Eared Quetzal

The eared quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus), also known as the eared trogon, is a species of bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is native to streamside pine-oak forests and canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico from northern Sonora and Chihuahua south to western Michoacán. The species has occurred on rare occasions in southeastern Arizona, where it has been recorded nesting. == Taxonomy == The eared quetzal was described and illustrated in 1838 by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in his book A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons based on a specimen collected in Mexico. He coined the binomial name Trogon neoxenus. In 1858, in the second edition of his book, Gould placed the species in its own genus Euptilotis to give the current binomial name Euptilotis neoxenus. The eared quetzal is the only species placed in the genus. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek neos meaning "new" with xenos meaning "stranger", "guest" or "visitor". The genus name Euptilotis combines the Ancient Greek eu meaning "good" with ptilon meaning "feather" and -ōtis meaning "-eared". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2005 found that the…