How to Draw a Quetzal

1. Begin the quetzal outline by drawing its face.

Use short curved lines that meet at points to draw its beak and the feathers on the front of its head. For the eye, shade a circle within a circle. Draw a few short lines like an eyebrow above the eye.

2. Continue to use short lines that meet at jagged points to draw the back of the bird's head and its chest. Use a long curved line for its back and a series of short lines to contour under its eye and around its beak.

3. Use a series of "U" shaped lines to begin drawing its wings and to draw the border between its blue chest and red belly.

4. Use long and short curved lines that meet at points and form a "Y" shape to draw the tree branch on which the bird is perched. Use curved lines and small teardrop shapes to draw its claws and toes.

5. Continue drawing the tree branch. Use long and short lines that meet at points.

Then, use pairs of lines that meet at points to continue drawing the wings and to sketch the base of the tail beneath the branch.

6. Use curved lines that meet at jagged points and overlapping "U" shaped lines to draw the uppermost feathers of the tail.

Then, extend two sets of long, curved lines and allow them to meet at points. Notice that one set crosses over each other. These are the quetzal's long, majestic tail feathers.

7. Draw one more tail feather using long curved lines that meet at points. Then, texture the quetzal's body with curved lines.

8. Draw another "Y" shaped tree branch using curved lines that meet at points. Texture the tree bark with long curved lines, and draw some leaves.

For each leaf, start with a curved line for the central vein and enclose a teardrop-shaped leaf around it.

9. Draw more leaves. For each leaf, start with a curved line for the central vein and enclose a teardrop-shaped leaf around it.

Your cartoon quetzal outline is now complete. Color your bird. Resplendent quetzals have bluish-green feathers, bright red bellies, and white feathers at the base of the tail.