Bar-tailed Trogon

Overview

The bar-tailed trogon (Apaloderma vittatum) is a resident bird species native to central Africa. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, although it is experiencing a decreasing population trend due to habitat destruction.

Identification

• Males possess a blue-black head with bronze iridescence, an upper breast iridescent from violet to blue-green, and red underparts, while females have a brown head and light cinnamon throat and breast.
• The bird averages 28 centimetres in length and features a yellow bill and feet.
• The tail is long and broad, with the underside narrowly barred black and white and the upper surface blue-black or purple-black.
• Males display yellow or orange bare skin patches below the eye and a yellow or grey patch above it; vocalisations include a yelping crescendo such as "yaow, yow, yow, yow" or "wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk".

Habitat

This species inhabits forests at altitudes ranging between 900 and 3,000 metres. Its range covers Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Diet

The bar-tailed trogon feeds primarily on insects and fruit.

Did you know?

While yearlings do not mate or hold territories, they have been reported to sing.