Male Resplendent Quetzal About to Exit the Nest

The male leans from the nest entrance with his crested green head and yellow bill already outside, immediately before the flight sequence begins at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge area 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. This nesting pair was caring for two chicks that had hatched two days before the visit, photographed from a fixed viewing platform about 30 metres away. The exposure of 1/2500 sec, f/4 and ISO 3200 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.