Finally, a quetzal...

So FINALLY after living in Monteverde for eight months, we saw the famous and famously rare Resplendent Quetzal bird! (pronounced ket-zal) Apparently among birders seeing the quetzal is considered quite a coup. We are not birders, however, we did get quite excited when we saw its brillant blue feathers and incredibly long tail on a tree in front of our house. The tail is about three times longer than the body of the bird. The feathers and body are a bright blue with hints of green...almost a turquoise sort of color. When it flies, it is like a streak of color with the long tail flying behind it. It was a very exciting few minutes!
Unfortunatly we did not get a picture of it. Next time, perhaps. We think that he was here to eat the wild avocados growing on a tree in front of our house, as queztals really like those.