Male Resplendent Quetzal Carrying a Caterpillar at the Nest Entrance

The male clings vertically beside the cavity with a caterpillar held in his yellow bill, green wing coverts layered against the trunk and long coverts trailing below 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 1/3200 sec, f/2.8 and ISO 8000 renders the stationary bird and fine plumage detail sharply against the softly separated background; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.