Quetzal

Resplendent Quetzal, a page from
 Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide
by Audubon

Have you ever played the game where participants choose a category (foods, animals, books, etc.), then take turns listing items in that category, one for each letter of the alphabet?  (When you get to Z, you start all over again, trying not to duplicate any of the answers given in previous rounds.)  

Our family plays that whenever we're waiting for something -- waiting for our food to arrive at a restaurant, waiting in line at amusement parks, etc.  Many times when we play the game, we choose the category of animals.  (That shouldn't be a surprise, with my son Nick around!)  There aren't too many animals (or other kinds of words, for that matter) that begin with the letter Q.  One of the few is quetzal.  It gets used often in our games!

A quetzal [ket-sahl] is a brilliantly colored bird that lives in Central and South America.  Quetzals have golden-green and scarlet plumage, and the males have very long tail feathers.  These magnificent creatures are the national bird of Guatemala.

Look at this picture of a quetzal -- 

isn't it beautiful?

Can you think of any other animal names that start with the letter Q?