We've finally set eyes on
bird of our dreams
By Mark Sinclair
Thea and I have long sought the
resplendent quetzal. Arguably
the most beautiful bird in the
world, the mature male is a
stunning mix of a brilliant
iridescent green body and chest,
which are set off by a brilliant
red belly and snow white tail.
The brilliant colors are only
part of the story: the male
quetzal's most distinctive
features are long, streaming
tail feathers, which can be up
to 25 inches, and a laterally
compressed helmet-like crest
that covers his head and gives
him a feathery crowned look.
The female is also beautiful,
sporting the same iridescent
green-colored body, but with a
muted belly and black white and
red on the tail, which is of
normal length. Unfortunately,
these gorgeous birds are also
elusive.
Thea and I first took a crack at
finding them in 1981, when we
traveled to Honduras.
Over the next two decades,
whenever we were in Central
America, we would try again. In
Belize, we searched the area
near Orange Walk; in Guatemala,
we tried near the ancient ruins
of Tikal. In Nicaragua, I looked
in a park near Matagalpa. In
each place, the result was
always the same: nothing.
In 25 years, neither Thea nor I
had so much as heard a quetzal
song in the jungle. It was if
the bird didn't exist or at the
very least was avoiding us like
the plague.
So, you can imagine our
anticipation when, as we were
planning this summer's trip to
Costa Rica, I noted that one of
the locations we were visiting
had nesting resplendent
quetzals. The area is a park
called the Monteverde Cloud
Forest Biological Reserve and is
in Costa Rica's central
mountains, about four hours by
car from the country's capital,
San Jose.
When I wasn't swearing or
swerving to avoid boulders, I
stole a quick look at the
breathtaking scenery, as we
ascended from the lowlands to an
altitude of 1,800 meters (about
5,900 feet) into the
breathtaking, mountainous
terrain.
After a flight and a two-hour,
bone-jarring ride, we reached
our destination, the Arco Iris
Lodge in the small town of Santa
Elena.
Revitalized by a good night's
sleep, we arose by 5:30 a.m. to
meet Adrian Mendes, a
professional birding guide who
has been visiting Monteverde for
more than 10 years. Adrian is a
short, wiry, dark man with a
serious, respectful air. He
turned out to be an excellent
birder.
Adrian led us into the
Monteverde Park, stopping to
chat with some of the other
guides about the current
whereabouts of the "Q" bird.
Soon, our little group was
heading down a dimly lit forest
path. Above us soared giant
trees, festooned with mosses,
bromeliads, orchids and all
manner of plant life.
Below, it was no less crowded:
it seemed as if every spot on
the ground was growing
something. The cloud forest is
an especially productive area,
and this complexity makes it
hard to find birds. There were
numerous, varied bird calls, but
actually seeing the birds was a
challenge.
Fortunately, Adrian is very good
at his job. He would identify
the species by their call,
locate them in the gloomy light,
and then patiently guide our
eyes to them using a powerful
green laser which he would use
to illuminate the bird's branch.
It was a unique use of
technology in a natural
environment.
The secret to birding in the
rain forest is to locate food
sources and then wait for the
birds to come to them to feed.
Accordingly, over the next 30
minutes, we staked out a tree,
and the quetzal appeared several
times. Eventually, he perched in
full view, and Adrian got his
telescope on the bird, which was
as beautiful as advertised.
Thea and I could clearly see the
long, streaming green tail and
iridescent body with its
helmeted head and yellow bill.
Unfortunately, the male bird
always had his back to us, and
so we could only see patches of
the bright red breast. After so
many years of fruitless
searching, we finally had seen
the resplendent quetzal.
The rest of our Costa Rican
adventure certainly was
exciting. In all, we saw 129
species of birds, and many
reptiles and mammals. However,
the highlight was clearly our
sighting of the quetzal. For us,
it was one of the most beautiful
birds we've ever seen.
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