An Uncertain Future Quetzals face many threats to their survival. Te most serious is loss of habitat. Many of the birds’ forests have been chopped down. Some were cut for logging. Others were cut to clear land for livestock or for growing crops, like coffee. Now areas where the quetzal can live are


separated from each other. Tis is called fragmentation. It makes it hard for quetzals to find food or find mates.


WORDWISE


Other Threats Predators are also a problem. Long-tailed weasels, squirrels, and even other birds eat quetzal eggs or chicks. Adult quetzals face predators, too. Owls, hawks, and wild cats hunt them. Today some people still hunt quetzals for


their feathers or even as food. Others try to sell the birds as pets. Tis is illegal. It can also be fatal to the birds. Quetzals do not survive long in captivity.


Aztec: American Indian people dominant in Mexico before the Spanish conquest of the 16th century


culture: the customs, beliefs, laws, and ways of living that belong to a people


fragmentation: the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, more isolated pieces


Mayan: American Indian people inhabiting southeast Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras whose civilization reached its height around AD 300-900


Male quetzals have long, streaming tail feathers. Females do not.


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