A tropical montane forest with persistent low cloud that supports the resplendent quetzal is a cloud forest. Also called a tropical montane cloud forest, this ecosystem forms at elevation where moist air rises along mountain slopes, cools, and condenses into frequent or nearly continuous cloud.
Cloud forests are exceptionally humid and often have moss-covered trunks, thick layers of epiphytes, orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. Cloud interception by leaves and branches can add important moisture beyond ordinary rainfall. The cool, damp conditions also create refuges for specialized frogs, salamanders, hummingbirds, and other species sensitive to heat and drying.
The resplendent quetzal is particularly associated with cloud forests in Central America and southern Mexico. Its diet is centered on fruits, especially those of trees in the laurel family, though it also eats insects and small animals. Males are famous for their iridescent plumage and long tail coverts, while the species is also important as a seed disperser. “Montane forest” is broader than “cloud forest,” and “rainforest” can include lowland forests, so those alternatives are less precise.