The Torogoz is the national bird of El Salvador and a lot of people feel a connection to it because it represents the beauty of the Salvadoran nature and their need for freedom in our country. My grandparents told me about this bird when I was 6 years old, they described the bird to me with a lot of details. My grandpa described it as a colorful and small bird. The feathers are blue, green, yellow and orange and a large beak, its tail is long and narrow. They described it like that because it is very rare to see a Torogoz because they’re so tiny and fast. I’ve seen torogoces about three times in my entire life and they are beautiful and colorful. I was amazed when I saw the Torogoz because I finally got to see one in real life. The Torogoz represents us as Salvadorans, it represents our nation, heritage and our need for freedom.

I remember my 6 years old self looking at that elegant bird for first time, I was amazed because of its colorful feathers. I could not believe what I was seeing because my grandpa told me about it just months ago. That was one of the best experiences when I was a kid because it sounded like a fairy tale to me but it was true I felt like I was literally looking at a creature from a different world.

I think that thousands of Salvadorans might have had a similar experiences  because their grandparents, uncles or parents might have told them about the Torogoz and its rarity. I think that its rarity makes the bird even more interesting to us. 
 

– Diego

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant