NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Pavonine Quetzal
Pharomachrus pavoninus (Spix, 1824)
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.
Pavonine quetzal standing on a branch looking backwards
Abby Darrah · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The pavonine quetzal (Pharomachrus pavoninus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the trogons. It is also known at the peacock trogon, red-billed train bearer, or viuda pico rojo in Spanish. The pavonine quetzal lives in the Neotropics, more specifically in the northern region of the Amazon basin, spreading from Colombia to Bolivia. The most notable characteristics helpful in identifying this bird are its plumage, red beak (male; females have grey bills), and its distribution - it is the only quetzal occupying the lowland rainforest east of the Andes.
Wikipedia contributors, Pavonine quetzal; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:33:51.213412+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pharomachrus pavoninus (Spix, 1824)
- Name authority
- (Spix, 1824)
- Common name
- Pavonine 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 pavoninus (Spix, 1824)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| White-tipped QuetzalPharomachrus fulgidus (Gould, 1838) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Trogon pavoninus Spix, 1824 Spix, 1824 | synonym |
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=554488 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.
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:4FVH3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.