Male quetzals have iridescent green or golden-green wing coverts, back, chest and head, with a red belly. Their wings are suited to camouflage under rainy conditions, because their feathers blend well with wet and shiny green area. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, and parts of the females' plumage are brown or grey. These largely solitary birds feed on fruits, berries, insects and small vertebrates (such as frogs). Even with their famous bright plumage, they can be hard to see in their natural wooded habitats.
I photographed these magnificent birds about 10,000 ft altitude in the Highlands of Costa Rica on a tour with Juan Carlos Vindas. Cold and rainy and quite breezy......but what a thrill to see and photograph these beautiful birds!
G.E. Smith wrote:
Great work Karen. These are stunning. What a beautiful bird. Fantastic backgrounds ! Thanks for sharing.
Greg
Glad you liked them, Greg!
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molson wrote:
Wow - amazing colour!
They flaunt those colors and long tails!
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juankgigo wrote:
Karen, all images are winners for me but the fist one is over the top, rarely you see that stance of pride!
Thank you, Juan, for a great trip!
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dclark wrote:
Wow! Those are all superb images.
Don't see any room for improvement.
nugeny wrote:
Wow, these images are best of the best. Thanks for showing
They gave a few photo ops in between long periods of standing and waiting.... !
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johnohio wrote:
Super images. Beautiful birds and shots !
John
Thank you, John!
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kmunroe wrote:
very nice indeed Karen
Thanks!
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dj_hess wrote:
Beautiful set of images of this captivating bird. Well done.
Dave
Thanks! I only get to shoot about 3-4 times a year. But I do enjoy it!
DonGut wrote:
The first one is superb in many ways. Congrats.
Don
Thank you so very much!
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louie champan wrote:
An absolutely amazing set Karen, excellent work with these images both behind the camera and in front of the PC.
Thanks, Louie!
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jiocco wrote:
Excellent work as always, @butlerkid@
!