The Diet of Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus Moncinno mocinno: Trogonidae) in a Mexican Cloud Forest

Abstract

The diet and feeding habits of the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus m. mocinno) were studied in the cloud forest of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico. Adults fed on fruits of 15 plant species, six of which (40%) are members of the family Lauraceae; 63 percent of the fruit items consumed were from these species. Other fruit items consumed were from species belong to the families Theaceae (8.3%) and, with 4.2 percent each: Myrsinaceae, Araliaceae, Verbenaceae, Solanaceae, Myrtaceae, Melasomataceae, Moraceae and Clusiaceae. Quetzals took fruits on the wing from distal branches of trees. Feeding activity was highest in the late afternoon hours. Average sex ratio in feeding groups was 1:1. The diet of chicks consisted of fruits (24%) and insects and small vertebrates (76%) during their first 10 d, and 72 percent fruits and 28 percent animal food from then until fledging. Large fruits increased and soft bodied animals decreased significantly in the chick's diet between these two periods. Of the plant species fed to the chick 37.5 percent belonged to the family Lauraceae. Of the total fruit items, 50 percent belonged to this family, in contrast to higher proportions reported for 1? m. costaricensis. In the overall chick's diet, Lauraceous fruit made up 19 percent, close to that reported for 1? m. costaricensis. Other bird species that took fruit from the same trees as the quetzals fed from the inner branches while perching and fed mainly on non-lauraceous fruits, with small seeds. Our results support the view that the quetzal is a specialized frugivore, feeding mainly on fruits of the family Lauraceae. Quetzals may play an important role as seed dispersal agents especially during the non-breeding season, when they move up to 3 km/d, adding up to several dozen km in a season.