Golden-headed Quetzal
A species of Typical quetzals Scientific name : Pharomachrus auriceps Genus : Typical quetzals
Golden-headed Quetzal, A species of Typical quetzals
Botanical name: Pharomachrus auriceps
Genus: Typical quetzals
Content
Description General Info
Description
The golden-headed quetzal weighs between 154-182g. It has a wingspan of 30–36 cm and a length of 33–36 cm with tail plumes adding another 8–10 cm. Like other members of the genus Pharomachrus, the golden-headed quetzal is known for its iridescent golden-green wings and breast, which can appear blue depending on the light. The female's breast is a duller brownish colour; her head is also a duller golden-brown when compared to the male's gold-bronze head, from which the species name is derived. Their bills are short and broad; they appear yellow in males and a brownish greyish in females. The quetzal's uppertail coverts are darker green and extend beyond the tip of the tail, more so in the male than in the female. Both the male and the female have a black undertail, though the female sometimes displays greyish-black tips. The feathers on the lower breast of both sexes are a brilliant red colour. Both sexes, like other trogons, also have heterodactyl feet, with the first and second toes facing backwards and the third and fourth toes facing forward. Their legs and feet are an olive green or a brownish colour. The young golden-headed quetzal is a brownish black colour with a few iridescent green feathers on the neck and breast, and lacking the tail coverts of the adult. The golden-headed male quetzal differs from other quetzals in its lack of a crest of head feathers. P. a. hargitti is distinguished from the nominate race by its longer tail and slightly more golden colour. 
Size
36 cm
Life Expectancy
20-25 years
Feeding Habits
Golden-headed Quetzal primarily feasts on fruits, supplementing its diet with insects, small vertebrates, frogs, and lizards. It forages in the canopy, adeptly plucking its diverse prey from the foliage, displaying a preference for ripe fruit. Golden-headed Quetzal's diet reflects its adaptability within its arboreal habitat.
Habitat
Golden-headed Quetzal typically resides in the humid and wet mid-elevation montane and foothill forests, including temperate and subtropical cloudforests, elfin forests, and tall secondary growths. It frequents areas at an elevation range of 1250–3100 meters, where it may also be found in dwarf forests and open terrains with dispersed trees. Although golden-headed Quetzal may initially appear on open hillsides during the early morning, it generally retreats to the dense cover of the forest throughout the day.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
Golden-headed quetzals inhabit areas of Central and South America. P. a. auriceps is found in eastern Panama (Cerro Pirre mountain) as well as in the Andes spanning from southern Colombia to eastern Peru and northern Bolivia. P. a. hargitti is only found in the Andes of Venezuela. Their natural habitat is most commonly humid and wet moderate-elevation montane and foothill forests although they have also been seen less frequently on the forest edge and in clearings as well as in temperate cloud forests and elfin forests. They reside at elevations ranging from 1200m to 3100m.
Species Status
The golden-headed quetzal is fairly common in its range and is considered a species of least concern.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Trogons Family
Trogons and quetzals Genus
Typical quetzals Species
Golden-headed Quetzal 
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