New favorite bird alert… kind of. I can never pick one favorite bird. But let’s talk about the resplendent quetzal for a hot minute.
It’s the national bird of Guatemala- and it’s clear the country loves the quetzal. It’s on their national team’s soccer crest. It’s on their currency… the currency is even named after the bird.
I would love to see the bird while in Guatemala, except the likelihood of that is quite low. They are unfortunately threatened due to habitat loss.
There’s an old story, it’s kind of a legend, of a quetzal that was caught and caged. When inside they decided they would rather hurl themself at the sides of the cage to die rather than to live in captivity. Thus, the quetzal has been a symbol of freedom for so many.