Baird's Trogon

Overview

Baird's trogon is a bird species belonging to the family Trogonidae, native to Costa Rica and Panama. It is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List due to a small range and habitat loss from deforestation.

Identification

• Males have a bluish-black head and upper breast, with rich bright red underparts; upperparts are metallic blue-green with blackish wings featuring white on the primaries.
• Females display dark slate upperparts and a paler gray throat and breast, with less red on the underparts and a tail underside barred with black and white.
• The bird is 25 to 28 cm long and weighs approximately 95 g, possessing a stout light blue bill and a ring around the eye.
• The song consists of a series of barking notes that accelerate and fall abruptly, sometimes ending with lower-pitched notes, while it emits a sharp cackle when disturbed.

Habitat

Found on the Pacific slope of Costa Rica south of the Tárcoles River into western Panama's Chiriquí Province, the species inhabits the interior canopy of humid rainforest, as well as forest edges, tall secondary forest, and shady semi-open woodland. It occupies elevations from sea level up to 1,200 m.

Diet

Foraging by sallying from foliage to take fruits and insects, the bird also preys on the ground. Small vertebrates constitute a minor part of its diet.

Did you know?

The species is named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, a 19th-century naturalist who served as the first curator of the Smithsonian Institution.