Male Resplendent Quetzal Checking for Predators from an Intermediate Perch

The male pauses on the outer curve of a moss-laden branch with a dark berry in his bill, checking that the route to the nest is clear before continuing 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 1/1600 sec, f/4 and ISO 5000 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.