Species of the Day: Resplendent Quetzal! This is the male – you can tell by its long tail feathers, which it uses to attract the female. Why such long feathers? Clearly useless for flying, the thinking goes that if a male can survive with such an apparent disadvantage, he must really be worth having as a ‘husband’. The Maya considered this bird “God of the Air”. Thanks for the encouragement with the photos everyone. We will continue to torture you with more photos.