Final answer:
Male quetzal tail feathers can range in length from 60 cm to over 1 meter and are used for courtship displays. They were also highly prized by ancient civilizations like the Aztecs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The male quetzal is renowned for its strikingly long and colourful tail feathers. In the wild, these magnificent feathers can grow to be quite long, but the length of a male quetzal's tail feathers typically ranges between 60 centimetres (almost 2 feet) to over 1 meter (about 3 feet). The elongated tail feathers of the male are often used during courtship displays to attract a mate, making them an essential aspect of their natural behaviour and mating ritual. These feathers were highly valued in pre-Columbian civilizations, with the Aztecs considering the quetzal feathers a symbol of wealth and divinity, as evidenced by ornate headdresses adorned with these feathers, such as the one falsely attributed to Emperor Moctezuma II.