White-tipped Quetzal

Pharomachrus fulgidus is a combination of Greek pharomachrus, meaning 'the bird with the long mantle', and Latin fulgidus, which can be translated as 'bright, lustrous', with fulgurant likely having the same origin. John Gould called it Trogon fulgidus in 1838, and we have named it White-tipped Quetzal, while our more pragmatic Anglo-Saxon friends named it White-tipped Trogon or Trogon with White Tips. Our White-tipped Quetzal certainly forms a superspecies with the Pavonine Quetzal, the Golden Quetzal or the Antillean Quetzal, and the Resplendent Quetzal, measuring about 33 cm and showing a pronounced dimorphism. The male has a yellow beak, a golden head and neck, and depending on the light, almost looks to have a golden helmet. Its iris is brown, its parotidi are dark green, brightening to an emerald green on the throat and chest, the belly is carmine red, the mantle and back take on the emerald green of the chest, and the upper tail-feathers will often display golden reflections depending on the light. As with all Quetzals, the coverts are worn vertically in the same green color as the mantle, all primaries are black with white margins, and curve over the rump. The three pairs of lower rectrices are black, although only the pair at the base of the tail displays this coloring, the tips are very widely marked with white, and when the bird is seen from the front, the tail appears white. The female is more discreet, its head is brown with golden and green highlights on the cap and neck, its iris is dark brown, its beak yellow, with a gray culmen.The brown throat is marked by horizontal green waves on the chest, but depending on the light some individuals appear completely brown on the chest and the upper part of the belly, the lower belly is a faded red almost pink with the base of the feathers white. The mantle and back are green, the coverts green, shorter than those of the male, showing the black remiges. The lower black rectrices are marked with white spots, the tail thus has a rather striped appearance. The young resemble their mother, but young males will soon have the lower rectrices white. Two ssp are recognized, ssp fulgidus described above and ssp festatus with longer undertail coverts and a more golden hue, the rectrices are also longer, this ssp will more easily show the green tips at the end of the tail.