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It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I was in the mood to sit down with Oreos and a glass of milk and tell you about my obsession with Guatemala’s national bird, the Quetzal. Go ahead and just gaze upon its beauty right now:

It is so breathtaking that it seems almost fake to me. I’m drawn to the shy Quetzal because I guess I’ve just never seen anything like it—except for maybe a Pokemon. It’s iridescent colors and long wispy tail make it seem magical. And the fuzzy head and beady eyes are just plain cute. OH how I’d love to see one. I heard a friend say that only about 1% of Guatemalans die having seen this bird because they are pretty hard to find! I’m not sure if they are officially endangered, but they’re extremely rare due to the growing loss of their cloud forest habitat. However, they still survive in a few parts of the country, like the green forest/mountainous Cobán region:

The Quetzal was sacred to the ancient Maya and Aztec people of Central America, and royalty and priests wore its feathers during ceremonies. Today the Quetzal is still adored and sought after by many people-- particularly bird watchers who travel here from all over the globe to try and catch a glimpse of them. I am most likely going to end up as one of those old lady bird watchers. I'll get Zach to join me once he realizes how cool it is and we'll travel the world even when we're old!

those sweet ancient Mayan dudes and probably a Spanish conquistador

us in a few years

Birds are such amazing creatures. I love God for creating them!

I am pretty sure we won’t be seeing the magnificent Quetzal while we're in Guatemala, but I can hope! There’s a national reserve for them about 3 hours away, but even then I’ve heard that people pay in hopes to see the bird and never actually find one. Come visit us in Guatemala and let's look for one!!

Another fun fact: Guatemala’s currency is named after the national bird. See? So really I see quetzales just about every day:) 

the end

Kristen