The Elusive Quetzal
Photographs and text by Steve Winter
In ancient Mesoamerica, humans showed the quetzal great respect. Representations of the god Quetzalcoatl and the headdresses of Aztec and Maya rulers all depended on the resplendent feathers of the quetzal. The feathers were given and accepted as precious tribute. Feathers were plucked from trapped quetzals, which were then released to grow new ones. Killing a quetzal brought a death sentence.
Today the birds are in crisis. Killed and stuffed as decoration by Europeans in the 19th century, today their habitat is falling to cropland, cattle pasture, and logging. Lore says the quetzal must live free—that it cannot survive in captivity. Though not strictly true, the bird is rarely found in zoos. Conservationists aim to work with local landowners to save this bird, whose feathers their ancestors valued more highly than gold.
NGM 1998/06