especially from laurel (Lauraceae) and other canopy trees, swallowing them whole and later regurgitating the seeds. Supplements diet with insects and occasional small vertebrates, particularly when feeding young. Forages by sallying from quiet perches and by hover-gleaning fruit clusters.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in the midstory to canopy of humid cloud forests, particularly at forest edges, along streams, and at fruiting trees. Frequently visits isolated fruiting trees in gaps and along ridges.
