The Quetzal is a bird belonging to the family Trogonidae, found in tropical America, mainly Central America. The word “quetzal” was originally used only for the Resplendent Quetzal. Resplendent Quetzal, the famous long-tailed quetzal of Central America, which is the symbol of the Republic of Guatemala. Now quetzal also names all the species of the genus Euptilotis Pharomachrus. The six quetzal species exist (endangered) are:
- Resplendent antisianus.
- Resplendent auriceps.
- Resplendent fulgidus.
- Resplendent pavoninus.
- Resplendent neoxenus.
The word “quetzal” is from the Nahuatl - quetzalli. As for its Latin classification, the word is from the Greek pharos, “mantle”, and makro, ”long”, referring to the long tail of the quetzal bird.