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Golden-headed Quetzal | Pharomachrus auriceps
Goudkopquetzal | Quetzal cabecidorado | Quetzal-de-cabeça-dourada
The Golden-headed Quetzal is the most widespread quetzal of the Andes, a glossy green bird with a crimson belly. It often sits motionless and upright for long periods in the canopy of montane forest, and gives itself away mainly by its plaintive whistled song. It closely resembles Crested Quetzal, but from below can be told by its all-black tail.
Voice
The song is a repeated series of melancholy, whistled notes that carries over long distances. The call is a dry, cackling chatter.
Recording: Paul Driver — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · xeno-canto
Identification
33–36 cm. The male is glossy metallic green on the upperparts and breast, with a golden-green to bronzy sheen on the head and a crimson belly and undertail coverts. The long green uppertail coverts reach the tail tip but do not form a train. The tail is all black from below. The bill is yellow. The female is duller, with a browner head and breast, less extensive red on the belly and a dark bill; her undertail is also dark.
Confusion species
Crested Quetzal Pharomachrus antisianus has a short, bristly crest over the bill and, in the male, a white undertail; the female has white bars on the outer tail feathers. Pavonine Quetzal Pharomachrus pavoninus lives in the Amazonian lowlands, and the male has a red bill. White-tipped Quetzal Pharomachrus fulgidus occurs only in northern Colombia and has white tips to the outer tail feathers. Masked Trogon Trogon personatus is smaller, with a finely barred tail with white tips.
Habitat
Humid montane forest and cloud forest, also forest edges and clearings with fruiting trees, at roughly 1000 to 3000 m. It eats mainly fruit, plucked from branches while hovering, and also insects. It nests in a cavity in a rotten tree trunk.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the vegetation units of the Andes and the west coast.
Range and movements
In Colombia on the slopes of all three cordilleras; in Ecuador on the western and eastern slopes of the Andes; in Peru and Bolivia mainly on the eastern slope. Absent from the Galápagos. Outside the guide area in eastern Panama and in the Andes of western Venezuela.
- Resident
- dark = core range, pale = thinly spread
How and when to look
At fruiting trees at forest edges, where birds may have a regular perch, and along mountain roads through cloud forest, such as around Mindo in Ecuador and along the road to Manu in Peru. The song is heard mainly in the early morning.
Conservation status
Least Concern, but locally declining through deforestation on the Andean slopes.
Scientific name
Pharomachrus auriceps | (Gould, 1842)
Gould described the species in 1842 as Trogon (Calurus) auriceps; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Pharomachrus was introduced in 1832 by De la Llave. The genus name comes from Greek pharos, 'mantle', and makros, 'long', after the long covert feathers. Latin aurum, 'gold', and -ceps, 'headed': 'golden-headed'. The specimen the first description was based on came from Andes (per the description).