NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
White-tipped Quetzal
Pharomachrus fulgidus (Gould, 1838)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The white-tipped quetzal (Pharomachrus fulgidus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae found in Venezuela, Colombia, and Guyana. Two subspecies have been described. Pharomachrus fulgidus fulgidus is found in the mountains of northern Venezuela and Pharomachrus fulgidus festatus ranges through the Santa Marta mountains of northeast Colombia. Quetzals are iridescent and colourful birds found in forests, woodlands and humid highlands. The white-tipped quetzal has been a limited subject of research. Pharomachrus nests have been studied to analyse the effects of rainfall on breeding, however conclusions are based on single observations. On the IUCN Red list of threatened species, the white-tipped quetzal is listed as a species of least concern.
Wikipedia contributors, White-tipped quetzal; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:45:37.659648+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pharomachrus fulgidus (Gould, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Gould, 1838)
- Common name
- White-tipped Quetzal
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Trogoniformes
- Family
- Trogonidae
- Genus
- Pharomachrus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderTrogoniformes
- familyTrogonidae
- genusPharomachrus La Llave, 1832
- speciesPharomachrus fulgidus (Gould, 1838)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pharomachrus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Resplendent QuetzalPharomachrus mocinno La Llave, 1832 | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crested QuetzalPharomachrus antisianus (d'Orbigny, 1837) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-headed QuetzalPharomachrus auriceps (Gould, 1842) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pavonine QuetzalPharomachrus pavoninus (Spix, 1824) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554486 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4FVGZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.