How I Botched an Unexpected Sighting of an Iconic Bird
A photographer is only as good as her preparation.
“It’s a quetzal!” the urgent whisper was a lightning bolt, cutting through my reverie.
I was photographing a brilliant scarlet flower, and my ever-patient husband had wandered ahead on the trail.
Another couple had discovered the elusive bird and pointed it out to him.
I quickly hurried over, pointed my camera up into the foliage, and began clicking, clicking and clicking.
A Bird Worshipped by Kings.
According to Wikipedia, quetzal (pronounced ket-sahl) comes from the Aztec (Nahuatl) word quetzalli, meaning “large brilliant tail feather.”
There are six species of quetzal, but the the gem among them is the resplendent quetzal. Indeed, the male resplendent quetzal has brilliant sapphire tail feathers up to 35 inches (90 cm) long, roughly two to three times the length of its body. It also sports a vibrant crimson chest and an iridescent emerald head and wings.
In fact, the word “quetzal” predominantly denotes the resplendent quetzal, Guatemala’s national emblem, although it can also refer to the monetary unit of Guatemala.
In ancient Mayan culture, the…
