Since the Quetzalcoatl is described as half bird half serpent and two of the other mythical creatures i have decided to illustrate (Gamayun and native American fire bird) are based around birds, I have also begun looking at imagery of birds (- found some interesting skeletons and stuffed birds in the natural history muesuem).

I thought that this image was particularly intereting as it shows a bird in flight, the black background really helping to define the white feathers of the birds wings. Often a Quetzalcoatl is depicted as a lizard with birds wings, so this image is particularly helpful as it is possible to see the birds wings in full extension.

 

I thought this image featuring a bird of prey may also be helpful as the wings are again fully extended, only this time the photograph is shot from a different angle, giving more imformation about a birds anatomy.

Finally, i felt that this image would be useful as it is a close up of a birds face, which shows the details around the beak and eyes of an owl. The hooked beak and almost cat like ears are particularly interesting.