Quetzals: An Evolutionary Path

The Quetzals are a species that many don't know well among the rainforest community. Quetzals are emerald and red birds with long sweeping tails used in mating rituals. However, the tail in future Quetzals who live in the desert (hereinafter Fire Agate Quetzals) will have longer vertebrae to support a slightly longer tail for canyon flights. Fire Agate Quetzals wings will be slightly elongated and thinner to support the Quetzals in the thinner air found in deserts. While the current Resplendent Quetzals have thicker and heavier wings used for small bursts of flight between trees in rainforests, evolution would change the Resplendent Quetzals to the Fire Agate Quetzals through climate driven habitat loss because the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere making it harder for rainforests to flourish. The adaptations of Fire Agate Quetzals will become important as the rainforests continue to shrink in coming years.