Male Resplendent Quetzal with Open Bill on a Mossy Branch

The male sits side-on along the mossy branch with his head facing the camera and bill open, while blue-green upper-tail coverts extend behind him at San Gerardo de Dota valley in Costa Rica. The Resplendent Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and an enduring Mesoamerican cultural emblem; adult males carry elongated upper-tail coverts over the true tail. The exposure of 1/20 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 640 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.