resplendent quetzal

I photographed this male bird in early daylight in the San Gerardo de Dota montane cloud forest area of Costa Rica. it was in a tree about 50 m distant from the roadside location of my tripod, in a pasture with scattered wild avocado trees. A much less ornate female was in a nearby tree. The...

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno subsp. costaricensis) Female, species sexually dimorphic. Photographed near Savegre Mountain Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica. Submontane cloud forest at 2,195 m (7,200 ft) elevation.

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno subsp. costaricensis) Male, species sexually dimorphic. Photographed near Savegre Mountain Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica. Submontane cloud forest at 2,195 m (7,200 ft) elevation.

Not as spectacular as the males, but just as good ...

An uncommon and spectacular trogon, which I shall remember for the rest of my life....

A fantastic sighting for me, this is indeed a beautiful bird that can only be found in Costa Rica. A rare, uncommon bird indeed !!!

This the bird I was rushing to see when I came across the Emerald Toucanet. We managed to see both sexes but it was quite dark in the forest. If one goes to CR this is a must see bird and we very nearly dipped!!!!!!!!!!

Resplendent Quetzal The Colours of Costa Rica, January 2011 Nikon D300 ,Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR 1/250s f/4.5 at 400.0mm iso400

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) Two subspecies are recognized with subspecies costaricensis being the only one in Costa Rica. Adult bodies are about 36 cm (14 in) long with the adult males sporting four tail streamers reaching lengths of 64 cm (25 in). While it is the...

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) Two subspecies are recognized with subspecies costaricensis being the only one in Costa Rica. Adult bodies are about 36 cm (14 in) long with the adult males sporting four tail streamers reaching lengths of 64 cm (25 in). While it is the...

A hard shot to get believe me. I have more lol

Well how close can you get to one of these, unreal! Was snapping Bellbirds in a type of Avacado tree when incomes this babe - a moment to remember :-) Please respect copyright on these images - thanks

Male perched on a mossy branch, pure magic.

A female with large avocado.....looks tasty!

And the less spectacular female Quetzal. Copey de Dota.

Another Quetzal. this time full. Shame i missed a litlle bit of the tale. Could not backup more. But was lucky with the light on its back

During our trip to Costa Rica. Taken at Copey de Dota.

This shot gives a idea of the Habitat these birds live in lots of rain allowing the groth of these beautiful Lichens. This bird was so close I could not get the Whole Tail into a Landscape shot this was taken in November and the Tail is at its longgest in March it must be some sight,

This was my main target bird for my visit to Costa Rica and thanks to a great Birdguide, Melvin at Savergre Lodge I got the most breathtaking shots of this stunning bird while other birders in the area struggled to get a distant view of this bird Melvin introduced me to this Male Model of a bird...

Not the best picture in the world, but I'm just glad that I saw one, especially since it was the rainy season. He still had his tail and everything, it was really a miracle that I saw him.

One of three birds seen that day

Frustratingly the single male with the beautifully long tail remained deep in its tree and all my shots of him are spoilt by foliage. I think this is also a male but he's sadly lacking on the tail front!